The Jets will add Jason Smith to their offensive depth chart. No word of whether or not Smith will play jumbo tight end…

This just in: When the Jets say they aren’t going to do something, what they actually mean is that they will.

As was first reported by ESPN, the Jets have traded recently demoted RT Wayne Hunter to the St.Louis Rams in exchange for former first-round pick OT Jason Smith.

Both teams have confirmed the trade and both players will take physicals tomorrow.

Hunter was benched last week in favor of Austin Howard, who performed well in last night’s preseason game vs. the Carolina Panthers. According to Rich Cimini, ”the Jets wanted to fortify the weakest spot on their offensive line,” adding that the Jets plan to use Smith as a backup.

Austin Howard will remain the starting right tackle.

Demotions are something Hunter and Smith share — Smith, the Rams second overall pick in 2009, also recently lost his starting job to Barry Richardson after concussions and poor play kept him off the field.

For those curious about how this move effects the cap, Hunter was owed $2.45 million guaranteed salary from the Jets this year. Smith is fully guaranteed for $4 million, so the Jets actually lose cap space with this move.

Outside of the $1.5 million dollar cap hit the Jets will take, the trade is basically considered to be “even.” However, Hunter, whom Rex Ryan recently called “the best back-up offensive lineman in football” needed a change of scenery after a tough offseason. Perhaps a change of scenery will also benefit Smith.

Meanwhile, Brian Schottenheimer is collecting old Jets, including Matthew Mulligan, Robert Turner, Michael Campbell, Kellen Clemens and draft “bust” Vernon Ghloston.

Quick Hits

• Nick Folk has won the kicker job. Josh Brown broke the news via his Twitter this morning.
• The Jets have completed the first round of roster cuts, leaving the roster at 74.

RT Wayne Hunter has been benched in favor of Austin Howard

Our long national nightmare is over. Wayne Hunter has been benched.

Rex Ryan announced this morning that Wayne Hunter will no longer be the starting right tackle and Austin Howard will start in his place — for now. The third year UDFA will start on Sunday vs. the Carolina Panthers, but he has not been named the starter for the regular season opener,

Hunter will now be moved back into the role of  jumbo tackle/”sixth” man on the line and will also spend some playing time as a blocking tight end (another position the Jets did not address this off-season.. ho hum). Rex Ryan, in his usual hyperbole, told the media “We feel like we have the best backup tackle in football in Wayne Hunter.”

To be clear, Howard did not win the job. Hunter lost it.

At the moment, I am not convinced Howard is much of an upgrade at the position, but he is the only other option currently on the roster. Currently.

According to several sources, the Jets ARE looking for a right tackle, (Obviously). Unforunately, they are having a difficult time finding a team willing to give them one. The team may be forced to wait until other teams make cuts – the first cuts are due early next week – and hopefully one of them works out.

This brings me to my usual point about how this should never have been a crisis situation in the first place. While it’s true there were not many exceptional options in free agency, perhaps the team could have considered drafting an OT in April, and no, Robert T. Griffin doesn’t count.

For those hoping the Jets would “cut” Hunter, the Jets could release Hunter outright because he was guaranteed $2.45 million dollars this offseason, for reasons I have yet to determine. The team said they have no intentions of trading him, but I mean, who would want him (okay, sorry).

The first team offensive line game up 3 sacks in the first half

The 26 – 3 loss the New York Giants handed the New York Jets was disheartening, to say the least. The lone bright spot was the starting defensive unit, which limited Eli Manning to 7 – 14 passing for 62 yards and an overthrown pass that was intercepted by LaRon Landry. While the starting defense held its own, the starting offense was anemic.

The Giants defensive line destroyed the Jets starting offensive line. That’s putting it mildly. Right Tackle Wayne Hunter was the main culprit, allowing 2.5 sacks on Mark Sanchez. There was one nullified on an off sides call. Giants defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck victimized Hunter on almost every passing down. Although the Giants boast one of the most dominant defensive lines in the NFL, one thing is clear; hunter has no business starting in the NFL. Sanchez had little time in the pocket and was forced to throw check downs all night, going 9 – 11 passing for 59 yards and a costly interception of the pick 6 variety. The interception was on a shallow crossing route to Sanchez’s favorite target of late, receiver Patrick Turner.

Bart Scott looks faster and more agressive so far this pre season, and was constantly involved in contact, ending with 5 tackles on the night.

LaRon Landry looked more athletic than critics have given him credit for. He was flying around during the first half and came away with the lone Manning interception, including a nice 21 yard return.

