Reaction to the Jets Releasing Faneca

Many were shocked and upset when the Jets released Pro Bowl LG Alan Faneca on Saturday. Faneca has been known to be one of the top guards in the NFL. At first glance, it would seem like a dumb move to replace him with unproven players.
Before we can give accurate analysis of this move, we must first figure out why the Jets made this move. The first reason appears to be that Faneca is a shell of his former self. Though he still remains an above average run blocker, his pass blocking has become terrible to the point that some call him the worst pass blocking guard in the NFL. Even if that is overstating things, he is definitely a declining pass blocker and is clearly the worst pass blocker on the Jets' offensive line. The Jets feel that they can get almost as good if not better production from the young players while setting themselves up long term. (As fans, we should be happy that Tannenbaum is trying to set the team up for long term success besides just the moves he has made toimprove the team for 2010.) There is little reason to argue with the team's assumption. (One area where Faneca will be missed, however, is in his pulling ability as a guard to open up big runs. It remains to be seen if the replacements will be able to pull effectively.)
Obviously, cap considerations played heavily in the decision to release Faneca. Most (uneducated) fans think that "all the Jets saved is $2 million because the rest of his base salary is guaranteed." It is very offensive that people accuse our GM of making this move to save our billionaire owner Woody Johnson $2 million. There is no cap this season. Obviously, the reason Faneca was released was to save money on next year's cap (which there most likely will be if there is a season). It is beyond the scope of this post to discuss all the rules of the NFL cap. However, one important rule is that when a player is released, all guaranteed money left on the deal goes on that year's cap. By cutting Faneca now, the Jets saveda cap hit of all the guaranteed money on next year's cap (or if they wouldn't be able to cut him, his $10 million salary would be on next year's cap). This is a significant amount of money which will enable the Jets to re-sign an extra player from this team. Many players are free agents including Holmes, Edwards, Harris, and Cromartie. Surely the Jets are better off with those players long term than 1 extra season of an aging Faneca.