By Matt Sohn
June 9, 2008

Little was right in the world of the Jets’ offense a season ago.

At quarterback, Chad Pennington suffered an ankle sprain early in the season, and later a bruised ego when he was demoted behind the wholly uninspiring Kellen Clemens. At running back, prized offseason acquisition Thomas Jones failed to get anything going on the ground, looking nothing like the answer at a position that has been in flux since Curtis Martin’s retirement. At receiver, Laveranues Coles spent much of his time stewing over his contract situation or dousing one of numerous body parts in buckets of ice.

Lost in the shuffle of the offensive offense was the shoddy play of the linemen.

Alan Faneca and Damien Woody

As Woody deadpanned, “You just don’t see that in the NFL.”

Of course, while the fivesome — rounded out by OLG Brandon Moore, who, incidentally, went undrafted in 2003 — will be scrutinized by the notoriously fickle Jets fan base, the players themselves have far too much to attend to rather than worrying about expectations.

“Chemistry is more important on the offensive line than anywhere else on a football team, and it takes time to develop,” Woody said. “So when the offseason program started in March, we all made a point to get to know each other and our personalities. The better we know each other, the better our communication will be on the field.”

In forging that relationship, the players have spent a bulk of their time away from the gridiron with each other, frequenting the bowling alley and — surprise, surprise — New York’s many eateries, among other stops.

“We try to keep a good rotation of restaurants, but we stay away from the expensive ones,” Mangold remarked.

After all, fine dining doesn’t exactly mesh with the mindset of linemen. In a sport of tough guys, they’re the toughest. Glass is as much of a staple of their diet as steak.

But the fact they easily could afford to chomp down on a Morton’s T-bone every night if they wished brings up questions of their own. Namely, “Are these guys worth the money?”

In light of their first-round billing, each one comes with red flags.

Ferguson, the swiftest afoot of the bunch, has underwhelmed since being taken with the fourth overall selection of the 2006 draft. Although decent against speed rushers, his inability to maintain a hefty enough playing weight has made him susceptible against the league’s bullish ends. Faneca, the most accomplished of the group, is certainly one of the standard-bearers for the OG position, but it’s only logical to question whether a 31-year-old is worthy of a the richest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history, especially one whose stellar play regressed in '07.

Mangold has been serviceable, but he hasn’t been the Pro Bowl-caliber player the Jets thought he would be when they drafted him late in the first round in '06.

Woody comes with the most question marks. He had the makings of being an elite center early in his career in New England but was unable to carry his form to Detroit, the second stop of his career. Playing guard for the Lions, he was switched to tackle for the final five games of the '07 season. Yet Woody did enough in those final five games to convince the Jets to invest $25 million in him.

“I’ve never questioned my ability,” Woody said in response to the worthiness of his contract. “I know what I can do on the football field. As a competitor, you look at it as a challenge.”

Woody and Faneca aren’t the only newcomers who are out to prove something. Also joining the group is O-line coach Bill Callahan, fresh off his colossal failure to restore the University of Nebraska’s football program. Although Callahan may have introduced the passing attack to the option-oriented Cornhuskers, his background is in molding offensive lines, and he will be asked to help resuscitate the Jets' listless running game.

Although eyes may be fixated on Callahan’s crew more than offensive linemen are accustomed to, the men trying to open the holes and stymie the pass rush would rather play unassuming accessories to their offensive teammates.

“The measuring stick is being able to hear the skill guys called on the loudspeaker,” Mangold said. “That’s when you know you’ve done your job.”