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There’s no playoff hype with the Jets. No one is talking or thinking Super Bowl. Actually, no one is really talking about the Jets at all. They’ve flown under the radar this entire offseason – exactly the way coach Aaron Glenn likes it.
His focus is on the Jets' on-field product. He’ll talk when there’s something to talk about. They haven’t played a game. They haven’t won a game. So what’s there to say?
Well, now the Jets' road to wins is known.
Here are a few quick thoughts on what’s coming for New York.
Aaron Rodgers has to end up with Pittsburgh, right? There’s no way the Steelers plan to go into this season with their quarterback room looking like it does now. When this eventually happens, this game is maybe the must-watch of the Sunday slate. You just know Rodgers wants revenge after the disrespect he feels he was shown by the new Jets coach. And you know Glenn is dying to get an early victory to illustrate to this success-starved franchise that things really are different this time.
There isn’t an unbearable stretch for the Jets this season. Things are pretty fair for them throughout, but back-to-back trips to Florida, followed by an improved Cowboys team and a London trip to play the Broncos? That’s tough. Especially if the Jets are trying to right things after back-to-back losses to start the year (Steelers, Bills).
If the Jets can keep themselves in the playoff picture to this point, they might punch their ticket with this three-game stretch. The Jaguars are a bit of a wild card, but the Saints and Patriots are very much rebuilding. Taking all three of these games would be huge for New York before ending the season in Buffalo.
Among the reasons the Jets moved on from Rodgers: They didn’t want the noise. Glenn has made it clear he has no time for external nonsense. That’s why this offseason has been so quiet for the Jets. No hard knocks. No headlines. No stories. No hype. The focus, for the first time in a long time, is entirely on the on-field product and winning. Now it’s time to see if that product is good enough to win.
The Jets have legitimate players on their roster. It’s what made their vacancies more desirable than in past years. Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall and Quinnen Williams are among the best in the NFL. Will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson and Quincy Williams are up there, too. The biggest question with the Jets, and what might hold them back this year, is what exactly they have around those players.
Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) works out before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / © Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
The Jets are committed to Justin Fields … for this year. They’ve made that abundantly clear with their actions. They’re going to give him every chance to develop into a franchise quarterback, and they truly hope he does. This is probably Fields’ last chance, too. Time to see if he’s up to it.
They win games. That’s really it. It sounds like a cop-out answer, but it’s not. The Jets have spent so much time talking the last decade about why things are different and why they’re finally going to turn it around. It never works and they never do. Credit Glenn for this: He understands talk and hype is cheap. The Jets need to field a football team that goes out there and wins. It doesn’t have to be pretty. They don’t need stars littered across the field. They need a team that fights, claws and wins games.
The quarterback situation is a disaster, while Rodgers has success elsewhere. Rodgers wanted to return to the Jets. He made that clear. The Jets didn’t want him back. If he goes off and has a resurgence with the Steelers, now that he’s healthy, while Fields is a disaster? That won’t look great for Glenn. With that said: Bad play from Fields likely means the Jets finish this season with three or four wins. Even the worst-case scenario isn’t all that bad for the Jets because it will position them to draft their franchise quarterback next April. This coming quarterback class is believed to be a pretty good one, too.
The Jets will be a feisty team. Most games will be close. They’ll steal one or two they shouldn’t. They’ll fall short of the playoffs, but hype will build for the future under Glenn and Darren Mougey.
Continue reading...
His focus is on the Jets' on-field product. He’ll talk when there’s something to talk about. They haven’t played a game. They haven’t won a game. So what’s there to say?
Well, now the Jets' road to wins is known.
Here are a few quick thoughts on what’s coming for New York.
Must-watch game
Week 1: Steelers at Jets
Aaron Rodgers has to end up with Pittsburgh, right? There’s no way the Steelers plan to go into this season with their quarterback room looking like it does now. When this eventually happens, this game is maybe the must-watch of the Sunday slate. You just know Rodgers wants revenge after the disrespect he feels he was shown by the new Jets coach. And you know Glenn is dying to get an early victory to illustrate to this success-starved franchise that things really are different this time.
The toughest stretch
Weeks 3-6: at Bucs, at Dolphins, vs Cowboys, vs Broncos (London)
There isn’t an unbearable stretch for the Jets this season. Things are pretty fair for them throughout, but back-to-back trips to Florida, followed by an improved Cowboys team and a London trip to play the Broncos? That’s tough. Especially if the Jets are trying to right things after back-to-back losses to start the year (Steelers, Bills).
The easiest stretch
Weeks 15-17: at Jaguars, at Saints, vs Patriots
If the Jets can keep themselves in the playoff picture to this point, they might punch their ticket with this three-game stretch. The Jaguars are a bit of a wild card, but the Saints and Patriots are very much rebuilding. Taking all three of these games would be huge for New York before ending the season in Buffalo.
Three storylines worth monitoring
Will no noise lead to more wins?
Among the reasons the Jets moved on from Rodgers: They didn’t want the noise. Glenn has made it clear he has no time for external nonsense. That’s why this offseason has been so quiet for the Jets. No hard knocks. No headlines. No stories. No hype. The focus, for the first time in a long time, is entirely on the on-field product and winning. Now it’s time to see if that product is good enough to win.
Is there enough around the stars?
The Jets have legitimate players on their roster. It’s what made their vacancies more desirable than in past years. Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Breece Hall and Quinnen Williams are among the best in the NFL. Will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson and Quincy Williams are up there, too. The biggest question with the Jets, and what might hold them back this year, is what exactly they have around those players.
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Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) works out before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / © Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
How will the quarterback look?
The Jets are committed to Justin Fields … for this year. They’ve made that abundantly clear with their actions. They’re going to give him every chance to develop into a franchise quarterback, and they truly hope he does. This is probably Fields’ last chance, too. Time to see if he’s up to it.
It’s a success if …
They win games. That’s really it. It sounds like a cop-out answer, but it’s not. The Jets have spent so much time talking the last decade about why things are different and why they’re finally going to turn it around. It never works and they never do. Credit Glenn for this: He understands talk and hype is cheap. The Jets need to field a football team that goes out there and wins. It doesn’t have to be pretty. They don’t need stars littered across the field. They need a team that fights, claws and wins games.
It’s a failure if …
The quarterback situation is a disaster, while Rodgers has success elsewhere. Rodgers wanted to return to the Jets. He made that clear. The Jets didn’t want him back. If he goes off and has a resurgence with the Steelers, now that he’s healthy, while Fields is a disaster? That won’t look great for Glenn. With that said: Bad play from Fields likely means the Jets finish this season with three or four wins. Even the worst-case scenario isn’t all that bad for the Jets because it will position them to draft their franchise quarterback next April. This coming quarterback class is believed to be a pretty good one, too.
Final record prediction : 7-10
The Jets will be a feisty team. Most games will be close. They’ll steal one or two they shouldn’t. They’ll fall short of the playoffs, but hype will build for the future under Glenn and Darren Mougey.
Continue reading...
