Might not make the playoffs, but I can see them in the wild card hunt up to the end of the season which would be quite a nice turn around
For me, six wins is the floor of what I would call satisfactory improvement. I think playoffs is too much to expect, though in jetsland there is always hope. Seven or eight wins is my personal projection. I love Zach, Elijah, and the other young talent, but they will need a year to mature. Give me that year and a couple of solid CBs either through draft, free agency, or development and then we can realistically talk playoffs.
The coaching will protect Zach and keep us in a lot of close games. I'm not expecting anything better than 5-12. The schedule starts rough so I am expecting TGG in meltdown early on.
The Jets aren't making the playoffs. It is going to be a rough season. Consider this before you get all drunk on the koolaid rookie HC rookie OC rookie DC rookie QB rookie RB rookie WR It would truly unprecedented for a team like that to make the playoffs. ESPECIALLY when you consider the team was 2-14 last season and making the playoffs would require those rookies to bring one of the biggest, if not THE biggest single season turn-arounds in the history of professional football
If we even sniff the playoffs it will be because of the defense. The rookie HC is a bit overblown Saleh is not rookie coach. I am more worried about ML being a rookie play caller. Belicheat will make Zach look silly at least one of the two games but our D could carry us to a win. The Bills are loaded and I am not convinced Miami is any good. This season will depend on a strong D and a Ground and Pound O. If the Defense is not as good as I think the season can get away quickly. If they are better than I think 7-8 wins.
I completely disagree. In 1997 we went 9-7 after 1996's 1-15 disaster (and only missed the playoffs by 1 play due to a week 17 boneheaded HB pass turned INT). And in 2009 we made an AFC Championship Game appearance despite ending 2008 in awful fashion along with a Rookie HC and Rookie QB. Football is the easiest sport to make a turnaround in because all you need is a great coaching staff and players who are hungry to win (and the Jets currently have, both) in order for a locker room and culture change. And this 2021 Jets team is loaded with talent and now they've got themselves a real leader in coach Saleh to lead the way.
Didn't the '09 team have almost all of those though? Rookie HC (Rex) Rookie DC (Pettine) Rookie QB (Sanchez) Rookie RB (Greene) Only exceptions were Schotty at OC and a rookie WR. Granted, that team was coming off of a decent season where they almost made the playoffs and not a 2-14 season but there are some similarities. To be clear, I'm not expecting them to make the playoffs, I just want the team to look competent, but I don't think that we can just outright dismiss the playoffs as a possibility. It's all going to come down to Wilson. If he hits the ground running and looks like an average to maybe even above average QB in year 1, then buckle up yo chin scraps.
They aren't comparable. The turn around in 1997 was because they brought in a hall of fame head coach and a hall of fame defensive coordinator. Not 2 rookies like Saleh and Ulbrich. 2009 isn't comparable either, that roster had multiple pro bowlers that Rex inherited and they were still pretty lucky to win 9 games. IF the colts didn't sit their starters, that's an 8-8 season for a team far more talented than the 2021 Jets, lets be real. I disagree with almost everything you stated, especially that the 2021 Jets are "loaded with talent." that's laughable -- it is going to be a rough rebuilding season. I suspect we will be drafting in the top 5 or 10 again
That's the thing though. "Its all going to come down to Wilson." I liked Wilson as a longer term prospect but if you are hanging your season on a rookie from BYU stepping into a 2-14 NFL team year 1, in a 17 game season when he's used to playing 10 games a year, you have very very little hope for a winning season.
I get where you're coming from and I also don't have playoffs in mind for 2021 but with how often teams go from worst to first, I don't think we can rule it out at this point in time. That's all I'm saying.
Off the top of my head the likes of Becton (LT), Moses (RT), Elijah (WR), Lawson (DE), QW (DT), Mosley (MLB) and Maye all have "Pro Bowl" potential. As do others. At the end of the day I can picture Michael Carter running wild because our O-Line trio of Becton/AVG/Moses is the strongest it's been since dating back to Brick/Mangold/Woody. Our WR unit is the strongest and deepest it's even been and with a strong O-Line + strong WR unit = Zach Wilson my personal favorite for OPOY @ QB. And our D-Line is also disgusting and it's going to cause havoc on opposing QBs because both of Lawson/QW are going to get after them (covering up an inexperienced CB unit) and more importantly is C.J. Mosley playing behind a dominant D-Line Mosley is going to feast. You are severely underrating the overall talent of youth on this Football team and it's almost criminal. If you believe 2021's Jets under an amazing leader will become the same 2-14 Jets under an awful human being Adam Gase you're mistaken and will be proven 100% wrong.
I think the offense is capable of doing big things, but it won't happen right away. The OL needs time to gel, the QB needs to develop chemistry with the receivers, and the inexperienced coaching staff will have growing pains in year 1. As for the defense, the DL should get a lot of pressures and more sacks than we're used to the last few years. The CB group might give up some big plays though.
The 2008 team was arguably the most talented team in Jets history with 12 players either a pro bowler or pro bowl alternate. But on the field the 2009 was greatly improved in every area but QB. The defense greatly improved to become the best in the league, we had the best OL and best running game. The coaching greatly improved in 2009 as well.
I hear this a lot about the Jets and their 3 returning starters but never about the Chiefs and their 1 returning starter. Playoffs this year; 49ers - Jets SB next year.
