Alijah Vera-Tucker's rough Patriots debut is music to Jets fans' ears

Former New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker turned himself from a fan favorite into a Benedict Arnold when he signed a three-year contract with the New England Patriots in free agency. Jets fans may have gotten a kick out of his underwhelming debut.

Vera-Tucker received a fairly lukewarm 60.7 PFF grade in his Patriots unveiling against the Seattle Seahawks, with the high-priced free agent being tagged with four pressures and one sack. His 54.1 pass-block grade speaks to how well Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams performed against him in Seattle's 13-10 win.

Vera-Tucker certainly didn't have a Romeo Doubs-level horrible debut with New England, but if the Patriots expected him to be a force multiplier on the offensive line, nights like Wednesday night don't paint a very rosy picture.

Former New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker struggled in Patriots debut

The Patriots are placing a great deal of confidence and trust in Vera-Tucker, so much so that they moved him from right guard to left guard in order to kick young center Jared Wilson back to his collegiate position. Asking AVT to switch positions yet again shows confidence in his ability to adapt.

While Vera-Tucker was always a solid lineman when he was playing for the Jets, he did miss 41 games over the last four seasons, three of which ended with a season-ending injury before the halfway point of the campaign. There's a chance that Vera-Tucker's body won't allow him to be as dominant as he once was.

Vera-Tucker struggled in both run blocking and pass blocking. Not only was Seattle's defensive line teeing off against him in the fourth quarter whenever Maye dropped back, but he was part of an offensive line that had their proverbial butts so thoroughly kicked by the Seahawks that Rhamondre Stevenson mustered just one yard before contact in the entire game.

Vera-Tucker was a key part of perhaps one of the worst individual quarters from a team in recent memory. The Patriots became the only team in the last 30 years to throw at least three picks, take three or more sacks, and commit three or more penalties while scoring zero points in any given quarter.

The New York Jets have already replaced Alijah Vera-Tucker

The Jets managed to find a fairly natural replacement for Vera-Tucker at right guard, as Joe Tippmann performed so well there after converting from center that he was rewarded with a meaty four-year contract extension. Josh Myers is holding down the fort at center, and Dylan Parham is a cheap, serviceable starter at left guard.

There are precious few areas where the Jets can claim to have a better collection of players when compared to the Patriots, but if AVT keeps playing like this, the offensive line debate very firmly tilts into the Jets' favor.

With the Jets not projected to win many games, some fans may choose to cherish every Patriots loss with the same fervor. Vera-Tucker's decision to burn bridges with the Jets fanbase has made New England matchups carry even more vinegar, and when he doesn't play up to his capabilities, Jets fans will pounce.

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