Tim Tebow completed a couple of nice passes, throwing 5 – 14 for 69 yards, and only rushing twice for 5 yards.  Against second teamers, rookie receiver Stephen Hill had a couple nice opportunities, hauling in 2 passes for 21 yards. Hill did leave a touchdown on the table due to an underthrown Tebow pass. Like Sanchez, Tebow was a victim in the sack department, getting sacked 4 times on the night. Sanchez was sacked 3 times. Tebow did provide kicker Josh Brown with an opportunity for a short field goal, which hit the right post and bounced in.

Overall, the “vanilla” offense has shown little signs of life, whereas the Rex Ryan led defense has been superb and appears ready to punish opposing offenses. Although it is still just the pre season, the offense better get things going quick or else the Tebow chants will only get louder.

Jets newly acquired OT Jeff Otah was placed on the active/PUP list today after he failed the team physical.

Obviously this is not news we all wanted to hear, but it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Otah was a big injury risk, and it’s part of the reason the Panthers were so eager to trade him.

Luckily the Jets had a plan for this very scenario. Per the NY Jets Twitter, “Otah has 7 days to pass his Jets physical. If he doesn’t, the trade for an undisclosed conditional draft choice, would be voided.”

Currently the NYJ-CAR  trade is “on hold.” For those counting, this is the second Jets trade to be placed on hold this off-season.

You can safely bet that if this trade is voided, the Jets will be calling around for other options, like Dolphins OT Vernon Carey.

FYI for those unfamiliar with the difference between the active/PUP (aka preseason PUP) list and the regular PUP list, here’s the deal-io:

In the preseason, a player can be moved OFF the PUP list to the roster at any time, even after one practice (This could happen with Demario Davis, for example). However, a  player cannot return to the PUP list once he has taken the field for a practice.

The regular season PUP  list requires players to sit out six games. After that, teams have a three-week window in which to allow the player to begin practicing and decide if they will make the regular roster. (Think Reggie Bush the year he broken his leg).

Last yesterday afternoon, the Jets official Twitter account announced that the team had acquired former Carolina Panthers OT Jeff Otah. The Jets traded a conditional 7th-round pick to the Panthers for Otah; the Panthers traded a conditional 7th-round pick to Oakland for Louis Murphy.

Otah was a first round pick for the Carolina Panthers in 2008, and was considered by the majority of scouts to be the top tackle prospect at the time he was drafted. Unfortunately, the 6-foot-6, 340-pound Otah has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons, spending all of 2010 on injured reserve and starting  just four games in 2011.

Despite only starting 31 of his 35 games, it is believed that if Otah is healthy, he can be one of the best run-blocking tackles in the NFL, something that would seem to fit perfectly with the Jets revived commitment to Ground and Pound.

As to the status of Otah’s knee, word is that the Panthers were trying to move Otah because it swelled up last month during OTAs. Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Otah went to orthopedist James Andrews (he who is famous for performing major surgeries and advising athletes in times of dire need), who said his knee is structurally sound. Otah has not yet passed the training camp physical; Cimini speculates that will happen on Thursday.

At the end of the day, this is a solid move. Otah’s contract is not guaranteed, so worst case scenario — he is injured, unable to compete/perform and the team can just cut him. If Otah is healthy, he can push Hunter back into the position he is best suited for — a back-up.

Let’s not forget the Jets did try to move Hunter in the offseason, per Manish Mehta of the Daily News. Apparently those trade discussions with at at least 1 NFC  team did not go far, and when the team was left with Hunter as their best option, they forged ahead with their love campaign. And despite the coaching staff’s best effort to sell us on Hunter, the team added Otah and reportedly has Dolphins tackle Vernon Carey on their short list of alternative options at the position.

This might be a good time to remind everyone that Pro Football Focus ranked Hunter 4th worst amongst all tackles  in 2011– he was the 4th worst among all tackles in total pressure allowed and the 2nd worst in sacks allowed. Gulp.

Hunter certainly deserves a second chance to prove himself, just not at the expensive of the Mark Sanchez and the offense. This is the right move. Bravo.

Quick Hits

• S LaRon Landry (Achilles), WR Jordan White (foot), OG Terrance Campbell (hamstring), LB DeMario Davis (hamstring) will start camp on the active PUP list. Davis is listed as day to day after straining his hammy in the conditioning test on Monday.

I gave the mailbag a rest for a bit as it’s been a little slow and people were a little Tebow’d and Revis’d out. But, after a two-week hiatus, I figured it was time to bring it back. Thanks for the great questions, as always.  A few sillier ones this week, which I always enjoy. Life is too short.

