Jets come away from loss concerned about offensive line play @ The Fan Hub

August 19th, 2012 9:30 AM

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is sacked by New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

The Jets were thrashed by their intra-stadium rival Giants 26-3 in their annual preseason game on Saturday night. But the score — or any preseason loss for that matter — isn’t what has them concerned on Sunday morning. It’s the way that their offensive line, and right tackle Wayne Hunter in particular, played against the Giants’ pass rush.

The Jets allowed seven sacks on the day, two of which were allowed by Hunter, and he also was partly responsible for a third and had another erased by an Giants penalty. Granted, not every defensive front that the Jets face is going to be as fearsome as that of the Giants, which boasts three All-Pro ends. Surely Hunter can be given a bit of a pass for getting outplayed by Jason Pierre-Paul (2 sacks) and Justin Tuck (0.5, plus the penalty-negated one). But the fact of the matter is that Hunter was far and away the weakest link on an unimpressive Jets line last year, and is not doing anything to show his coaches that he has improved during the offseason and training camp.

Aside from just pass protection, the Jets line was not opening up many holes for Shonn Greene and the rest of the running backs, as they averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on the evening. That’s not a good sign for an offense that plans on being even more run-based than they were last year; there certainly wasn’t much evidence of ‘ground-and-pound’ on Saturday night, though again that could be just as much a product of the Giants’ stalwart defense than it is the Jets’ running game.

Complicating the matter with Hunter is that the Jets have little to no other options to start at right tackle. As James Walker of ESPN writes, “Backup tackle Austin Howard is the next best option, but he's also struggling. Former second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse was a draft bust at offensive tackle, so he's moved to guard. Is Howard or Ducasse a better option? It seems either choice puts Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez at risk.”

It looks like the Jets may have to just stick with Hunter and hope for the best. Perhaps some veteran options will become available after the August 27 cuts, and they’ll certainly be scouring that free agent market if for no other reason than to get some depth at the position. But for now at least, they’ve made their bed with Hunter and will have to lie in it.

— Craig Lowell

It was another awful night for New York Jets starting right tackle Wayne Hunter. He officially allowed two sacks. But Hunter also was involved in another team sack and had one called back via a penalty on the Giants.

Saturday marked Hunter's first preseason game, but it looked much like last season. His pass protection was horrific and it's scary to think how things would've turned out if the starting offense played an entire game.

Read the original post from espn.com