As Hunter prepares for his 10th year in the N.F.L., after a turbulent debut as the Jets’ right tackle, he is once again striving to disprove the mainstream opinion — that the Jets, repackaged by the offensive coordinator Tony Sparano as a team that emphasizes power running and protecting the quarterback, would be foolish to start him this season.

Despite their rampant public displays of support — in mid-May, the new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo vowed that Hunter would start “until they ship him out of this building or until they shoot me dead in my office” — the Jets were all the while seeking a potential upgrade.

At last check, DeGuglielmo is alive (and spouting colorful language at his charges). And as Jeff Otah, Hunter’s potential competition, misses practice after practice with an ailing knee that threatens to jeopardize his trade from the Carolina Panthers, Hunter is dominating the repetitions at his position, impressing Coach Rex Ryan with his grasp of the new system. “There’s no doubt,” Ryan said.

The criticism, the trade rumors, the speculation about his job security — Hunter heard it all. And, he added, it does not bother him. At least not as much as it once did or as it still could.

“It made me tougher, that’s for sure,” he said. “It made me tough.”

From Hunter’s perspective, his 2011 season, in which he yielded 11 sacks and committed 11 penalties, was not as terrible as is perceived; for neutralizing Cameron Wake of Miami in Week 6, Hunter was awarded a game ball. But, he said, “When I had bad games, they were bad.”