FanHouse Jefffaine

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears did some house cleaning along their offensive lines today, as the Buccaneers reunited themselves with Sean Mahan, and sent former fourth-round pick Dan Buenning to Chicago. Each transaction involved undisclosed 2009 draft picks, as reported by ProFootballTalk.

Mahan was signed to a five-year deal by the Steelers following the 2006 season and was, by all accounts, a tremendous flop trying to continue the Steelers' legacy at the center position. He lost his starting job this preseason to Justin Hartwig and was going to be the teams primary backup at center and guard.

I imagine the Bucs will be looking at him, for the most part, as a guard -- his main position in his first stint with Tampa -- as they signed free-agent center Jeff Faine this past off-season to a $37.5 million deal. Of course, that's simply speculation on my part.

To make room for Mahan, the Bucs then sent Beunning, their fourth-round pick in 2005, to Chicago. It's a little odd, seeing as how Mahan and Beunning both possess the ability to play center and guard (though, it's up for debate as to how much Sean Mahan can really play center), while Mahan is slightly older, makes more money, and may or may not be as good. It all comes down to the picks the Bucs are swapping.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Drew Brees is, to me, the third best quarterback in the league. And that's not just because I have a giant man-crush on him. Say what you will about your Tony Romos and Carson Palmers, but I'd take Brees over those two, especially as he appears to be in the prime of his career. All he's done since arriving in New Orleans is put up gaudy numbers through the air, but he plays a heady game based on quick (and good) decisions. He's also a good guy off the field and the unquestioned leader of the team. Mark Brunell was brought in as Brees' backup while project Tyler Palko continues to develop, and while you don't want to see the old lefty play at all, his arm looks good enough in camp to sustain for a couple of weeks if need be. Anything more than that, though, and the Saints are in trouble. Heat Index: 9

Running Back: Running back committees are a bitch for fantasy owners, but none have encountered a mess like this, where four backs are going to get a fair share of touches. Exactly how the carries shake out depends on Deuce McAllister's health; ditto for the productivity of the group. All four backs -- McAllister, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Aaron Stecker -- are talented, but Deuce is the only pounder that can keep the running game glued together. If he's in the lineup, expect Bush to flourish, with Thomas making a solid impact as well. If he's not, Thomas takes on a larger role and, though he rolled up Chicago for over 200 yards from scrimmage in Week 17 last year, it remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time NFL back. Luckily, Deuce has looked healthy so far. Heat Index: 7

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are so far below the 2008 salary cap that they would be in violation of the league's collective-bargaining agreement if they don't add at least $28 million to their payroll. But it doesn't appear that that will be a problem, as the Bucs have gotten off to a fast start in the free agency period.

First, the Bucs signed center Jeff Faine, formerly of the Saints, to a six-year, $37.5 million deal with $15 guaranteed, making him the highest-paid center in the NFL. That seems like a tad much for a center of Faine's quality, but that's life in the NFL when you have $45 million or so to spend.

Second, the Bucs signed tight end John Gilmore, formerly of the Bears, to a three-year contract. Gilmore is mostly a blocking tight end; he'll be second on the depth chart behind Alex Smith.

And next the Bucs may sign wide receiver Devery Henderson, another free agent from the Saints. Henderson is a deep threat with excellent speed, although he hasn't been particularly productive in the Saints' offense and seems like a bad fit for the Jeff Garcia/Jon Gruden offense in Tampa Bay.

But the Bucs have so much money to spend that they can afford to sign guys who aren't great fits. The Bucs are not done spending money.

It took a while for the Saints to start locking down their own free agents, but they're picking up steam. Yesterday they announced two re-signings on the offensive line -- backup center Jonathan Goodwin and starting left guard Jamar Nesbit. Goodwin's signing could mean the end of a third lineman, free agent starting center Jeff Faine.

Word on the street is that Faine is looking to be one of the highest-paid centers in the league, and the Saints apparently recognize that that's foolish, so he appears to be walking (potentially to division rival Tampa Bay). Faine is a very intelligent center who excels at calling out blocking assignments. But he's also undersized. At 290 pounds, he has a tough time blocking nose tackles 20-30 pounds heavier than he is (we already know he's a tad on the weak side). When Faine missed two games with injuries, the offense was much better under Goodwin. The fact that he was given a three-year, $8.5 million deal suggests as well that the Saints aren't paying him to be a backup.

As for Nesbit, there's been word that the team feels '07 draft pick Andy Alleman might be able to take over this year, so Nesbit could potentially lose his starting job. If he does, though, he's a very good backup who's played at all five positions. Either way, by what the Saints did and didn't do yesterday, I think their line got better.

Yeah, this is slightly embarrassing. Earlier in the season, when Jeff Faine missed time with an injury, Jonathan Goodwin won a lot of Saints fans over. He played much stronger than Faine, who is stuck with the label "finesse center." Faine's great, don't get me wrong, but who doesn't love a good mauler?

So if you're Faine, and you get pushed around by big defensive tackles, perhaps you shouldn't volunteer to lead the team chant, what with all the big guys slamming into each other and whatnot.

To be fair, the guy who hits Faine is bottom-barrel tight end Ronnie Ghent, meaning it's quite possible that was the first physical action the overzealous Ghent has gotten since Louisville. And he's not a little guy. Still, didn't stop the Superdome crowd from getting a hearty laugh at Faine's expense. Now we know why the Saints' running game has been so weak.

Oh, and if you're wondering -- Faine is 6'3'', 291 pounds; Ghent is 6'2'', 253 pounds. Not quite as impressive as Maurice Jones-Drew pwning Shawne Merriman, but funny regardless.

To get you ready for week 12, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your New Orleans Saints/Carolina Panthers preview.

