I don't see us winning just 2 games, either. If Zach stays healthy and we only win 2 games, there could be valid reasons why we only won 2 games like injuries, a new defensive scheme with a lot of young players who lack experience in the secondary, and lack of talent. We could lose 15 games by scores of something like 28-24 or 35-31. I think talking about "blame" at this juncture is unnecessarily negative.
My gut is telling me the same thing (that the Jets got it right). I'll give Saleh, JD, Wilson and the Jets 2-3 years, but if there continues to be the bad luck (injuries), struggles, and inept play, then I'll be convinced that the franchise is cursed/doomed and will never get it right, and I'll definitely be done. I'm not worried about that, however, or even thinking about it. I truly believe that we are about to embark upon a golden age of Jets football where we are a Lombardi Trophy contender for the next 10-15 years and we win at least a couple of SBs.
I don't understand why Saleh doesn't sit on the sideline and draw up plays on his sketchpad like any real HC would do? All kidding aside, THIS is what a good HC does: be active, be positive and energetic, point out things that players can do to improve their performance on the field. The Jets are SOOOOOOO much better than a year ago!
I think the Jets are already above average talent-wise. On offense, I think we have a supremely talented QB,LT, LG, and WR (Moore). We have a very good, if not great WR corps, an average RB corps, and should have a solid OL, but have a below average TE corps. I think our players fit our schemes very well, including Mims. He may not have quick feet or be a great route runner yet, but I think he will improve markedly in his route running, and one of the prime prerequisites for WRs in this scheme is that they are good blockers and Mims is an excellent blocker. On D, with Lawson, I think we had a very good - great DL, an above average S group, and below average LB and CB position groups, but young talent that could take those groups up to above average by next season. We have supremely-talented players in Q. Williams, Mosely, and perhaps Rankins, and maybe even Sherwood and/or Nasirildeen. I think we have a very good CS. Teams almost never do that well their first year in new schemes and then there is a big leap their 2nd and 3rd years as they feel more comfortable in the scheme, feel more comfortable with each other, and build upon/improve their knowledge and add new wrinkles in. That said, I think our teams could do better than expected because of the quality of our CS and the personality, fire, and leadership of Saleh, and because JD and the Scouting Dept. did such an excellent job of finding high-character type players who very talented, fit the scheme well, and who love the game and want to be the best they can.
not tryna be a dick... start shit... but, seriously, what did your gut say when we drafted Sam Darnold? i dindt know who he was and was being guided by Jet fans to believe he weas the realk deal b4 I saw him play as a Jet. I like Saleh alot, and he was the guy I hoped they'd get... have some exposure to him since I live in the Bay area I still like him alot... but I aint getting all warm and fuzzy like some here... maybe my scars are thicker?
I’m pretty much on this page too… OFFENSE liking the coaching staff and overall offense design; I’m on board with Zach but I’m assuming he will have the typical rookie struggles as he sees NFL defenses for the first time…it’s to be expected, but I’m reasonably confident he will pan out. I’m pretty high on our WR group for the first time in years…I think we have a good mix of skill sets and depth…I’m down on our TE group until,they prove otherwise…Herndon has the skills but can’t seem to put it together. I actually like our RB group well enough and I like Adams hope he makes the squad. OL I’m torn on…can’t rate them above average yet mostly because AVT hasn’t played yet and Becton is starting to get an injury bug and if he can’t stay on the field we are below average. Potential is there but we have to see it on the field. To me, this will be the biggest impact on how good our O can be. DEFENSE Again, liking the coaching staff and the scheme…I think this kind of attacking scheme is better suited to young players than a read and react scheme would be. DL was a strength but I think the loss of Lawson will be way more impactful than we think right now…once again, we have no proven pass rusher from the edge, just like the last 15 years or so. Huff has potential but he’s most likely not a double digit sack guy. The repercussions will be felt as once again Q can be doubled every snap. That one hurt. So I’d say average DL without a true pass rusher. LB is a full on crap shoot…not only do we have rookies out there, but they are converting from safety. This could work as coverage should be good, but it can just as easily fail big time. And secondary is also young and unproven at CB…a strong pass rush would have helped to cover for this but now with Lawson out they will be exposed unless we find a pass rush from somewhere else. so we have lots of promise with a good coaching staff and a lot of youth and energy, but there is a lot of potential risk too I think it’ll make for a fun season, and I expect us to be competitive, but we may be looking at a 5-6 win team here
