Could this guy possibly be our new starting Center?

Bills’ Jon Feliciano brings the ‘savage’ to o-line, embraces pressure with ‘alpha’ mentality

[www.syracuse.com]

By Matt Parrino | mparrino@nyup.com
Updated Nov 26, 2020; Posted Nov 26, 2020
jon feliciano

Orchard Park, N.Y. — To understand why Jon Feliciano loves playing center, you have to understand something about him:

He’s a bit of a control freak.

“At center you’re in charge. I think he likes that aspect of it. He’s really smart and he’s a little bit of an alpha. So it’s like, ‘OK, I’m smart. I can figure things out and I can make the calls.’ So I think that is where that part really satisfies his football IQ and his personality,” Bills offensive line coach, Bobby Johnson told Syracuse.com last week.

Feliciano, who can and has played all three interior line positions, has been the Buffalo Bills center since Mitch Morse went down with a concussion on the third offensive play against the New England Patriots on Nov. 1.

After 16 starts at right guard in 2019, Feliciano was inserted at left guard to start that game in his return to the lineup after 10 long months of rehab. One shoulder surgery in January and another in July to repair a torn pectoral muscle kept Feliciano on the sidelines and in the training room while his team went on without him for the first seven games of the season.

With excitement exploding around Western New York because of the Bills high-powered offense led by quarterback Josh Allen, Feliciano was forced to watch from a distance. The seclusion tormented him. The days were dark and the road back was littered with setbacks and despair.

For the man who covets control, Feliciano had none - and it tore him apart.

“He was struggling because he loves the game and he loves the competition,” Johnson said. “Not being able to be a part of it was really hard on him.”

Every day Feliciano came to the Bills’ training facility and walked past his teammates, who were going about their typical days. They were in meetings together, practicing together, eating together. All the while Feliciano was stuck in the training room, rehabbing another injury.

He was miserable.

Making matters worse was what he saw when he’d watch the team practice and play.

“He saw guys not playing the way he plays. Not everybody plays like him. Not everybody approaches the game like him,” Johnson explained. “And he got real frustrated when he couldn’t play and he saw guys maybe not approaching the day-to-day like he does.”

There were days Johnson had to sit Feliciano down and explain that not everybody is like him. Not every player studies the game 24/7. Even when Feliciano is settled in at one of the guard spots, like he was all week before the Patriots game at left guard, he still prepares like a center. That type of obsessive drive is a rare trait, Johnson said.

“At the center position your offense is really counting on you more,” Feliciano said. “I love that pressure. Coming into the league I was always the backup center in Oakland. My habits don’t really change. All week I train like a center. Guard play is easier when you know what everything else that is going on.”

Not only does Feliciano like the physical part of the game - and as a Mixed Martial Arts enthusiast, he truly does enjoy the hard-hitting aspects of the sport - he likes the mental part of the game too. He likes the grind and the toll the sport puts on the body and how that battle tests every player, every day. There’s a very short window that players have in the game, and Feliciano was counting the minutes until he was back on the field because those are minutes he won’t ever get back, Johnson said.

“Now that he’s back, he’s back to being the grumpy, dumpy guy that he is. He complains about being sore but he likes that,” Johnson said. “He’s one of the rare guys that likes the pain associated with it - before the game, during the game and after the game. He won’t tell you that. He won’t admit to that but he and I are very close. I’ll say something like, ‘You know you like it.’ And he’ll giggle and nod his head and go on to the next complaint. That’s who he is and that’s why we like him.”

Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins has played with plenty of different guys next to him at left guard over the years. Just this year alone he’s played next to four different people, including Feliciano.

Asked to explain what it’s like playing next to Feliciano, Dawkins said only one thing came to mind.

“He’s a savage. He’s literally a savage. … classy, bougie, ratchet,” Dawkins joked, reciting a line from the hit song “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion. “Just a dog, man. Just a guy who doesn’t care what you think. He’s just gonna go out there and give it his all. He’s got great energy and the key word is savage. He plays with that savage mindset and savage mentality every play.”

Dawkins made it a point to highlight how much he’s learned from Feliciano. That’s the thing about Feliciano and why he’s so revered in the locker room, he is so many things to all of his teammates. He can be silly, serious, playful, insightful, energetic, and nasty all in the same day.

“Whoever he’s played next to has said that they like playing next to him because of his communication. It ain’t like Jon is out there giving a dissertation. He’s very clear, he’s very concise and he’s to the point. He takes command,” Johnson said. “Jon is also the type of guy, and we all have this type of friend, they’ll speak the truth even if it hurts initially. He’ll call guys out and challenge them. You need that because if you don’t then you get complacent, you get soft. The details get swept under the rug. That’s where a guy like him - he helps a coach like myself a lot because he holds his teammates to a high standard. That’s what’s been one of the biggest things about him coming back is that piece of his personality and his leadership.”

He doesn’t sugar coat anything. Feliciano always speaks his mind and he’s earned everybody’s ear when he’s talking. From Johnson to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and even Allen, who brought wine over to his house after his surgery to play video games and hang out.

During the difficult days of rehab, especially near the end when his window seemed to widen and he was out longer than expected, his teammates were there for him. Allen, tight end end Lee Smith and receiver Cole Beasley. They’d all make sure to stop and see Feliciano in the training room.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said that players like Feliciano thrive in the herd because of the camaraderie. He credited him for his phenomenal work fighting through the tough days. Feliciano said he couldn’t have done it without his teammates.

“I was (back in the building) two days after my surgery. I was trying to get my rehab started,” Feliciano said. “When I was here those guys would always come up to me and make me still feel like a part of the team. When you’re hurt and on (injured reserve), you’re on IR for an extended amount of time, things go on. They still gotta win games. People still got jobs to do. Appreciate those guys making sure I didn’t get left behind.”

jon feliciano
Buffalo Bills offensive guard Jon Feliciano (76) reacts while walking off the field after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jennifer Stewart)AP
Feliciano was always careful and monitored how many times he went into Daboll’s office while he was injured. He wanted to share his ideas but he know he can be a handful.

Daboll said all of Feliciano’s traits, even the intense ones, are exactly what the Bills covet for one of their offensive linemen.

“He’s smart and tough and he loves football,” Daboll said “When you have big guys who are smart, tough and love football and give a lot of effort, and have an aggressive mindset, that’s really what we’re looking for out of all our offensive linemen.”

As for Feliciano’s relationship with Allen, the two have formed a bond on and off the field. That’s why the transition is always seamless when Feliciano has to play center. There’s trust there.

“Off the field I’m very comfortable with him. We get along great,” Allen said. “That off the field relationship definitely transfers over to the football field.”

Whether Feliciano remains at center or moves back to a guard spot, his teammates are all glad to have him back. Asked where he’s best, Johnson simply said “on the field.” That’s where he’ll be Sunday when the Bills host the Los Angeles Chargers. Back on the field and back in control, wherever he lines up.