The New York Jets have hired yet another quote machine (not that they needed one).
Offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo landed in Gotham this offseason after three years with Tony Sparano in Miami. DeGuglielmo met with reporters for the first time Wednesday and, well, let's have him explain:
• On the future of embattled right tackle Wayne Hunter: "One of the things that excited me most about this job was Wayne Hunter," DeGuglielmo told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. "The last thing that I would ever want to see happen is not have Wayne Hunter as the right tackle. He's big. He's athletic. He's aggressive. He's a smart guy. ... I'll be honest with you: This guy is the starting right tackle. Until they tell me otherwise, until they ship him out of this building or until they shoot me dead in my office, that son of a gun is going to be the starting right tackle and he's going to play well."
• On Hunter's physique: "They (should) strap shields to this guy and put him in The Coliseum."
• On Vlad Ducasse, spending time at right tackle during the offseason: "This isn't a bust."
• On stepping into the shoes of former O-line coach Bill Callahan: "The difference between me and Bill is I have a Super Bowl ring (Super Bowl XLII) and he doesn't. I'm not worried about the ghosts of Bill Callahan."
• On the mental capacity of center Nick Mangold: "This guy could probably fly the Space Shuttle."
• Comparing the Jets offensive lines of 2009 and 2010 to this year's incarnation: "I'm not going to compare them to what they did two years ago. Two years ago, I was 230 pounds. Now, I'm 290. So, you could say, 'Hey, Gug used to look good in that suit.' But right now I can't put one leg into it. It doesn't matter what I was like two years ago. ... I fluctuate 60 here, 60 there. It's like peeing in a pool. Nobody knows the difference."
Yes, it's exactly like that.
