Jets coach Rex Ryan announced at a press conference this morning that embattled right tackle Wayne Hunter would no longer be his starting right tackle.
So much for not looking to replace him. They keep talking him up, in hopes of salvaging his ego, as much as anything else. But hours after those kind words, they were replacing him.
Austin Howard will get the first shot, but it’s clear they’re going to keep looking, even if they continue to say they’re not.
There have been signs that Hunter could be an acceptable NFL blocker, and it doesn’t take a long look around the league to see lines that could probably use him.
But at this point, Hunter has become a pinata, and everyone in New York has taken a moment from obsessing over Tim Tebow to take a whack at him.
Truth be told, the Jets are probably doing Hunter a favor, because the criticism of his game has gained its own momentum, and allowing him a break for it might enable him to save whatever’s left of his career.