I must admit I wasn’t at all familiar with Kevin Shaffer until I heard today that he will apparently be the Browns’ new left tackle, presumably for a good, long time.
While I can’t comment on whether his deal is fair, or whether Phil Savage made a good move in not giving in to whatever it was that L.J. Shelton wanted, I do like this:
- Shaffer has two-plus years of experience starting as an NFL left tackle.
- His team led the league in rushing yards and per-carry average in both 2004 and 2005. Of course, no one has a quarterback quite like Michael Vick. Still, any tackle whose team has had the success running outside that the Falcons have had with Vick and Warrick Dunn must be doing something very right.
- He just turned 26, so he’s really just hitting his prime.
- Savage clearly had a well-conceived plan for ensuring a quality, experienced left tackle. When Shelton didn’t come to terms, Savage promptly made his move.
- The Browns won’t be desperate to draft a tackle to fill an immediate need. Yet, in this tackle-rich draft, they can still take someone if he’s the highest player on their board at the time.
Other odd Shaffer facts:
- He was drafted late in the 7th round in 2002, nine spots ahead of WR David Givens, who, ironically, was the focus of some attention in Cleveland much earlier today.
- Shaffer will be the fourth player drafted in that very round to play on the Browns’ offensive line, following Mike Pucillo, Chad Beasley, and Joaquin Gonzalez, all of whom were drafted before him.
- He’s pictured here committing a blatant holding foul on cancer patient Jake Holleman, a friend whose actress/model mother’s credentials include the fact that she is double-jointed.
