The Packers Sign OL Duke Preston

by Brandon on Mar 27, 2009 8:00 AM CDT in Green Bay Packers News

OL Duke Preston wasn't wanted in Buffalo. The Bills have no depth at their interior line positions but they didn't resign a guy who started 11 games for them last season. Instead, Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson got their man:

An unrestricted free agent, Preston started 11 games with the Bills last year, all at center. He has also played some guard and right tackle for the Bills. The Packers consider him a prospect at any of the three interior line positions.

The real depressing part...

When he signs his contract, Preston will become the first unrestricted free agent from another team the Packers have added this off-season.

And it's for a young player who has already been a bust for one team. Hopefully Preston is only viewed as just another backup to sign with the Packers. The real danger is that they actually like him and think he can start at guard or at the currently vacant right tackle spot. They like him for his athleticism, but he was awful when he was on the field.

In the passing game:

Preston was on the field for 372 pass plays in 2008. Of those, he graded out as good on 2 (0.5%), decent on 344 (92.5%), bad on 26 (7%), and killed 9 (2.4%). That grades out to a poor 69.4%.

And in the running game:

Preston was better at run blocking against 4-3 defenses than 3-4 (72.1% to 68.9%), but that's not nearly good enough against either to play in the NFL.

It's probably a low risk, high reward signing. He probably didn't sign a huge contract and the Packers get to evaluate a young, talented athlete who's already had some experience starting in the NFL. Maybe they can turn him around.

If he's bad again in 2009, then he's not going to get any playing time. Although it's depressing to sign a guy who's already been a failure with one team. But he's not a major signing and if (when) he struggles in Green Bay, it won't cost them much to let him go.

Poll

What do you think of the signing of Buffalo OL Duke Preston?

He'll be surprisingly good

66 votes

He'll provide some quality depth

211 votes

Ted Thompson's losing it

126 votes

403 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Michael Lombardi preaches these kinds of moves

don’t just be content with the giving guys who know the playbook a roster spot. You have to continually be shifting your roster with low risk players.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey

by jobe on Mar 27, 2009 10:46 AM CDT reply actions

Preston

Signing Preston is a really good move. I don’t know if he’s a great talent or not, but he is young and is clearly being signed to bring depth to multiple positions. That means competition for jobs which is always good.

Another aspect of signing him is that he will allow alot of starters and our other young OL to concentrate on ONE position. Some of our guys have been cross-trained at multiple spots on the OL. Cross-training them causes some problems w/ consistency, as they are unable to concentrate specifically on one primary position. With Preston on board guys like Colledge, Spitz, Barbre, and Sitton will be able to focus only on being the best they can at thier primary position. THe only exception might be Colledge because he has the ability to play OT. If Giacomini isn’t ready for starting, and Tauscher isn’t ready or resigned, Colledge would likely move over to RT just to stabilize the line a little. He did well enough there in his short stint at RT.

by Strohman on Mar 27, 2009 12:08 PM CDT reply actions

Preston signing!

Let’s see now, Preston started 11 games for a decent Buffalo team. He plays 3 positions and can long snap. He’s never been injured, he’s not a criminal, and there’s never been any complaints about him being anything other than a team first guy who shows up to work everyday and gives it his best. I would of thought a working class town like Green Bay could appreciate that!

Obviously the coaches, who’s jobs are on the line every season aren’t going to sign a guy who’s not any good.

Those stats are a load of crap! What qualifications does the person who printed that stuff have to grade an NFL player? Center is the hardest postion to play in the NFL overall. He has to make all the line calls, point out potential blitzers, and block 350 lb guys with one hand between his legs.

Preston is still young and has a lot of room to grow. I hope he does well!

by Boltar on Mar 27, 2009 6:41 PM CDT reply actions

Stats aside

It was a post written by a die hard Bills fan, who closely watched every play last season, and never saw Preston make a big play. Something that stood out. But from time-to-time, he had a blown block, assignment, something. As a Bills fan, Preston was not someone he wanted to see back on the team.

And you can watch this video of Preston screwing up a late 1st half drive and costing his team 3 points in a close game against a hated rival because he decided to get into a fight instead of lining up for a field goal when they had no time outs left.

by Brandon on Mar 29, 2009 11:44 PM CDT up reply actions