There's been plenty of offseason disscusions surrounding our offense due to the Fitz/Geno saga and rightfully so, considering how important a team's quarterback has always been to it's overall team success but as a fan base we must be honest with ourselves; Fitzpatrick just isn't going to transform into a Tom Brady (out of nowhere) & Geno's most certainly not going to develop into an Aaron Rodgers (over night). Although wishful thinking. We're fortunate to have a very produvcive trio of Marshall, Decker & Forte along with some younger prospects but to be quite frank we don't even have a proven (top 15-20) quarterback under Center to rely on, depend on and/or count on. We can hope for an efficient game manager but we shouldn't fool ourselves. Our offense has a ceiling. Because of this, it's literally up to our defense under Todd Bowles to fire upon all cylinders while completely dominating opposing offenses. With a brutal schedule coming up, a dominant defense is the only way to not only compete for the division but to also advance into & throughout the playoffs. That's my belief heading into 2016. If this defense can develop into & play up to it's natural ability & potential, then there isn't a single team on our schedule in which I believe we should fear as a fan base. Like all teams we'll need some luck to take place, some lucky bounces along with good fortune (health) but we have just about all the defensive pieces in place and everything you need in order to dream about a defense that can lead you into real contention. Below I'll tackle all three aspects of our defense (D-Line, LB & Secondary) followed by wrapping up this post. • We've got a defense featuring 3 young animals on our D-Line with Wilkerson, Richardson & Williams. These guys can bulldoze against the run, collapse the pocket while creating constant QB pressure throughout the course of games. This is proven. These three cornerstone lineman within the trenches are, in my opinion, the driving force leading the way for a potentially top notch defensive unit. They're ready to feast. • At the age of 32 we still have a tackling machine in 'The Hitman' (David Harris) leading the way @ IMLB. Just put up 108 taclkes with 4 1/2 sacks last season during 2015. What's intriguing is that, he's finally surrounded by youngblood LB's with speed, youth, attitude & athletism in Mauldin, Lee & Jenkins. This is something we've been patiently waiting for as a fan base (re-vamped linebacking unit). They'll be some learning curves & growing pains due to overall inexperience (two rookies/one 2nd year player) but these Linebackers are in actual position to cause a lot of havoc considering which type of powerhouse d-lineman they'll be playing behind. I consider this group of linebackers as our defensive X-Factor. Perform at a high level & this defense becomes a force to be reckoned with. • A secondary that's prime for dominance come year #2 within Bowles system. We've not only got a bonified top 1-5 NFL cornerback in Revis as our #1 CB leading the way (a blessing) but we've also got an up an coming star @ SS in Calvin Pryor. Who as a 3rd year player appears to be on the cusp of emerging as yet another defensive force. This kid hits hard while implementing fear. Sniffs out the run like a dog. Plays fast. Has the aggressiveness & physicality needed in order to play within the box and a strong tackler (something we were desperate for out of Kerry Rhodes). Still developing here but has the centerfield athletism needed in order to roam the secondary as a ball hawk and looks to have an all pro/pro bowl style of play; which can take our secondary to another level. Buster Skrine as a top of the line nickel back heading into his 2nd year as a Jet should also be big. At the age of only 27 Marcus Gilchrist is underrated but yet very sound. When it's all said and done a trio of Revis, Buster & Pryor creates for a strong secondary nucilus while the likes of Marcus Williams, Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle continue to develop while competing for the #2 CB & Dime positions. Behind our front seven this could make for a dangerous secondary and a nightmare for opposing QB's. In my opinion our offense does have some hope for improvement, but fielding a stout defensive unit must be our survival out of the AFC. It's black and white. It's that simple. That's the only way. A dominant defens. This defense breaking out is the only chance we've got of contending against the likes of N.E, Denver, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Indianapolis etc in hopes of ending our Super Bowl drought. It's gotta go through our Defense. We're obviously a very hungry fan base and at times (currently) I feel as if we're expecting lots out of, and at times a little too much out of Fitz (especially after a 12M dollar contract) and/or Geno (as a 4th year player being surrounded by talent), but in reality the more I think about our offensive side of the ball, the more I begin to realize it's actually our Defense (that's been built over the years) that should be surrounded by nothing but very high expectations. High expectations and nothing less. Playing absolute dominant defense should be expected if the plan is to think big. I'm not making any wild or outlandish predictions here but if we're to ever contend or compete as true contenders within the near future, it's gotta go through our Defense. I see no other way. I'm expecting us to rank right up there alongside the likes of Denver, Arizona & Seattle. This defense can take us far. Further than people are talking about.
