Ferguson’s confidence has grown enormously since Rex Ryan took over. Usually a subdued guy, Ferguson was more vocal this year and even boasted that he would make the Pro Bowl before the season.

As a left tackle, he is judged first and foremost on his pass blocking and he continues to improve in this area. His most impressive outing was against Dwight Freeney in the AFC Championship Game.

Freeney would leave the game with an injury but only after he was shut out by Ferguson. Freeney had no sacks, no hurries and no hits on Mark Sanchez.

Although Freeney recorded two sacks in their first match up, it is important to note that neither were Ferguson’s fault. Both sacks came on plays when the Jets went with an empty backfield. The Colts came with blitzes and Sanchez failed to identify the extra man and took sacks when he should have either hit his hot read or thrown the ball away.

Ferguson struggled some in his first two years in the league. He was too thin, lacked upper body strength and did not show the necessary toughness to be a factor in the running game. But he bulked up and played with more of a mean streak this year.

He is staying on his run blocks longer and creating movement on his side. He has really benefited from the presence of Bill Callahan who is using more zone blocking schemes.

This favors Ferguson who can use his quickness to get an angle on defenders rather than having to take them on straight up. Ferguson’s improved strength allows him to collapse his end and push defenders into traffic in the middle.

Ferguson’s biggest asset is his quick feet, which allow him to slide and adjust to the speedy pass rushers he sees every week. The Jets were tied for 10th best in the league in sacks allowed (30) and Ferguson was a big reason why.

He faced some of the best pass rushers in the league this year and held up well. He shut out Mario Williams, Kyle VandenBosch, Jason Taylor and Richard Seymour, not allowing a sack among them.

He also did a nice job on Julius Peppers who came up with ½ a sack but was not much of a factor. Will Smith (1.5 sacks), Aaron Schobel (1) and John Abraham (1) also broke through but none of them really got the better of Brick.

Ferguson kept these guys under wraps. They all put up rather pedestrian numbers with the exception of Aaron Schobel of the Bills.

He has always given Ferguson trouble and this year was no different. In two games he accumulated 16 tackles including 10 solo and 4 tackles for loss.

Schobel combines quickness and strength and is still one of the better defensive ends in the league. The fact that he plays in Buffalo and is not one of the more athletic DE’s has left him mostly overlooked by the media.

But he is a high effort guy who never gives up on a play and Ferguson will have to step up his intensity if he wants to have better success against him. There is still plenty of room for improvement for Ferguson and seeing how he performs against Schobel will be a good yardstick in his development.

On the other side, Damien Woody has done a great job since coming over from Detroit two years ago. He is durable (32 consecutive starts for the Jets), smart and instinctive.

He uses his hands well and takes good angles, both of which allow him to gain leverage on his opponent. He has good technique and rarely loses a battle.

Woody grades out as one of the Jets’ best run blockers. He rarely falls off a block and has the size (6-5, 330) to dominate at the point of attack.

He and Brandon Moore formed one of the best guard-tackle tandems in football and were the main reason the Jets preferred to run to the right. Thanks to them, they had the most 1st downs (63) and most runs of 10 yards or more (32) to the right side in the league.

For a guy his size, you would expect him to have problems moving but he has surprisingly quick feet. He sets up well in his pass set and does a good job of mirroring and sliding.

Since Woody plays on the right side, he rarely has to face legitimate pass rushers but he did in the AFC Championship Game when he squared off against Robert Mathis. Woody was up to the challenge and held him to no sacks and only 1 solo tackle.

In addition to preventing sacks, the Jets’ offensive line limited the number of hits on Sanchez. In fact, they allowed the fourth fewest hits on their QB (53) and Woody was a big reason why.

At 32, one would think Woody would be near the end of the line but he could easily play for another 2-3 years. He is still very consistent and is one of the more vocal leaders in the locker room.

He really stepped up his presence in the postseason and kept a lot of the younger guys focused on the job at hand. Woody was another solid signing and with two Super Bowl rings to his credit, he has brought a winning attitude to this team.

The Jets’ top reserve at tackle is Wayne Hunter, a sixth year veteran out of Hawaii. He is more of a finesse player and I have not been impressed with him thus far.

He was flagged for a few brutal penalties this year and frequently whiffed on his blocks. He has good athleticism and the Jets like to bring him in motion in their “Jumbo” package and use him to crack back on the defensive end.

But when he has to line up as a traditional tackle he struggles. He doesn’t use his hands well and plays with poor leverage.

Aside from his technical flaws, he plays with little aggression and gets overpowered by smaller defenders. I’d like to see him play with more of a mean streak and add more bulk.

The Jets could certainly find a better back up than Hunter but whether they select one in the draft is uncertain. There is no pressing need at the position, which is why if they draft one at all, it will likely be in the later rounds.