Wayne Hunter (Richard A. Brightly)
The bad news: Starting right tackle Damien Woody is out for the season.
The good news: At least the Jets don’t have to throw an inexperienced backup in his place.
Woody suffered an injured left Achilles tendon on the Jets’ final drive against the Colts on Saturday, and yesterday he underwent surgery and was placed on injured reserve.
Wayne Hunter will take his starting spot, but it won’t be the first time. Woody also missed the final three games of the regular season with an MCL injury to his right knee, and Hunter subbed for him then, getting some needed experience working with Brandon Moore and the Jets’ starting offensive line.
“It’s just a carryover from [facing] Pittsburgh, Chicago, when he was out,”
Hunter said. “I think it always messes up the chemistry a little bit. But since I’ve been playing in Pittsburgh and Chicago with B-Moore, I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a change.”
Added Moore, “It’s a blessing in disguise that he had to go in and play when Woody was down, so he has that confidence of not just springing into action for the first time. He can go into the game confident in what he does and confident in me and the game plan.”
But Woody’s absence leaves some big shoes to fill.
“D-Wood, in my opinion, and in a lot of guys’ opinions, he’s one of the best offensive tackles out there, if not the best right tackle,” Hunter said.
But it helps to have a good backup.
“I’ve always said that we have the best backup tackle in the league in Wayne Hunter,” coach Rex Ryan said.
When Woody was out at the end of the regular season, the Jets went 2-1 against the Steelers, Bears and Bills, and the offense averaging 28 points per game in that stretch — showing the offense can score with Hunter on the line. He also played on the final few snaps against the Colts last week.
“I think Wayne can start on any other team,” Shonn Greene said.
In addition to his surgery yesterday, Woody also underwent arthroscopic surgery for his MCL after Week 14.
“Just got home from surgery …,” he posted on his Twitter account yesterday, regarding the Achilles procedure. “I want 2 thank everyone for your words of encouragement!!!!”
Hunter could need encouragement. He said that in the Patriots’ 45-3 romp over the Jets in December, New England defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, the Patriots’ best defensive lineman, “was over D-Wood a lot. So it’s going to be a challenge for me.”
— Additional reporting by Mark Cannizzaro.