The Offensive Line: Who’s Who

[JetNation]

Among many question marks for the Jets entering the 2014 season is the offensive line. As the Jets prepare for their first preseason game tomorrow night against the Indianapolis Colts Rex Ryan and his staff realizes this is still a work in progress.

Right now the depth chart reflects this with D’Brickashaw Ferguson at LT backed up by Ben Ijalana who has no regular-season experience on the line and Patrick Ford. At LG is Brian Winters backed up right now by Oday Aboushi. The Jets have been talking up Aboushi, giving him reps with the starters at both guard spots. The thought here is that Aboushi will be a “swing” backup, capable of filling in if Colon gets hurt or if Winters doesn’t improve after his rough rookie season.

The only constant of the group, Pro-Bowl Center Nick Mangold is backed up by Dalton Freeman and Caleb Schlauderaff. On the right side of the line is RG Colon backed up by Dakota Dozier and William Campbell and at the RT position is Breno Giacomini backed up by Markus Zusevics and Brent Qvale. Ryan all but handed right guard Willie Colon a starting job, saying, “If he stays healthy, I have a tough time not seeing him in the lineup.” Colon has a long injury history (most recently, knee and biceps surgery in the offseason).

During the Green and White scrimmage last Saturday night the offense was not in peak form to put it mildly. Both starting guards Winters and Colon started but were not in top form and the line’s play showed it. The first play from scrimmage went for a two-yard loss and very little offense was generated the entire evening. Geno Smith saw pressure all night, as the first team offensive line could not hold their own against one of the top defensive lines in the league.

In practices this week Markus Zusevics was limited with a knee issue and Brent Qvale was out due to a concussion. Seth Walder of the NY Daily News noted that the Jets used RG Willie Colon at RT with the first team, and Oday Aboushi who was drafted at RT at the same spot with the second team.

The Jets also signed veteran tackle Bruce Campbell this week, addressing a growing concern — depth at the tackle position. Campbell (6’7″, 314) is a 26-year-old tackle out of Maryland who was selected by Oakland in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. He played 14 games for the Raiders in 2010-11 before being traded to Carolina in 2012. He then played five games for the Panthers in 2012 but was waived a year ago. He was invited as a tryout player to the June full-squad minicamp.

BY:

Kenneth Alcott

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[32EBoozer]

Yeah.... this could have been addressed in FA but I guess Idzik feels we have talent at the backup positions?

 

Scary. Hope it all works out. The success of the Offense will be determined in the trenches.

[LWC611]

How is Mangold the only constant on the line... Brick has been a constant as well... 

[#27TheDominator]

I know that they like to preach flexibility on the line, but I find it interesting that they ran with Colon at RT with the first team instead of letting Ijalana run with the 1s.  That could just mean they are more interested in seeing Aboushi and Winters than Ijalana and they may expect them both to start at G this year.  It probably does not bode well for Ford that he did not get kicked up from 3rd team to 2nd. 

[Bleedin Green]

I know that they like to preach flexibility on the line, but I find it interesting that they ran with Colon at RT with the first team instead of letting Ijalana run with the 1s.  That could just mean they are more interested in seeing Aboushi and Winters than Ijalana and they may expect them both to start at G this year.  It probably does not bode well for Ford that he did not get kicked up from 3rd team to 2nd. 

 

Yeah, that certainly is interesting, but I get the feeling that it might also have something to do with it seeming like Ijalana might be the only one they trust to play LT other than Brick, but who knows.  I also found it interesting that I even noticed on the first depth chart that they had Freeman listed ahead of Schlauderaff at C, who's been their backup there for the past 3 years running now.

[#27TheDominator]

Yeah, that certainly is interesting, but I get the feeling that it might also have something to do with it seeming like Ijalana might be the only one they trust to play LT other than Brick, but who knows.  I also found it interesting that I even noticed on the first depth chart that they had Freeman listed ahead of Schlauderaff at C, who's been their backup there for the past 3 years running now.

 

I am not sure who ever liked Schlauderaff that much.  They keep listing him at C, but after they traded for him and Mangold got hurt they went with waiver wire pickup Colin Baxter.  Baxter was so bad that they pulled him in that debacle in Baltimore and slid Slauson over.  Ugly, ugly game.  The kind I was fighting with that nitwit over in the other thread.  Final was 34-17, so you would think the defense sucked and the offense was not good, but at least they scored.  In truth, 21 of the Ravens points were directly as a result of turnovers (2 fumble returns for TDs, and an INT return for TD), plus the offense didn't put up a TD.  The Jets scored on a 107 yard kick return by McKnight and a Harris INT return.

 

I figured they wanted to keep Schlauderaff around as a project G, but with all the shuffling he has never been mentioned in the mix.  He may just be one of those guys that is able to play a few positions, so he has value as a backup, but he sucks a bit too much to play.  Jack of all trades master of none.  I'd expect him to be cut.  I kept figuring somebody liked him, but never saw any indication who.  He's with his third O line coach and 2nd GM and you rarely hear mention of the guy getting on the field. 

[Bleedin Green]

I am not sure who ever liked Schlauderaff that much.  They keep listing him at C, but after they traded for him and Mangold got hurt they went with waiver wire pickup Colin Baxter.  Baxter was so bad that they pulled him in that debacle in Baltimore and slid Slauson over.  Ugly, ugly game.  The kind I was fighting with that nitwit over in the other thread.  Final was 34-17, so you would think the defense sucked and the offense was not good, but at least they scored.  In truth, 21 of the Ravens points were directly as a result of turnovers (2 fumble returns for TDs, and an INT return for TD), plus the offense didn't put up a TD.  The Jets scored on a 107 yard kick return by McKnight and a Harris INT return.

 

I figured they wanted to keep Schlauderaff around as a project G, but with all the shuffling he has never been mentioned in the mix.  He may just be one of those guys that is able to play a few positions, so he has value as a backup, but he sucks a bit too much to play.  Jack of all trades master of none.  I'd expect him to be cut.  I kept figuring somebody liked him, but never saw any indication who.  He's with his third O line coach and 2nd GM and you rarely hear mention of the guy getting on the field. 

 

Yeah, all good points and I don't disagree with any of it.  Even if you chalk up some of the stuff when he first showed up to him being too inexperienced, even last year when he was on his third year with the Jets, he was never even considered for a moment in the competition at LG.  I think it's like you said, it was more a matter of versatility that kept him around than anything else, especially given the crappy depth they had on the OL.  Given that pretty much everywhere else throughout the depth chart you've seen the veterans getting the benefit of the doubt over the young kids, the fact that Freeman has already passed him likely means that he's a goner, barring injuries.