PHOENIX - Alan Faneca made no secret in the final weeks of the 2010 season that it could well be his last in the rugged trenches of the NFL.

The Pittsburgh Steelers do some running behind one of their helmets on the sideline during warmup drills before NFL football practice in Pittsburgh, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011. The Steelers will be facing the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas.

Alan Faneca made no secret in the final weeks of the 2010 season that it could well be his last in the rugged trenches of the NFL. On Tuesday, the eight-time All-Pro guard announced his retirement after 13 years in the league. "From the dog days of training camp to winning a Super Bowl the memories are endless," Faneca said in a statement released through his agent Rick Smith.


Alan Faneca, who made the Pro Bowl nine times in his career, has retired, according to ESPN. In a statement sent from Faneca's agent to reporter Adam Schefter, Faneca said, "After a lot of thought I am announcing my retirement from professional football.
Alan Faneca, a nine-time Pro Bowl performer, will announce his retirement from the NFL today.
The Arizona Cardinals have got some rebuilding to do and it starts at quarterback where a year removed from the...

Braylon Edwards is coming on strong, just in time for the post-season.

"Braylon, the last couple of weeks, has been awesome," Jets' offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday, "just playing fast, jumping in like he did late in the year [in 2009] on scout team and he just looks like he can't get enough right now.

"I think he's hitting his stride at just the right time," Schottenheimer added.

With the playoffs just around the corner. Edwards has 14 receptions for 178 yards in the last two games and could be poised for a big post-season. That's something he didn't have a chance at in his first four seasons in the NFL, as Cleveland didn't make the playoffs in any of those seasons.

"To go from never making it to [going] two years in a row," Edwards...

TEMPE, Ariz. - Alan Faneca will complete his 13th NFL season on Sunday, lining up at left guard for the Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco in his 144th consecutive start.
By BOB BAUM AP Sports Writer
Matt Slauson always believed he would be the New York Jets' starting left guard. Being able to adequately replace Alan Faneca and not be the weak link on the offensive line was another story. "I was scared every day," the imposing and heavily tattooed Slauson surprisingly acknowledged, "all throughout the offseason." The Jets were criticized by many fans and media when they...

I can’t take credit for this, since this came from ESPN’s John Clayton.

5. The Jets’ future is now: Staying with the Jets: They are gambling against the biological clock in free agency and trades. Most teams try to add younger players when they sign high-priced free agents or make trades. The Jets are one of the few teams willing to add some age. Faneca is 31 and Woody is 30. Fullback Tony Richardson is 36 but is coming off a Pro Bowl season, while 34-year-old cornerback Ty Law is coming in for a visit this week. The Jets aren’t worried about building for the future. They want to win now.”

It’s great that the Jets are trying to go for it.  Here’s a major problem with that:

Let’s be honest.    This guy, for better or worst is the once and future quarterback for the New York Jets, whether you like it or not.  He’s played 12 games so far, not even a full season.   He’s thrown just five touchdowns and 10 picks.

Now I ask you: is this the right move for the Jets?   Putting all your eggs in this basket?   As much of an improvement made to their offensive line with Alan Faneca and Damian Woody, to their defensive line with Kris Jenkins and to their linebackers with Calvin Pace, the season comes down to how the quarterback performs.

Tom Brady not withstanding, it takes time for a quarterback to “get it”.    They need time and patience.  And we all know how patient New York and especially Jets fans are.     Its not fair to Clemens to expect him to be become this great quarterback over night…fact of the matter is, even with the additions the Jets made this season, they’re still way behind the Patriots, the Colts and the rest of the AFC echelon.  So in turn, you’ve added age and injury prone players in this desperate charge to compete.

This may irritate Jets fans to bring up the Giants up, but look how they got it done last year.  Young players drafted that got blooded into and contributed.   Obviously that doesn’t happen all the time.    But the Giants showed that if you take your time, be patient, and most of all have Eli Manning all of sudden not turn the ball over, you can win and still have a young group of players that have championship experience — the best of both worlds.

The Law to Return?

As stated in Clayton’s piece and in this Newsday article, Ty Law could be rejoining the Jets.  Having not seen much of Law since his Jets days, I’m just going off the stats…47 tackles, two INTs and 13 passed defensed (tip balls, knock aways, that sort of thing).    Positives: The pass defensed were his best since 2003, when he had 17 for the Pats.   Negatives: Undoubtedly not the same player even in his one year with the Jets and the tackles total were the lowest of his career.   Now granted, the Chiefs stink, so you’re hopeful that Mangini can find the fountain of youth for Law and that Herm was…well, Herm.     But make no mistake, another risk by the front office.

Robertson is also rumored to be headed out in that article.   What the hell went wrong with him?   We’ll examine that next time.

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