Can O-line lead the charge?
If you had to identify one unit as the Jets’ best, chances are you would look towards the offensive line. The linebackers are good, and the secondary has potential, but the 5 starters on the O-line are what drove this team last year. It also gives the Jets an advantage over other teams with young quarterbacks. An established line usually leads to an established running game, which trickles down the ladder until eventually you have something that’s rare in the N.F.L.: an established winner.
“I think the strength of our football team is probably our offensive line,” Ryan said, “and that’s a great thing to begin right there — four former first-round picks in the line, two Pro Bowlers and a couple of near-misses. I think that’s a great way to start.”
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Where they were at was very high on some of the few measurables for O-linemen. As we’ve noted, the Jets’ 4.7 yards per carry was fifth in the NFL last season and the best season average in franchise history. The four touchdown runs of 40-plus yards combined by Thomas Jones and Leon Washington were also the best in franchise history.
The 30 sacks allowed of Brett Favre was middle of the pack in the NFL, yet the 1.88 sacks allowed per game was still in the top 15 (out of 49 seasons) in Jets and Titans annals.
Taking together, last season was only the fifth in team history that the Jets rushed for more than 4.0 yards per attempt and gave up fewer than 2.0 sacks a game.
We’ve all seen the stats and POA numbers, but the bottom line is that this is a group ripe for a killer injury. There’s absolutely no experienced depth and it’s incredibly rare to have an entire line play two full seasons together without injury. Unfortunately, as Ryan intimated, this is where the team starts (and may be finished). If the Jets were to lose almost any of their linemen, it would likely put a severe halt on any hopes for this season. The group will have to put up a repeat performance of 2008 in 2009 if the Jets are to reach the lofty expectations of their fan base, but it’s just another reason to be cautious. As we get closer to the season, there’s more and more reason not go get carried away with where this season could be headed.
6 Responses to Can O-line lead the charge?
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Pdubbs says:
I agree, injury speculation is stupid. Write about something else.
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junior says:
If the o-line stays healthy were in great shape
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Dave says:
Are the Jets “lucky and are overdue for an injury”, or do they just have durable players on the line?
Faneca’s one of the most durable players in the league, Brick and Nick haven’t missed a single start even going back to their college days, Brandon Moore’s been a rock ever since he’s started for the Jets, and Damien Woody’s the only one who has ever missed significant time due to injury before.
As far as the “Jets are overdue card”, anyone who is saying that wasn’t paying attention to the Jets in 2005. They had enough injuries that year to compensate for the entire decade.
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StvDoe says:
I’m just not buying seanmac’s theory that we’re “due” for a season with significant injuries.
Why should I, (or any Jet fan), assume the worst?
I’ll remain optimistic until circumstance proves otherwise.
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Jeff says:
Meh. Many teams have O-lines that stay intact w/o inj\uries for more than a couple of years. I mean look @ the Colts as an example a couple of yrs ago, or the Giants. Great O-line play = success
“a severe halt on any hopes for this season,” is definitely an overstatement.
It would be nice if there weren’t any injuries, but this seems to be just rabble rousing on a slow news week.
I’m positive with with the strength at each position that they could compensate decently for a single player being injured.
If two starters were injured, that would be a serious issue.
Injury timing and severity are also factors.
Mid season injuries against a poor defensive front would not be as big of a deal as a season ending injury in the first four weeks.
I realize I’m stating the obvious, but I think that some voice of reason should stand up to sensational speculation.
I do agree that, “there’s more and more reason not go get carried away with where this season could be headed.”
Getting carried away worrying about injuries is worse than having hope for a positive season.
Peace.