The 2014 Jets finished the season with a dismal 4-12 record
quickly followed by an overhaul of the entire front office and coaching staff.
With Rex Ryan gone, hopes were high for an offseason without the media circus
and quarterback controversy of recent years. Unexpected events have ensured
this hasn’t entirely gone to plan but the team has also seen many positive
changes which should lead to a better 2015.
Regime Change
New head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike
Maccagnan have given Jets fans reasons to feel more positive about the year
ahead. A very fruitful (and fortuitous) free agency and draft brought in a raft
of new blood. Bringing back Darelle Revis returned memories of the previous
successes he facilitated in green and white and fans had to pinch themselves to
believe that Leonard Williams was still available at six in the draft. Todd
Bowles has brought a level of calm in direct contrast to Rex Ryan’s approach
both with the media and the players. He has been sometimes harshly realistic in
his analysis but his evaluation has shown impact each time the team has taken
the field with improvements in many areas from tackling to penalties. The Jets
are definitely in the rebuilding phase but continued steps forward can be
expected as the ethos and systems are further embedded.
Preseason drama
Once again certain elements of the Jets organisation have
done little to change reputation of the team as a circus and have partly
undermined the attempts Todd Bowles has made to prove there is a new, more
accountable ethos in the locker room. Both the suspension of Sheldon Richardson
and the ‘JawGate’ incident have also caused roster issues which have upset the development
process. There also have been a number of injuries including talented second
round rookie receiver Devin Smith and tight end Jace Amaro, who was tipped for
a breakout year. The impact of the quarterback change was evident in the first two
preseason games; with the New York Daily News describing their performances as
‘vintage 2014’ despite a victory against the Falcons, but better performances
in subsequent wins against the Eagles and Giants planted positive seeds to end
what has been a tumultuous preseason.
Better Offense
For the last few years the Jets have been a team with a
quarterback ‘issue’. Although there was never consensus regarding Geno Smith’s
potential to improve upon his poor 2014 performance and show consistency,
having to switch to Ryan Fitzpatrick was a forced choice. The quarterback issue
the Jets now face has therefore changed but at least Fitzpatrick has been
successful under offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s system in the past, albeit
not for longer than six games. Geno has not been guaranteed the starter’s role
on his return if Fitzpatrick is performing to standard. The Jets only hold one
more quarterback on the roster; rookie Bryce Petty who, coming from the Baylor
spread offense, is not ready to start in the NFL. If Fitzpatrick gets injured
or falls short, the season could fall apart quickly.
One change from the last two years which may aid the
quarterback situation is that new weapons have been added including elite level
receiver Brandon Marshall. Now that Eric Decker can sit in his more comfortable
position as a number two receiver, there are certainly more options, especially
when deep threat Devin Smith returns. Running back Chris Ivory has improved
each year he has played and the backfield is full of options. The tight end
position however, is of great concern especially following Amaro’s injury as he
was the best of a mediocre bunch last year and no further additions have been
made. The offense could still be the biggest barrier to success, but there is
certainly more potential in this group than in recent years, as long as no-one
else gets injured.
Strong defense
In 2014 the defensive line were the only rays of sunshine on
the roster. This year, the whole defense should be much stronger with wide
improvements made in the secondary; both at corner back and safety. Obviously
Revis is a huge part of this but Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine and Marcus
Gilchrist add further depth and should be able to generate turnovers. Drafting
Leonard Williams boosted the already monstrous line alongside Mo Wilkerson, Sheldon
Richardson and Damon Harrison and is even more important following Richardson’s
four game suspension. With depth of talent throughout the entire defense, this
group will play a vital role in ensuring the offense get as much time on the
field as possible. It’s not perfect, but it’s a big plus.
Realistic predictions
Taking all this into account, as the Jets prepare to face
the Cleveland Browns in Week One what are the prospects for the class of 2015? Every
team’s ultimate goal is a Lombardi Trophy but realistically this is unlikely
this year. A more realistic but still acceptable outcome is that the
improvements made in personnel and programme are reflected in improvements in
performances and record. A winning record is a possibility as the Jets schedule
includes some of the other poorer teams from 2014 who have not managed to made
similar upgrades such as the Redskins and Cleveland. They also face the
Jaguars, Raiders, Titans and Falcons. Unfortunately for the Jets, despite all
the improvements, the rest of AFC East have been simultaneously upgrading. Getting
out of the division will be hard; the Patriots have Tom Brady back and a point
to prove, the Dolphins and Bills have great defenses as well as key upgrades
elsewhere. Divisional wins, including at Wembley in October will be vital to
giving the Jets at least a fighting chance at that elusive winning record, or
the outside chance of a playoff place. For a team without a winning record
since the 2010-11 season, what Jets fans can expect are steps forward; the only
way has to be up.
No comments:
Post a Comment