Wayne Hunter Comments On Being Benched

We have been very critical of Wayne Hunter.  Most Jets fans have been very critical of Wayne Hunter.  His level of play has not been adequate.  Those who are close to Wayne have always spoken about what they think of him as a person.  I thought his comments on the benching were worth sharing.  Basically, he admits he isn’t playing well and understands why the Jets made this decision.

I find that refreshing, especially since it is common for athletes to make excuses and blame others.  Wayne Hunter did none of that, he just said he loves the Jets and wants to help this team any way possible.  Austin Howard, the Jets new starting right tackle also added:

“I talk to Wayne everyday and he is still teaching me up certain things and I’m still learning from him, it is just something we do we’ve got to get through.”

Maybe he would benefit from doing regular home exercise programs besides his scheduled training.

Here is what Wayne Hunter had to say:

On his conversation with Coach Ryan this morning…
To kind of simplify it and put it in a nutshell, it was, ‘I want to help this team anyway I can and right now it’s not at right tackle.’ I’ve had struggles, everyone has seen them. It’s just moving back to a position where I excelled, did really well and helped the team to two (AFC) championship (Games). Even I feel like I can help the team more (by) going back to those days.

On if he would eventually like another shot to be the starting right tackle.…
Yeah, I have to work my way up again, but as it is right now I just want to help the team in any way possible. Right now, I can help the team best by being that Jumbo tight end like I was before and being the sixth guy off the bench.

On whether he was surprised by the move…
No, it wasn’t a surprise. Everybody knows, the whole New York City knows that I’ve been struggling the last year and the last game I didn’t do much better. So, I wasn’t surprised. I was waiting for it to be honest with you. I knew I was struggling. Everything was kind of going south for me, but at the same time I still wanted to help the team in any way possible. I love the Jets. I love this organization. So again, moving to this position is the best thing for me right now and the guys.

On if he thinks it’s fair that he only got to play in one preseason game as a starter…
Is it fair? It’s a preseason game, it doesn’t matter what’s fair or what’s not fair. It’s a preseason game. That’s all it is. They’re making the decision off everything, not just this past game, off of everything. This goes back to last year. If I don’t show signs of improvement when the bullets are flying, they have to make a choice. They have to pick the best 11 guys to go on the field and right now, my best role is as a tight end.

On if he would have liked to get another chance in live action to prove himself as a starter…
Yeah, it would always be nice to try to improve and get that job back. They have to make moves now. It’s coming down to the wire.  The Bills are around the corner. They have to do something. Right now, the best move for me is to move to a spot where I was dominant, comfortable and confident, at the Jumbo tight end spot.

On how much everyone knowing he was struggling affected him…
At the beginning, it did affect me quite a bit, but I learned to kind of brush that off a little bit. I’ve just been rolling with punches. Towards the end, it was almost numb at that point.