Is there a better place to start than the Jets? Oh, and for a spoiler alert, we’re not talking about Tim Tebow right off the bat. So… you might not be interested. But anyway, we’ll talk about the Jets issues at right tackle. What a mess. Wayne Hunter, who the coaches praised all offseason, was benched after two horrific performances in preseason games. Duh. Even he said, “I was waiting for it.” I imagine this makes for a bit of an awkward time for OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo, who said this spring that until they kick him out of the building or “until they shoot me dead in my office, that son of a gun is going to be the starting right tackle and he’s going to play well.”
Like… How can you praise Hunter so publicly and effusively, when you know what he is? That’s not giving him confidence, because he knows what he is, too. He’s a third tackle. Even Hunter, listening to it, had to know it was garbage. I don’t see NFL players responding well — or raising their level of play — with mind games that they know are fake... I asked a high-ranking personnel guy in the league who the Jets could trade for at right tackle. His answer? “No clue.” Me either. There’s no Bryant McKinnie floating around this year, which doesn’t bode well for the Jets. Oh, and one more thing. GM Mike Tannenbaum, who has done an excellent job building the Jets over the past few years, is starting to come under criticism. Guaranteeing Hunter $2.5 million this year doesn’t look good, neither does not targeting a tackle in the draft or free agency. The lack of attention at receiver looks bad, too. Tannenbaum has done so much for the Jets. I wonder if — in NY especially — a tough 2012 could undo it all.
