TIME TO FIX THE BLOCKING

Forget about going to Harvard, getting an MBA or becoming a neurosurgeon, if you’re big, mean and seek generational wealth, become an NFL tackle. With the bonanza of NFL free agency but a week old, we’re again seeing the price of offensive tackles soar faster than a duplex in Park Slope. But like real estate, the lingering question is whether these multimillionaires will hold their value, or go bust.

Kareem McKenzie: New York Giants

The latest Jet staple flying from Gang Green, McKenzie was brought in to solidify a Giant offensive line that for two seasons was held by Scotch Tape. Durable and disciplined, the 26-year-old right tackle commanded a left tackle price (7 years $37.75 million with a $12.5 million signing bonus). What remains to be seen is how McKenzie’s signing will impact the Giants’ porous left side; where the real bleeding is. With McKenzie on board, the Giants are content to leave Luke Petitgout, a good but not great lineman, protecting Eli Manning where he’s most vulnerable. For nearly $38 million, one might expect a better insurance policy for their wunderkid to blossom. Then again, it’s still a drastic improvement.

Jonas Jennings: San Francisco 49ers

Like the way Dan Quayle wasn’t confused with John F. Kennedy, Jonas Jennings isn’t confused with Anthony Munoz or Jackie Slater. But thanks to Seattle re-signing Walter Jones, and the Rams franchising Orlando Pace, Jennings, 27, became the top left tackle on the market. For thrifty San Francisco to spend nearly $36 million on Jennings, Cal QB Aaron Rodgers looks likely to be taken with their top draft pick. However with plenty of other holes to fill, the Niners may instead trade down in exchange for more picks. If that’s the case, San Francisco may have better spent their money elsewhere besides protecting short-term quarterback, Tim Rattay.

Chris Samuels: Washington Redskins

In the good-enough-for-government town of Washington, DC, it’s fortunate for Chris Samuels to have Dan “Deep Pockets” Snyder for a boss. For $46.5 million, with a $15.75 million signing bonus, the Skins’ re-signed a 27-year-old left tackle who shines a lot more when his right side counterpart, Jon Jansen, is healthy, than not. Jansen spent last season on injured reserve, and as a result Samuels’ impact, or lack thereof, was hard felt in the Skins’ offensive molasses. Attending just one Pro Bowl in five years, Samuels may be big and rich, but he’s certainly no Hog. Had Joe Jacoby played today, he could have afforded his own island.

Walter Jones: Seattle Seahawks

Walter Jones comes with few dings and scratches for a tackle that’s started in nearly every game for eight years. A perennial hold out during the off-season, it was necessary for Seattle to sign Jones to a fat contract and save the franchise tag for either Matt Hasselbeck or Shaun Alexander. Right now the 31-year-old Jones still has mileage left, but signing him to a seven year deal worth $52.5 million with a $15 million signing bonus is dicey. Seattle is in a hurry to cash in with what they’ve got, and so they’re wildly spending Paul Allen’s money. Such a short-term strategy may pan out. Then again, when it’s time to rebuild, dropping the megabucks to keep Jones could backfire when cap room is needed more than aging linemen.