Our old friend Josh Alper writes for NBC NY that the Jets offensive line needs to start asserting themselves.  Alper is concerned that they’ve not shown enough since the start of last season to give fans much hope for the 20212.

If Rex Ryan’s promise to return to the Ground and Pound offensive scheme of his first two years is to come true, the line is going to have to be much, much better than it has been over the last 17 games. An inability to run the ball consistently will put more pressure on Sanchez, something that is less than ideal given the skill position players currently on the roster.

For those that read BGA, what we saw at the end of last season was a line that was climbing out of the pit.  The Mangold injury killed the Jets last year.  The Jets inability to field a competent backup did in a line that was on the balance not as talented as previous incarnations.  Mangold came back early and while he as better than what the Jets threw out there in his place, his injury did linger.

So far, the Jets have made some half-hearted attempts to find competition for the offensive line, but no matter what Tanny and Rex say about Schlad, I’m not buying it.  As far as Hunter?  Keeping Hunter as the starting right tackle for a second season seems unfathomable but seems likely.  The Jets expect Hunter to play tomorrow night, so look and see how both he and Howard do against those beastly Giants linemen.  If Austin Howard ever had a chance to prove he deserves a true shot at starting … tomorrow night is the time to do it.