New O-line coach raves over Hunter

Forget everything you've heard about Wayne Hunter.

At least, that's what new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo has done.

The coach -- who goes by the nickname "Guge" -- met with the media Wednesday for the first time since accepting his new position with the team. And it didn't take long before he started raving about Hunter.

DeGuglielmo, the former offensive line coach for Miami, said the Dolphins wanted to snag Hunter when he was a free agent. And now that he's with the Jets, Hunter will remain as a starter.

"Until they ship him out of here or shoot me dead in my office, the guy's the starting right tackle," said DeGuglielmo, who shares the same brash, in-your-face style as head coach Rex Ryan and new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.

"Guge" dropped his own version of Rex’s “Kiss my rings” line with the media Wednesday. When asked if he felt any pressure filling the shoes of longtime offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

“Difference between me and Bill: I have a Super Bowl ring and he doesn’t,” he said, matter-of-factly.

The coach also said he told Ryan during the interview process that he wasn’t worried about “the ghost of Bill Callahan. ...Everybody replaces somebody.”

DeGuglielmo said he's not the type of coach to take other people's word on players. He even refused to believe center Nick Mangold was as smart as everyone said he was until he heard Mangold speak in meetings. Now, DeGuglielmo believes the center's smart enough to fly the Space Shuttle.

That’s why the coach didn’t believe Hunter was the angry, introverted – and talentless – guy he was portrayed by both the media and fans.

Simply put, Hunter is not what you think, he said.

“He’s a warrior,” DeGuglielmo said of Hunter, who he repeatedly likened to a “God” and a physical specimen. “They strap shields to this guy and put him in the Coliseum.”

Yes, Hunter had some bad games, he admitted. But the right tackle also had some good games as well, the coach pointed out. And he delivered a challenge to anyone in the Jets’ front office who thinks he can find a better right tackle in the league.

If so, “bring him to me,” said DeGuglielmo.

“There are at least 20 other teams that’ll take him in a heartbeat,” he later said of Hunter.

The coach said the same five guys who started on the O-line last year will remain starters this season for the foreseeable future. Though it’s impossible to guarantee starting jobs, DeGuglielmo said Mangold and left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson are pretty much locks – that is, unless they’re befallen by injury.

Here are some other tidbits from “Guge”:

* He also raved about Vladimir Ducasse. DeGuglielmo said the young lineman is not a bust and, in fact, has picked up the new offense quicker than Mangold. Ducasse is a lot smarter than people think, said DeGuglielmo, who added that the youngster has the “body type and athleticism that I need.” The coach said if you looked at Ducasse in the locker room and during meetings, you wouldn’t think he’s a backup. For now, Ducasse is going to stay at the tackle position until someone tells DeGuglielmo otherwise.

* Like Ryan, DeGuglielmo’s weight has fluctuated a bit in recent years. “Sixty pounds here, 60 pounds there,” said the coach who was 230 pounds, but it now 290. “It’s like peeing in the pool. Nobody knows the difference.”

* Asked whether Sparano’s offensive schemes will help keep his linemen from being exposed on an island, DeGuglielmo said there’s only so many ways you can block – and at least one guy on a given play will be on an island. “They key is to change it up,” he said.

* DeGuglielmo also is impressed by the size and athleticism of rookie guard Robert T. Griffin. The coach also said Griffin’s head is the size of a pumpkin. …DeGuglielmo also is intrigued by undrafted free agent John Cullen, whom he called “a nasty guy.” Cullen, according to DeGuglielmo picked up five personal fouls in a game while at Utah. The coach also said he went to college with the “real” John Cullen, a former NFL player. …DeGuglielmo also said he was impressed by the explosiveness of tryout Fred Koloto.

* In case you didn’t know: Sparano coached DeGuglielmo at Boston University when he was the offensive coordinator.