The Jets had two offensive linemen — center Nick Mangold and left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson — voted to the AFC Pro Bowl team this year and, if you listen to their head coach, it was an injustice right guard Brandon Moore didn’t make it to Hawaii.
Using Rex Ryan’s standard that three offensive linemen are worthy of the league’s highest honors, you would think the five-man unit charged with enforcing the running game and protecting quarterback Mark Sanchez would strike fear in its opponents. Instead, the inconsistent play of the offensive line has Jets fans fearing another dreadful showing in tomorrow’s regular season finale at Miami.
Basic football says if you can’t run the football and you can’t block a pass rush, you can’t win. The Jets haven’t done well on either front lately, a key reason their playoff hopes hang by a thread.
After not allowing a sack in back-to-back wins over the Bills and Redskins, Sanchez was sacked three times in a win over the Chiefs, and four and five times in losses to the Eagles and the Giants. Meanwhile, the Jets running game has had little impact the last two weeks, earning 94 yards in a 45-19 loss to the Eagles and 105 yards in the 29-14 setback to the Giants.
Mangold gave credit to the defensive lines the Jets faced over the last two weeks, but said they haven’t played well enough.
“We haven’t played to what I believe our standards are,” he said.
Should the Jets not make the playoffs, beginning Monday they will undergo a thorough evaluation to find reasons why a season of high expectations ended prematurely. No unit may be under more scrutiny than the offensive line. This game might be its final chance to save jobs.
The Jets will say the reason for the sacks and why the offensive line struggled against the Eagles and Giants was because they trailed late in the game and were forced to throw. They don’t expect to come near the 59 passes attempted against the Giants when the face the Dolphins. But Miami has the third-ranked run defense in the league, which puts added pressure on the offensive line to mount a running game that will take pressure off Sanchez. Pressure on Sanchez can lead to mistakes, sacks and turnovers.
“I don’t think up front we’ve helped [Sanchez] out as much as we should,” Mangold said. “I don’t think we’ve run the ball as consistently as we have in the past. We haven’t been hitting on our execution. It takes five guys doing the right thing at the same time and all being on the same page.”
The lack of OTA’s, a shortened training camp, early-season injuries to Mangold and the maiden season as a starter for right tackle Wayne Hunter all have contributed to the line’s inconsistency. It won’t get any easier tomorrow.
Dolphins nose tackle Paul Soliai is one of the best in the league and will want to leave a lasting impression as he enters the free agent market, and weakside linebacker Cameron Wake leads the Dolphins with 8 1/2 sacks.
“They get after the passer and still eat up the run,” Mangold said of Miami. “It’s going to be a huge challenge for us.”
During the upcoming offseason, the Jets need to figure out what they want to be: the ground-and-pound unit of the two previous years, or a team that wants to get the ball to its receivers. They haven’t succeeded at either this year.
They likely will check out the free agent market to consider an upgrade at right tackle, although the only proven name is the Giants’ Kareem McKenzie. There’s more free agent quality at guard if the Jets look to replace left guard guard Matt Slauson. General manager Mike Tannenbaum must also decide whether Moore’s troublesome hips can get through another season.
Tomorrow’s game is their last chance to leave a good impression.