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THE CHOICES CONFRONTING Bill Parcells in his attempt to stabilize the Jets' offensive line are threefold. He can start the critical game against the Colts with the same makeshift lineup that completed the 20-10 defeat in Buffalo. He can sign an experienced tackle, provided one is available on short notice, and force-feed him the playbook 10 pages at a time in the hope he can distinguish his right foot from his left by Sunday afternoon. Or he can promote Bill Belichick to the head coaching position a few years earlier than planned and let his trusted assistant wrestle with the details.
Although their upcoming opponent at the Meadowlands is the only team in the NFL whose victories can be counted on one finger, it is the Jets who are feeling the pressure. In the wake of the loss to the Bills that dropped the Jets into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East, Parcells identified the game against the Colts as the key to their immediate future. "Our season will be on the line," he said yesterday.
No pun intended. Then again, the reference was entirely appropriate after left tackle Jumbo Elliott underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, and right tackle David Williams was hospitalized with back spasms. A few days earlier, William Roberts, who had been alternating with Lonnie Palelei at left guard, went down with a season-ending knee injury in practice.
"We've gone from a fairly veteran group to a relatively inexperienced group," Parcells said. Suddenly, the identity of the quarterback seemed the least of the Jets' problems. If the team's blocking doesn't demonstrate marked...