Any update on resolving our O line issues? @kevjohnson25

I assume you are asking about the right tackle position, which at the moment appears to be Wayne Hunter’s job to lose. I’ve heard extremely mixed reactions to this decision, with “OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS?” being the most popular (from both fans and the media, actually. Post coming on this shortly).

We had been previously lead to believe that Hunter and Ducasse would “compete” for the position (Mike Tannenbaum’s informed the media as such), but we have since learned that Ducasse has spent the majority of the  time working at guard. This would seem to verify that Hunter is the starter.

Then, of course, we have the words of new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo who told the media, ”This guy [Hunter] is the starting right tackle.” Taking a page out of the Rex Ryan How-to-Talk-to-the-Media-Handbook, DeGuglielmo also added, “Until they tell me otherwise, until they ship him out of this 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.”

So there you go.

Personally, I cannot say for sure whether or not this is a resolution until I see him out there myself. (I will also accept multiple reports from sources that I trust as an indication that he is heading in the right direction). I don’t say this because I have no faith in the coaching staff, but I think given his play at the position last year I must remain cautiously optimistic.

Meanwhile, the team signed two veteran offensive tackles, Stephen Heyer and Ray Willis. It’s hard to say exactly what the team had in mind with these moves, but for the moment both appear to be on the roster for depth.

As for the progress of the unit as a whole, I think the addition of both DeGuglielmo and new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano all but guarantees they take a step up this year.

Where does the name team name “Jets” derive from? @JonCantTweet 

When the New York Jets franchise was founded in 1959 (as part of the AFL), they were called the New York Titans because, as team owner Harry Wismer enthusiastically pointed out, “Titans are bigger and stronger than Giants.” (Ooooooo. Fighting words!).

Unfortunately the Titans weren’t so big and strong  (on or off the field) and in 1962 the AFL actually had to assume the cost of the team for the remainder of the season because good old Harry couldn’t pay the bills.

The team was then purchased by Sonny Werblin, moved to Shea Stadium and were re-named the New York Jets. The gold and navy uniforms replaced with green and white.

Why the Jets?

The name was actually selected as one of  500 possible names submitted by “friends, enemies, and advertising agencies” and “Jets” was chosen over the Dodgers, Gothams and Borros (this is according to Wikipedia, which we all know is SUPER reliable).

That’s right, folks. You could be cheering for the New York Borros.

In the press release, the team exlained the the reasoning behind the name and the color change, from gold and navy to green and white:

The site of the new stadium between New York’s two major airports, symbols of this speedy, modern age, influenced the selection of the new name “Jets”. It reflects the spirit of these times and the eagerness of all concerned—players, coach, and owners—to give New York another worthy team. The new team’s colors of green and white were chosen for much the same reasons, plus the fact that down through the ages green has always signified hope, freshness and high spirits. » Continue reading “Monday Mailbag: Team History, Status of Offensive Line And A Little Nonsense”

I’m not late to the party, I am just late to the posting.

On Tuesday, the Jets announced the signing of offensive tackles Stephon Heyer and Ray Willis.

Stephen Heyer was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2007. He played four seasons in Washington  before joining the Oakland Raiders as an UFA in 2011. Heyer also provides some position flexibility for the line. He played guard for the Raiders after playing at both tackle positions in Washington.

Ray Willis was drafted by the Seahawks in 2005. He played 5 seasons with the team; his last season was spent on injured reserve. He signed with the New Orleans Saints as a FA last summer and was released by the team in November.

Willis played with the Dolphins in training camp last season before joining the Saints, so there is a connection to OC Tony Sparano.

Despite new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo’s insistence that Wayne Hunter is the starting right tackle and  that Vlad Ducasse is his back-up, I think it’s pretty safe to say that both Heyer and Willis were brought on board to push the young lineman. I would also imagine this is insurance in the event that Hunter does not progress from last year like we have been lead to believe.

Listen, DeGuglielmo’s impassioned Hunter-is-a-gladiator speech is nice and all, but I still need to see Hunter out there protecting Mark Sanchez (yeah, I said Sanchez. So there.) to believe it.

Don’t forget these words from Guglielmo: “Until they ship him out of here or shoot me dead in my office, the guy’s the starting right tackle.” Let’s hope, for Guglielmo’s sake, Wayne Hunter is the starting right tackle.

Quick Hits

• According to Jake Steinberg, the Jets have signed UDFA TE Tarren Lloyd from Utah State. According to Jake, Lloyd is big blocking TE (6-7, 258lbs.). UPDATE: The team has announced the signing on Lloyd.
• A very happy birthday to Joe Namath.
• CB Darrelle Revis was unable to guarantee the media that he would be participating in training camp this year. He would only say he’s, “Getting ready for this season.” I have decided not to write a story on something we already know, so let this serve as my story about this story.

