Rookie mini-camp took place last week, coaches and players, new and old are back in their facilities, and football fans all over the country are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2012-2013 NFL season.\u00a0\u00a0 But some fans in New York are left wondering \u201chow did my beloved Jets forget to upgrade at right tackle\u201d.\u00a0 They brought in a wildcat quarterback, a safety, drafted what is hoped to be a legitimate pass rusher, and a game changing receiver, but does any of that matter without an improved offensive line?<\/p>\n
For me there is really only one worthwhile question to ask.\u00a0 \u201cCan the New York Jets win a Super Bowl with Wayne Hunter starting at right tackle\u201d?<\/p>\n
Obviously it is a little unfair to pin the hopes of millions of fans and a franchise chasing the elusive prize futilely for four decades on one single position, but it seems that is what it has come to.<\/p>\n
The Jets went into this off-season with so many needs, it just wasn’t realistic to think they would fill all those holes. \u00a0\u00a0It became pretty clear during free agency and confirmed on draft weekend that replacing or even creating competition at right tackle was not a priority.\u00a0 Most likely motivated by their limited cap space, the draft not providing a bounty of offensive line talent, and a great portion of their team salary already tied to Nick Mangold and D\u2019Brickashaw Ferguson, they focused on other areas.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s now the job of Rex Ryan, new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, and new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo to both develop Wayne Hunter as a blocker and develop schemes that allow him to be successful.\u00a0 \u00a0I think the current coaching staff is capable of doing that very thing.\u00a0 Sparano is an ex-offensive line coach and like many offensive coaches elevated to head coach, as he was with the Miami Dolphins, he isn\u2019t credited with creating huge offensive stats or the wildcat notwithstanding, creating new and flashy offensive styles.\u00a0 Sparano greatest gift may just be player development.\u00a0 \u00a0But perhaps the most important thing to consider is the offensive line\u00a0 is a microcosm of the football team, it\u2019s about the cohesiveness of five players, not their individual talent.\u00a0 \u00a0There is no more prideful unit of professional athletes than those that make up an offensive line.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With Mangold as the anchor, Hunter isn’t on an island. \u00a0With what we all hope is a renewed focus of the team as a whole, nobody wants to be the weak link.\u00a0 If Hunter works hard on technique, focus,\u00a0 and footwork, those collective improvements combined with a second year of five players together on the offensive line should \u00a0be enough to propel the effectiveness of the line to new heights.\u00a0 I am certain the idea of keeping this unit together \u00a0played a pivotal role in how they approached their off-season acquisitions.\u00a0 There may be no substitute for the growth and improvement of an offensive line as a unit than the experience of playing together.<\/p>\n
But perhaps the biggest argument for defending what they didn\u2019t do, is looking closely at what they did accomplish.\u00a0 Most of us have read all about the free agents and draft picks , so I won\u2019t bore you with another Quinton Coples, \u00a0Julius Peppers comparison.\u00a0\u00a0 However, the prospect of having a guy capable of 12 sacks, and a receiver in Stephen Hill who could make an immediate impact for a quarterback desperate for confidence could pay huge dividends.\u00a0 While safety LaRon Landry is not necessarily the cover safety the Jets lack, he is a physical football player.\u00a0\u00a0 He fits the Rex Ryan defense and with the physical tight ends the Patriots have, he won\u2019t be the type to jump on their back for a ride.\u00a0\u00a0 What could be more valuable than minimizing Rob Gronkowski\u2019s yards after catch?<\/p>\n