It was good to be around friends, who knew you long before you reached the scrutiny of the NFL.
Wayne Hunter endured a rough season opener against the Cowboys, a game the Jets won but where the offensive lineman had problems containing Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware. But a day later he was playing darts at a local sports bar with a few friends and family from Hawaii, all of them members of the Honolulu Police Department, who came to New York not just to see the game, but also commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
“They rarely come up, so when they do it’s fun,” Hunter said. “They wanted to support the whole 9/11 thing and go to the game. They had a blast.”
It had to be more fun than Hunter’s first two games as the Jets’ starting right tackle. He has attracted the darts of fans and media after being abused by Ware in the Jets’ come-from-behind win over the Cowboys. Ware collected a sack on the opening play and spent the rest of the night in the Jets backfield. In Sunday’s 32-3 victory over the Jaguars, Hunter had two penalties and was beaten on the play when quarterback Mark Sanchez injured his arm.
The Jets figured it would be a smooth transition when Hunter, an eight-year veteran, permanently replaced Damien Woody, who retired after missing the latter part of last season with a knee injury. Hunter started four games down the stretch and played well into the AFC Championship Game. That’s why his early struggles have been somewhat of a surprise, though coach Rex Ryan said, “I think Wayne is going to be just fine.”
Hunter thinks he’ll be fine, too, but admits it’s a different world being a starter than it is being a backup.
“As far as being a full-time starter, in a sense, I’m a rookie again,” he said. “It’s my first time being a full-time starter. Like most guys I’m going to go through some growing pains. I’ve just got to learn what I can from the film and move on.”
Tomorrow the Jets face the Raiders and their 4-3 defense without Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold (ankle), who won’t make the trip west. Colin Baxter, a rookie, will start, making the offensive line less stable than the Jets would like against a Raiders defense that allowed just 91 yards rushing over the first six quarters of their season.
The Jets weren’t expecting to miss Woody as much as they have. Hunter needs to change that. He signed a four-year contract for about $13 million last July. He needs to stabilize that position so Sanchez can drop back with the confidence he’ll be as protected behind Hunter as he was behind Woody.
“He was really consistent,” Hunter said of Woody. “That’s basically what I need to be more now is consistent. I can’t have good plays and then bad plays. I have to be on point for 60 of the 70 snaps. And the other 10, I can’t be bad. I still have to be average. That’s my thing right now.”
Hunter played defensive line and linebacker in high school in Hawaii, and didn’t play offensive line until his final year in college. Deep down he prefers the mentality of a defensive lineman, who can be aggressive at the snap of the ball.
“On the O-line you have to be passive aggressive and that’s tough for me sometimes,” he said.
Playing the offensive line is more about technique than being tenacious. “My inconsistency is with my technique,” Hunter said. “It’s with my hands, it’s with my feet.”
Hunter figures all he needs to do is put one solid game together and he’ll gain the confidence he needs to play more consistently. “Once you have a good game and get rolling and feel comfortable, you’ll feel good,” he said. “I’m just waiting to feel comfortable.”
So are Sanchez and the Jets.