Welcome to the first edition of the mailbag on The Green Room, talking all things New York Jets and National Football League.  I’m adding this feature to the blog as a new way to cover a variety of topics in a short amount of time, and to engage in more reader feedback. 

Please send all your questions, comments, concerns, jokes, wisecracks, life stories (not really), and relationship dilemmas (I mean, maybe?) to me on Twitter, e-mail or Facebook. Humor, sass, sarcasm and wit are highly encouraged.

Thoughts on the safety the Bengals just released? (From @Lawsean).

This is a great question. For those who may not be familiar with what Sean is referencing here, the Bengals released strong safety Chris Crocker on Friday. The Bengals have cited “durability” as the primary reason for his release, though I remain skeptical about this being the real reason (more on that in a second).

Crocker suffered an MCL injury in the 2010 season, and returned in 2011 to play 16 games and all but 47 of the teams 1, 066 defensive snaps. Though he was able to stay on the field, Crocker’s production did continue to taper off as it has for the past few years, and his season ended with an extremely poor performance in the playoffs.

Crocker leaves Cincinnati having started 38 total games for the Bengals over the course of 3 seasons.

It should be noted that for a team with a ton of cap money to spend, Crocker’s cap hit was only $2.45 million. So it’s also safe to assume the move was not financial, though the Bengals are notoriously cheap. I happen to believe the move to release Crocker was attributed mostly to concerns over his durability and somewhat to the painful memories of Arian Foster running all over him/his interception-that-almost-was in the Bengals playoff loss to the Texans.

As to what Crocker could potentially bring to the Jets? (And no, I have been given absolutely no indication they are interested)?  Crocker is strong against the run and very effective in blitzing schemes. He is also known for his leadership, a trait the Jets could certainly stand to gain, but his cover skills are fading and that is where the Jets need the most at the position. I could only get behind the Jets adding Crocker in a depth role, as the durability concerns are legitimate and they already have injury-prone players at the safety position with LaRon Landry and Jim Leonhard (assuming they bring him back at the veteran minimum). While depth is important, the Jets need starters.

The Bengals has not ruled out re-singing the Crocker, and according to Cincinnati.com beat reporter Joe Reedy, there is a “small chance” he could end up back in Cincinnati after the draft concludes and team’s make their final push in free agency. With safeties at a premium, I would imagine several teams will look at him after the  draft. The Jets could be one of them.

What is the likelihood the Jets don’t draft a right tackle and stick with Wayne Hunter/Vlad Ducasse? (From @AllCareisjets).

All sources point to the Jets having a competition between Wayne and Vlad for the starting right tackle job heading into the 2012 season. That said, I do not think this “plan” would prohibit them from drafting a RT at some point in the draft, though I would imagine it would be in a later round if go this route.

Outside of Georgia OG Cordy Glenn (which I believe was mostly due diligence), the Jets have expressed interest in and held workouts with all mid-late round guard/tackle prospects, and few of these players would be ready to start Day 1 at right tackle.

So yes, I think there is a chance they take a OT or OG in the draft in a mid-late round, and any prospect they draft would  be a player with position versatility (that could move around and provide depth) that would also have to compete with the guys currently on the roster.

I think its worth mentioning that, as I understand it, the team has also not given up on OT Austin Howard, who the team acquired from the Ravens PS when he was an URFA in 2010. He is very raw and needs time, but this may also be part of a larger “plan” at the position.

Long story short: I’m sorry to say that for as bad as the play at RT was in 2011, I don’t think fans are going to see a big makeover at the position in 2012, and this includes free agency. I believe the Jets plan to stick with the guys they have and hope that with some competition and assistance from Sparano, the results will be better than swiss cheese.

Your take on Williams tape? And u think it cements a lifetime ban for him? (From @bm1975)

I’m sure everyone is well aware that the latest developments in the Saints Bounty scandal have presented a rather damming audio clip of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams encouraging his players to target the head, knee and ankles of specific San Francisco 49ers. The audio was released by filmmaker Sean Pamphilon, who was filming a documentary about New Orleans special teamer Steve Gleason (I will leave the debate about the motivation behind the audio’s release out of the conversation for the time being). Coincidentally, the audio was recorded while the Saints were under investigation by the NFL for their Bounty program.