I see too many question marks surrounding our offense regarding my confidence for high expectations. Will Fitzpatrick improve his efficiency from last season with another year within our system? Or will he regress into performing as a below average, mediocre backup in the form of a career journeyman? I truthfully don't know what to expect out of Fitzpatrick. Can Ryan Clady replace Ferguson at LT while also remaining healthy? If healthy does he still have franchise LT ability needed in order to protect our QB's blind side? Forte is great catching out of the backfield but will a receiver emerge as a trusted option on offense outside of Marshall & Decker? Can we expect anything out of Devin Smith coming off injury after a disappointing rookie season? Same goes for Amaro? If an injury takes place to either of Clady, Marshall, Decker, Forte or Powell do we have the depth needed to not completely sputter? Just too many unknowns when compared to our defense in which appears prime to contend. In my opinion there should be nothing but extremely high expectations surrounding our defense. For example. • We should rank top two against the run in terms of average yards per carry against & rushing TD's allowed. Too much talent up front not to. • We should rank top 5 in sacks considering what type of front 7 we now have combined with a dominant defensive line to go along with more speed at LB. • With our secondary talent along with athletic linebackers in coverage, behind this D-Line (pressure) we should honestly rank #1 in pass defense in terms of QB Rating against. • In terms of points allowed we should contend right up there with the likes of Denver, Seattle, Arizona & Carolina in terms of fielding one of the league's most stengiest defense's. In short I fully expect our 2016 defense to break out as did those NYJ defenses of 2009 & 2010 as a top tier defense. If this happens we can advance as far as any other team.
And rightfully so. I'm usually right. The difference is it's been forever since we've featured a potentially super star safety with speed, youth, athletism & coverage ability within our linebacking core. It's been a while to say the least. Defense does win championships in today's NFL. Just ask one of either the Giants, Seattle or Denver on how far a dominant defensive unit can take you. Especially come postseason play...
Jesus, can we win a couple of games before this shit starts? Road to the Superbowl? Give me a break, we couldn't beat a 7-8 in team last year. There are several ways to win championships, not sucking is one of them. Until they show it on the field, we suck. The road to the SB is the same as it's been the last 15 years, it ain't in NY.
I don't know about going to a super bowl, but the defense will be even better than people expect. Marcus Williams is a star in the making. Watch.
I want a SB now and hope it's this year Our offense is really good and that's all you need im0 We don't necessarily need ARogers back there to make PO run Yes the D is off the charts good but we are not Denver so we need points my friends
You forgot henderson in iLB he will be a force... and I think the O can be better with more chunk plays coming.
I'm excited watching a Jets defense with fast linebackers. That's one thing they have lacked for a while now. Right now the defense should be good enough to keep the Jets in every game. I really don't see too many weaknesses, but it is a bit early to pass judgement on the young guys. If special teams can avoid the big mistakes, the offense just has to play on a slightly above average level and they will be able to win against any opponent. With that said, will they actually do it? Hopefully they can fix whatever issues they had in both Bills games and be more consistent this year.
It is kind of hard to say the road to the Superbowl goes through a team that most likely will not even make the playoffs. Though the Pats, Bengals, Steelers, Chiefs and Colts all play us in the regular season, so I guess if one of them makes it you could say it went through the Jets.
I'm having trouble with the OP's analogy. So, the road to the Super Bowl goes right through our defense? Does that mean that whoever wins the Super Bowl is going to drive through our defense like it's the NJ Turnpike? If our defense is so strong, shouldn't it be driving the bus and not getting run over? Sorry, but it's got me all confused.