I'm new to the Jets fanbase, so I don't come with the history of disappointment or the homer optimism. Here's what I see: Receivers: This is a strong, above-average receiving corps. Crowder, Davis, and Moore are a really nice combination. If Kroft can play as well as he did against GB (and not drop the ball), this is a great group for Zach to throw to. Zach has always been exceptional at distributing to many different receivers, so the receiving corps will be fun. OL: This group seems average to me. AVT/Becton/Moses are very strong, but there are plenty of holes that bring the average down to "average." QB: I'm a true believer in Zach, but it's not realistic to think that a rookie QB will be much better than average to average+. Given that we have just an average OL, IMHO, I think this will be a good year if Zach can be average. RBs: No super stars in this group. If Saleh rotates them heavily to keep the legs fresh, then maybe the group will be average. If the OL is just OK, then maybe a bit below average. TEs: Below average. I'm hoping that Kroft will be "just OK." With the overall strength of the receiving corps, I think "OK" is probably good enough at the TE position. DL: Was going to be above average; after injuries, I'm hoping for average; real risk of below average. LBs: Average. DBs/safeties: Below average. Special teams: No opinion yet. The problem here is that I only see one group that I would call "above average," and too many that are below average. This year, that probably means 5-6 wins (and I would be happy with that). Before this can be a playoff team, IMHO, we need to bring all the "below average" groups up to at least average, and have at least 2 more groups to "above average." Do we have enough draft picks and cap space next year to raise the talent level that much and allow for the usual crop of injuries? I dunno, that's asking a lot. I hope so. But I'll be happy if we get 5-6 wins this season and maybe 8-9 next season. Especially if Zach progresses as I hope.
You can tell just by his coaching hires that Saleh is legit. This guy is going to be a very successful HC in this league. He's not Rez Ryan 2.0 that's for sure.
I can't disagree with anything here, and in fact agree with everything. The one thing I'll point out is that if the OL doubles Q, there's still Rankins to contend with, JFM and Huff. They may have to double both Q and Rankins, and if so, that means that Huff and JFM will be going 1 on1 with an OT and the other will be going up against a TE and/or RB. If so, one of them should get home. Even being double teamed, Q and Rankins may push the pocket enough that it forces the QB to roll left or right, and he could run right into one of Huff and JFM. I also have confidence that Saleh and Ulbrich will be able to scheme something to help the pass rush.
I'm glad that you're here, and been spared the misery of the rest of us. OL: McGovern is a good Center. Over the last 8 games last season he was a top 10 C in the league. This scheme should fit him better than last year's scheme, and the same goes for Van Roten. He was also better in the 2nd half of last season. It will take a little time to gel since AVT has missed so much time, but I think the OL is going to be average at worst, and probably above average. Receivers: Don't sleep on Cole, Mims, and Berrios. They will get opportunities and make the most of them. Jeff Smith has been getting a lot of opportunities with the starters as well. The Jets may wind up keeping 7 WRs. DL: I don't think there's any risk of their being below average. I think they will be very good at stopping the run and better at rushing the passer than many here seem to think. CBs: Could be well below average, but the safeties should be considered separately S: At worst, I think our safeties will be average. Maye is good as is Joyner. Neasman has had an excellent camp as has Hassell. Davis played well in the box last season, and has a ton of potential/talent. STs: This has to be better than last season. The thing that killed us last season was the kicker and our slow gunners/coverage. Our LS is solid as is our punter. Hardee is the best gunner/STs player in the NFL. So unless Ammendola (or whomever replaces him) is inconsistent/awful, our STs should be good as there is more talent and speed on the team this season, and Boyer has proven to be good.
No Kool-Aid here. I'm not influenced by any hype that the Jets or anyone else has put out. It's what I'm seeing and hearing with my own eyes. I loved our draft. I love the job that our CS is doing. I like all the talent added this offseason and think the players that JD added last season will do much better this season with actual OTAs, mini-camp, and preseason under their belts, and MUCH better coaching.
"They" may have said it when we drafted Sam, but I never thought or felt that. I was hopeful, but I didn't want Sam. I wanted Mayfield. Actually, I wanted Mahomes 2 years before that, but knew that Mac would never draft him.
I think Johnson is our 1st team RB at least on 1st down. Although the RBs are so close maybe we will have 4 1st team RBs in Johnson, Carter, Perrine and Coleman with us going with the hot hand each game. Although according to Nania Johnson does not pass block well so we might see Coleman in as the main 3rd down back.
So the worst team in the worst division in football still looks a lot better than us. Yikes. I think we are in the best division in football now to boot.