While some of what’s said on the audio, William’s colorful language in the clip, and reality of the presence of violence in the NFL has been called typical and commonplace, it has surely not done a whole lot to help the case of Williams, Sean Payton and the entire Saints organization in the eyes of commissioner Roger Goodell.

For this reason, I definitely think that the release of the audio all but guarantees that the defensive coordinator will not work in the National Football League ever again.

» Continue reading “Monday Mailbag: Williams Audio, Chris Crocker and the Right Tackle Position”

Well…this is awkward.

According to the Daily News, the Jets have explored trading beloved fan favorite right tackle Wayne Hunter to an ”unnamed NFC team.” According to sources, a deal could not be reached. (Shocking, I tell you. Shocking).

Interesting move by Tanny considering he told us he” expects” Hunter to not only be back next season, but to be the starter.

I’m not going to sit here and lie to you, friends. Truth is, I really don’t see Hunter getting traded for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is he is coming off of a not-so-great season on a team that had a not-so great season thanks in part to it’s not-so great offensive line (I tried to go full circle there).

I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t know, so let’s move on to the more important things to take away from this piece of news.

Number one? Mike Tannebaum’s word should be taken with a  grain of salt. It might be going too far to say that from now on, whatever he says,  consider the opposite to be true. But maybe it’s somewhere between that and a grain of salt.

Secondly, this is basically confirmation from the front office that this guy cannot get the job done. They have tried to sell us on their happiness with his development and their belief that he will come around, but if that was really the case, why would they be trying to get rid of him? And furthermore, if they are that wishy-washy on his skills, WHY did they just guarantee him $2.45 million dollars?

I’m not questioning the decision to try to get rid of Hunter; he only gave me like 800 zillion heart attacks last season (beginning with this) and nearly got Sanchez killed. Thankfully, reports indicate they are still looking to make a trade, but as previously mentioned, it’s not something I am going to hang my hat on.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the fact that things needs to get better. I (and the rest of Jets nation) would very much like to see the team make a concerted effort to improve the offensive line play with the help of Tony Sparano and that journey begins with the right tackle postion. It does sound like some believe Hunter can improve with Sparano’s help but I ultimately believe replacing Hunter, or at the very least pushing him back into a depth role, is absolutely the right move. Hunter should never have been in a starting role, and he shouldn’t be in one now. That we can all agree on.

Meanwhile, there is still the lingering issue of the general lack of foresight and maddening inconsistency coming from this organization over the past few years. I said as much in my column on Wednesday about the Manning chase, and I will say it again now. Sometimes I seriously wonder if these guys all talk to each other, have meetings or are even remotely on the same page.

Thankfully, the team demonstrated some kind of commitment to something last night when they announced Mark Sanchez’s contract extension (and even that is not really the commitment it appears to be). So with Mark firmly in place under center in 2012, it’s time to start seriously thinking about protecting the guy with their line play, and figuring out what they really plan to do with Hunter.

Last season was basically a shit show and 16 more games (at minimum) of exactly what you had in place last year is about as good an idea as my walking around the streets of New York in a brand new pair of Louboutins. That is, it’s a crappy idea. Have to protect your investment.

So while I just got done explaining to the world this afternoon that the Sanchez contract was really the burden it was being made into, the fact still remains that if you want to get the most of your money, Wayne Hunter doesn’t seem like the guy you want to trust. At least, not from where I sit.

****

In mostly unrelated but somewhat related news, and while I have your attention (sorry, that’s all I got for a transition), the New York Giants announced  the release of veteran running back Brandon Jacobs yesterday afternoon. Speculative reports have already suggested that the Jets should consider adding Jacobs to their back-field, and Jacobs has apparently expressed interest in joining the team. Barf.

I really don’t feel the need to comment on this given what I have spewed above (and in the past 2 months) about the direction I feel this team should be headed.

Off-the-field nonsense with Jacobs aside (and there is plenty of it, to be sure), I suppose Jacobs could lend some help and he probably has a little more left in the tank, but I hope I don’t have to tell you that he is on the decline as a player. And we don’t need that. How many times have we (fans) talked about how we want to youth and speed and an all purpose back to compliment Shonn Greene? Is Brandon Jacobs that? No.

What I am saying is that I think we can do better than a short-term, veteran at the end of his career hope he can help fix it now type of acquisition. Like I keep saying, more effort needs to be made to  commit to building a distinct and definable brand of football from the inside-out.

You’ve made a commitment to your young quarterback under the guise of your “future plans.” That’s a start. But I certainly hope other future plans do not include subjecting me to an entire season of me rolling my eyes at Brandon Jacobs and/or screaming obscenities at Wanye Hunter.