2007 Records:

New Orleans Saints: 4-6 (t-2nd in NFC South)
Carolina Panthers: 4-6 (t-2nd in NFC South)

Last Game(s):

Texans 23, Saints 10
Packers 31, Panthers 17

Why We Care: The Saints and Panthers are increasingly-desperate teams looking to keep pace with the Bucs for the NFC South lead. The Saints, after struggling from 0-4 to 4-4, have lost two straight. The Panthers are on a four-game losing streak and haven't won a game in four tries at home. Both teams need this win to keep their seasons alive.

For the longest time -- basically 1999 to 2003 -- the Cleveland Browns made some dreadful decisions with their first-round draft picks. Obviously, it all starts with Tim Couch (1999). And then there was Courtney Brown (2000), and Gerard Warren (2001). Who could forget William Green over Clinton Portis (2002), and Jeff Faine (2003).

But with the dark days of Chris Palmer and Butch Davis behind the franchise, things have picked up in recent years. Kellen Winslow, Braylon Edwards, Kamerion Wimbley, and now, Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn. While it's easy to point to Quinn as the team's most important pick -- possibly in this version of the Browns' short history -- it may be the other 2007 first-rounder that ends up having the better career.

Cleveland's offensive line is quietly having a solid season. The unit is on pace to give up 28 sacks, the fewest in 13 years. This group is excelling with a rookie left tackle, and missing two of its best players: tackle Ryan Tucker and center LeCharles Bentley. But that's changing:

You know those people. They're the casualest of football fans. Their insight typically extends as far as "Hey, that Peyton Manning is a pretty good quarterback." And yet, they're not satisfied letting you wallow in your team's 0-3 start. No, they've got to tell you what your favorite team is doing wrong. They're everywhere, and they all want to explain to me that the reason the Saints are losing is because of their defense.

And yeah, the Saints' defense has been just two or three steps below bad, but they're really no worse than they were last year. So what's the difference between 2006 and 2007?

Our own Michael David Smith knows, and he explains over at Football Outsiders.

The biggest problem facing the Saints is the offensive line, and until that problem gets straightened out, the best story of the last NFL season is going to continue to be the biggest disappointment of this NFL season.

I generally dislike the mentality of treating an offensive line as one unit, rather than treating each of the five players on the line as individuals. But the fact is, left tackle Jammal Brown, left guard Jamar Nesbit, center Jeff Faine, right guard Jahri Evans and right tackle Jon Stinchcomb all had bad games Monday night.

And the game before that. And the game before that. The problem isn't that Drew Brees is suddenly a bad quarterback, or that Reggie Bush is a bust, it's that the line hardly cares to block. MDS correctly notes that the team used a lot of tricks to mask their shortcomings last year (they also lost starting tight end Mark Campbell, a good blocker), and I wouldn't be surprised to see the unit blown up at some point this year, with youngsters Andy Alleman and Zach Strief replacing Nesbit and Stinchcomb, respectively. Something's gotta be done to fix this disaster.

That's the question a lot of pundits are asking today in trying to figure out how the Saints, preseason NFC favorites, are 0-2. But the magic they're referring to is that annoying, mythical "Katrina magic" that people invented last year. That's not what I'm referring to. Last year was based on a lot of really good personnel decisions, good coaching, and inspired play. We know that good coaching and inspired play have so far been nowhere to be found. But what of the personnel decisions?

Last year, the Saints had a magic touch shaping their roster. They got four starters in the draft (Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Marques Colston, and Reggie Bush), six if you include draft-day trades for Jeff Faine and Hollis Thomas. They also made smart moves in free agency; besides Drew Brees, the team also got outsized contributions from Scott Shanle, Terrance Copper, and Scott Fujita. Almost every move they made turned to gold.

This year? Meh. Only four picks (Usama Young, Jermon Bushrod, Andy Alleman, and Robert Meachem) have made the team, all but Young have been deactivated for both games, and he only plays sparingly. Their dabble in free agency has been worse. Eric Johnson has been average at tight end, but at least he's doing something; it goes downhill from there. Kendrick Clancy won a starting job at defensive tackle but has been blah. Jason David's exploits are well documented. Kevin Kaesviharn has looked lost at nickel safety. And linebacker Brian Simmons can't beat out Mark Simoneau, who couldn't shed a block by Holly Mangold.

There's a lot of problems that need to be fixed with this team, and it's unfair to attack the new guys when so many of the holdovers have been so, so awful. Still, the Saints added a lot of players in the offseason, and counted on those players to improve the team. They haven't.

I decided to go back and watch last night's game again, because I hate myself, and I decided that starting tonight I'm going to go on a bender with lots of booze and perhaps a narcotic or four and hopefully, by the time Monday rolls around, I'll have no memory of the debacle that was Saints v. Colts. (Note: The FanHouse doesn't condone this type of destructive behavior, though it seems like the right thing to do at the moment).

Before I voyage off into an uncertain future, though, I took notes. By notes, I mean I drew lots of frownie faces. Because if you were to take notes of this game from the perspective of a Saints fan, it would be giant effing frownie face.

Anyway, here's what I noticed, without trying to mention Jason David too much because, Christ, that guy must have had a terrible day:

• The Saints stuck with the Colts in the first half, primarily because they used the Colts' very own Cover 2 defense. This gave Joseph Addai plenty of room to run, sure, but it also kept Peyton Manning virtually ineffective (save Marvin Harrison's touchdown catch). In the second half, they switched to their standard man coverage to neutralize Addai, moving Roman Harper into the box, which allowed the Colts receivers to get behind the Saints secondary. Game over. The Colts were going to pick up yards and points no matter what, I just don't know why they chose to put the ball in Manning's hands instead of the more managable Addai's.