Slauson and Ducasse Help Each Other Out

Matt Slauson and Vladimir Ducasse might be battling each other for a starting spot, but it would be difficult to tell based on what is happening off the field between the two.

"Matt's been great," Ducasse said. "He's always helping me out. Whenever I need something, I'll go up to him and ask him. He's always there for me."

 

"I don't want to make this where I'm trying to keep him from being his best so I have the best shot at getting the job," Slauson said. "I don't want that, because we're all on the same page. We care about one thing: Super Bowl."

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Now, both Ducasse and Slauson want to prove that management made the right call.

"You're missing a piece, but Vlad and Slauson are doing a great job of battling, asking questions, wanting to be the guy that we can count on," center Nick Mangold said. "When you have two guys that are doing that, it's a great situation."

 

Situations like this can turn toxic pretty easily so it's nice to see both guys keeping a good head on their shoulders. Both guys will have a chance to have long and productive careers starting with the team. Only one spot is open this year, but Damien Woody is getting older. He might not have many years left. The loser of this competition has a great shot of eventually becoming a starter when Woody is no longer a Jet.

This is probably the most significant position battle on the team. We haven't heard much from Cortland regarding it. It seems as though the Jets want to keep things close to the vest. There have been some minor hints Slauson is in the lead but nothing substantive. Left guard will definitely be a spot to watch on Monday. We'll get our first look at where these players stand.