4 Least Valuable New York Jets of 2011 Season

It is has been a rough season in New York for Jets fans.

They were never able to hit a great stride and build off it like other teams in the National Football League were able to do (i.e. Denver Broncos, New England Patriots).

Now as they go into there final game of the 2011-12 season against the Miami Dolphins, they are on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs unless a massive set of wins and losses takes place (explained here).

While the team has performed poorly as a whole many times during the season, there a few players who have been on the roster and have either made a negative impact or no impact at all.

So, lets take a look at the least valuable New York Jets of this season.

As always, feedback is welcome.  Enjoy!

4) Colin Baxter

Colin Baxter had a short and ugly stint with the New York Jets earlier this season.  After All-Pro center Nick Mangold got hurt in the Jets Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jets acquired Baxter to try and temporarily fill the gaping hole.

Unfortunately for him and the Jets, their first game with Baxter as their center was against the Oakland Raiders.  The loss to the Raiders began what later turned out to be a big three-game skid that included losses to the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.

Considering Baxter only had a short amount of time to adjust to the New York system, it's not too surprising that he did not perform well, but he barely had any value during his time as a New York Jet.

3) Mark Brunell

Mark Brunell is one of those guys who does not do much for the Jets besides mentoring the other young quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Greg McElroy.

The 41-year-old with a rusty arm has also been a pawn in Rex Ryan's scheme to motivate his team.  Just a few months ago, Ryan had Brunell take snaps with the starting squad to motivate Mark Sanchez.

Mark Brunell is one of those guys who should be replaced by a young, yet somewhat capable quarterback like Kellen Clemens.  With the shots Mark Sanchez took over the course of the season, the Jets were fortunate to not have him get hurt. 

Now, imagine a Jets offense led by Brunell.  There may not be as many foolish throws attempted like Sanchez, but it' highly unlikely that Brunell would be able to carry that offense for several games.  

He's just taking up a roster space, and if the Jets really want him mentoring Sanchez and McElroy, then they should just bring him on as a consultant, like how they did with offensive guru Tom Moore.

2) Eric Smith

The final two players on this list I have a big bone to pick with.  

For those of you who have followed my writing then it should be no surprise that Eric Smith and the No.1 player are on this list.

Anyways, Eric Smith is one of the starting safeties for the Jets and has had plenty of trouble in his six years as a player in the NFL.

One of the major flaws with Smith is that he's undersized and has nothing to make up for it. In the Jets defensive scheme, it's often times Smith's responsibility to cover tight ends.  This year, he had plenty of trouble doing that, especially when it came to the big ones.

Just a few weeks ago, he and the rest of the Jets defense were torched by Eagles tight end Brent Celek who had five receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown.  Earlier this season, Rob Gronkowski had an even more impressive while beating up on Smith as he had eight receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns.

As a small safety with no speed and the occasional ability to hit hard, it's surprising that Eric Smith starts for the New York Jets.  He does not bring much to the table and is definitely a player without much value.

Anybody regretting that Dwight Lowery trade? I am.

1) Wayne Hunter

In most cases when something bad happens to Mark Sanchez in the backfield, it can be blamed on right tackle Wayne Hunter who has had a rough time adjusting to his inherited starting role.

Hunter was expected to do well this season; he filled in for the injured Damien Woody when the season entered its home stretch last year and did a bang-up job.  Because of his performance, there was not too much worry, but after a few games, it was obvious that Hunter was going to have issues all season long.

Like Eric Smith, Hunter does not bring much when he steps on the field, but the Jets just do not have anyone better, especially with the loss of their utility man Robert Turner in the preseason.  

Hunter's biggest problem is just keeping a block.  If a defensive end or outside linebacker has an average to above-average skill set as a rusher, they can beat Hunter easily.  He does not move his feet so he tries to hold and a lot of the times he's caught.  When he's not holding, he is just getting manhandled off the line.

Right now, Wayne Hunter is the least valuable player of this horrible season for the Jets.  And if you don't believe me when I talk about Hunter's play, just check out this crucial sack he caused against the Broncos (watch here).