Hunter faces challenge replacing Woody

Rex Ryan often talks about how he'd love for 6-5, 318-pound Wayne Hunter to be the first man off the team bus, joking that his chiseled, menacing build is enough to put a scare in the opposition.

But Hunter admits he's a bit frightened himself as he prepares for the challenge of becoming the Jets' starting right tackle. He's stepping into a spot that was occupied by Damien Woody, a rock-solid player who retired after 12 NFL seasons.

"Oh, yeah, I feel the pressure on this one," Hunter said. "I actually like it. Pressure like this, I haven't felt it in a long time. I feel like the whole team is on my shoulders when I'm sitting out there. Just given that alone, it makes me have to block that guy."

That guy is whoever is opposite Hunter on the line of scrimmage, and it's something he'll have to do on a consistent basis for the first time. Though the 30-year-old has been in the league since 2003, he's appeared in only 47 regular-season games and made only five starts -- including three at right tackle last year for the Jets. Then he played in their three playoff games, starting two, after Woody ruptured his Achilles tendon.

When Woody retired, last year's raw second-round pick, Vladimir Ducasse, was not quite ready to slide into the role. So the Jets gave a four-year deal to Hunter, who spent the last three seasons with them. His career path began in Seattle and Jacksonville, and he was waived three times before sticking with the Jets, who re-signed him last year as a restricted free agent.

"It's still kind of surreal because it's been a long road," Hunter said. "Coming into camp, I really didn't expect it because I thought they were going to sign Damien back. So I was ready to just bring on the jumbo tight end again [his other role], but I just love opportunity. Being as long a road as it's been for me, I never thought it was going to come. So it's nice."

That winding road makes Hunter all the more appreciative of this opportunity.

"There's a lot more gratitude and you really don't take things for granted," Hunter said. "This is the first time I've been an unrestricted free agent and I was drafted in '03. This is going on nine years. So because of that, I took it year by year. Am I going to make this team?

"Every year, every camp, I never felt comfortable. Now is the first time in a long time that 'OK, now I can just focus on my assignments.' "

Hunter is working on perfecting his technique after being a backup tackle and a jumbo tight end. He's been a steady pupil of offensive line guru Jim McNally in camp, going over the finer details of how he should block on each particular play.

"Just reminding him as much as I can about this play against this defense -- 'you do this, you do that' -- because it's hard to get your technique," McNally said. "You want to fire out and get your man and kick his butt, but by the same token, you've got to use the right technique. And I think it just reminds him."

Just like watching tape of those three playoff games filling in for Woody.

"It's really because of those postseason games and the end of the season that they signed me," Hunter said. "This, I'm not going to say is my first rodeo, but you can't go into a season fresh off the bat like you're a rookie out of college. I've been in it for nine years, so having actual game experience is awesome.

"Those end-of-the-season games helped transition me into being a starter this year."