Vladimir Ducasse was widely considered a project with exponential potential when he was chosen by the New York Jets in the second round (61st overall) of the 2010 draft out of UMass.
Photo Via Vladimir Ducasse Facebook Page
In his first two seasons, Ducasse, 24, has appeared in 18 games with one start, but his playing time has been very limited, an indication that he hasn’t been ready to tackle the tasks of being a starting offensive tackle at the next level.
Ducasse was the primary backup at guard and tackle in 2011 and often struggled significantly when he was on the field.
But the Haitian-born offensive lineman knows he’s facing a make-or-break season as he enters his third year in the NFL.
“That’s how I see it. That’s what I see it as. This is my third year, and I put a lot of pressure on myself that I have to do better than last year,” Ducasse said in an interview with the Newark Star-Ledger. “I can’t go into this year expecting, ‘You know what, I’m going to do the same thing I did last year.’ I have to get better, and they’re expecting me to be better, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to take that next step.”
Ducassee also mentioned that the offense is simpler with Tony Sparano as the offensive coordinator (replaced Brian Schottenheimer), which makes it less daunting to know what he’s going out on the field.
The 6-5, 325-pound project still has some ground to gain on incumbent starter Wayne Hunter, but Hunter’s position can easily be stolen if Ducasse sheds his bust label and finds his niche in the coming weeks.
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