Jets' anonymous understudy ready to conquer his 'Brick' wall

[Gas2No99]

Jets' anonymous understudy ready to conquer his 'Brick' wall

 

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- For three seasons, Ben Ijalana backed up a player who never needed a backup. Ijalana showed up for work every day, ready and eager to show what he could do, but never got a chance to play with the starters in practice, much less a game.

He was the New York Jets’ version of Juan Bell and Manny Alexander.

Who?

That's precisely the point. They were two of Cal Ripken's backups during his incredible streak of 2,632 consecutive games played.

Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire

Ijalana was the loyal understudy to recently-retired left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who never took off a practice and never missed a regular-season snap due to injury over his 10-year career. This may surprise you, but he cherished his time under Ferguson and now, perhaps, his patience will be rewarded, albeit at a different position. With Breno Giacomini (back) on the physically-unable-to-perform list, Ijalana started the preseason opener at right tackle.

The team isn't saying when Giacomini will return, so Ijalana is on a week-to-week tryout, sharing practice reps with Brent Qvale. After years in the shadows, he finally has made it to the Broadway stage -- or at least the audition -- hoping to make his friend proud.

"Brick is my mentor, my OG, my football-playing brother -- a really, really good friend of mine," said Ijalana, who had lunch with Ferguson on Friday.

For three years, Ijalana watched Ferguson's every move, picking his brain even though he knew he'd never take his job, barring injury. From 2013 to 2015, he played only five offensive snaps, according to ESPN Stats & Information -- two at right guard and three as an extra linemen.

"Playing behind him was kind of interesting because you were never really going to play," Ijalana said. "It was kind of funny. I think a lot of people might not have appreciated what he was really able to do. In hindsight, you'll see: It's damn near impossible. It's like he was an immortal on the field. It was nuts."

For Ijalana, who entered the NFL with high expectations as a second-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2011, it was a thankless job. Some players would've complained or bolted as a free agent, but Ijalana did neither. He stuck it out, living vicariously through Ferguson.

"I started to put myself in a position where I took pride in his accomplishments," Ijalana said. "I didn't see them as only his. I said, 'Those are my Ws, too. That's me on the good pass protection.' I supported him and he supported me, too. I never saw it as an envious thing at all.

"It was kind of bizarre sometimes," he continued. "At the end of the day, you think, 'Damn, maybe I'm not good enough' and things aren't going your way, but you're still in the NFL, you're still an NFL lineman. It's a blessing and I always have good people to remind me of that."

Like everybody else, Ijalana was surprised by Ferguson's retirement at the age of 32. After the season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills, he recalled Ferguson telling him, "We'll get 'em next year." The Jets quickly replaced Ferguson by trading for Ryan Clady, a former Pro Bowl tackle with the Denver Broncos. Ijalana re-signed with the Jets about the same time, hoping for a shot.

With Giacomini sidelined, he's getting it.

"They need more plays," coach Todd Bowles said of Ijalana and Qvale. "We're not going to grade them after one game. They need to play in games -- the second and third games, and probably some of the fourth if Breno's not back. It'll be key for those guys to play."

Finally, Ijalana is chasing his own dream, but he hasn't forgotten about the man he admired. After Saturday's sweltering practice, he sat on a bench outside the locker room, sharing Brick stories with rookie tackle Brandon Shell. He shared Ferguson's advice on how to survive the dog days of camp, paying it forward to the next generation. Now it's Ijalana's turn to be the mentor.

"Honestly, I feel like I've been able to earn my keep," he said. "I might not have been able to show it to the outside world, but to the guys in the building, I'm worth something. I'm still here."

 

 

[Beerfish]

If Ijalana and Qvale both do well then Giacomini is down the road.

[KRL]

Ijalana performing well at RT would be a tremendous boost.  We would get younger and cheaper at the

position and could let Giacomini go to save cap space

[RutgersJetFan]

BRICK WALL I GET IT

[Jetster]

Funny how the entire offseason speculation has run rampant about Breno getting cut but he's dealing with an injury that is impossible to verify its severity. BACK INJURY.

I don't think the Jets can cut him while he's injured without an injury settlement. I think without the back he'd be a GONER, 5 million for him is way too much & I honestly thought he was the weak link on the Oline.

[drdetroit]

Ijalana better be good.  Clady is made of glass.

[Jetdawgg]

We need him to hold the fort until the next draft

[NYs Stepchild]

2 hours ago, Jetster said:

Funny how the entire offseason speculation has run rampant about Breno getting cut but he's dealing with an injury that is impossible to verify its severity. BACK INJURY.

I don't think the Jets can cut him while he's injured without an injury settlement. I think without the back he'd be a GONER, 5 million for him is way too much & I honestly thought he was the weak link on the Oline.

Winters for sure was the weak link, and him getting pushed backwards constantly in pass protection made the tackle's job more difficult. 

That's not saying that Breno deserves 5 mil, or that I don't hope Iggy doesn't beat him out. I do think he is as good if not better. It would be perfect for Ben to take RT then switch to LT in case of injury. 

I also hope Dozier, or Watts can beat out Winters. 

[Tinstar]

Or maybe, you could hope that the Player takes the next step in his development and continues to improve . Just saying.

That is all