The frustration of one other season with out a playoff look is right here once more for Jets followers. It has been a practice each January for the previous 13 seasons.
The Jets resemble that street building you see in your technique to work — it by no means appears to finish and it’s arduous to see progress.
These playoffs have a number of groups that have been in related conditions to the Jets not too long ago and turned issues round. That may be each a supply of frustration and hope for the Jets and their followers.
Watching groups such because the Texans and Lions is a reminder that rebuilding a staff doesn’t need to take 10 years. It reveals what having a superb coach, a superb quarterback and a strong supporting forged can do.
The Jets really feel like they’ve the primary and the third elements and may have the second if they will maintain Aaron Rodgers wholesome in 2024.
In the event you return to the 2021 season, the 5 worst groups that yr have been the Jaguars, Lions, Jets, Giants and Texans. The Jaguars and Giants every received a playoff recreation final season. The Lions and Texans did this previous weekend.
So, why is the Jets’ playoff drought hitting puberty?
The only reply is usually the right one, and on this case, it’s clear the quarterback play has held them again.
C.J. Stroud and Jared Goff have been residence runs by the respective entrance places of work of the Texans and Lions. The Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence has not lived as much as his “generational quarterback” label from the pre-draft course of, however he’s clearly going to be a strong starter for a few years. Daniel Jones had a monster season in 2022, and the Giants went to the playoffs partially due to it.
The Jets entered the 2021 offseason going through the largest choice in latest reminiscence. After going 2-14 in 2020, that they had the No. 2 general choose, a place you don’t need to be in ever once more. They needed to resolve whether or not to maintain Sam Darnold at quarterback or to maneuver on.
Joe Douglas selected to commerce Darnold to the Panthers and draft Zach Wilson at No. 2.
The choose has turned out to be a horrible one, and the Jets are anticipated to commerce or launch Wilson this offseason.
Nothing units a franchise again greater than blowing a first-round choose on the quarterback. The Jets did it twice in 4 years with Darnold and Wilson.
To their credit score, the staff pivoted away from Wilson final offseason and made the commerce for Rodgers. That plan, in fact, went poof after 4 performs, forcing the Jets to show again to Wilson.
That resulted in a second consecutive 7-10 season and Jets followers once more watching the playoffs with out their staff to root for.
The query is whether or not the Jets will be the staff that flips issues round in 2024. The protection and particular groups have been each playoff-caliber in 2023. Douglas has carried out a superb job constructing these items.
The offense is the query. Is a wholesome Rodgers sufficient? Can Douglas lastly get a robust offensive line to guard him? Can they discover a huge receiver to enrich Garrett Wilson?
It might really feel as if the perpetual rebuild is rarely going to finish. However bear in mind the Payments had a 17-year playoff drought that led to 2017, and they’re now a perennial playoff staff. The Browns went 17 years earlier than making the playoffs in 2020, and so they simply went for the second time in 4 years.
It may be carried out.
Whereas seeing groups just like the Lions and Texans successful playoff video games could make you scream if you’re Jets fan, it additionally ought to provide you with hope.
A greater Bowles?
Todd Bowles’ success with the Buccaneers is additional proof that to be a superb coach you want good gamers.
I don’t suppose Bowles all of a sudden grew to become a a lot better coach in Tampa, the place he has now received two division titles and received his first playoff recreation on Monday.
When Bowles was with the Jets, he had a robust, older roster in his first yr and went 10-6. The following yr, that outdated roster bought actually outdated and the season fell aside. In 2017, the staff principally stripped the roster down, after which in 2018, he bought one yr with a rookie quarterback in Darnold.
It was arduous to guage how good a coach Bowles was as a result of the expertise on the roster was horrible. In hindsight, Bowles bought an excessive amount of blame and GM Mike Maccagnan didn’t get sufficient. Maccagnan failed to offer Bowles a roster he might win with.
That isn’t to excuse Bowles’ errors with the Jets, as a result of there have been loads.
However it’s value remembering as we attempt to consider Robert Saleh because the Jets coach that the standard of the gamers, particularly the quarterback, goes a good distance in how a lot success a coach has.
Stat’s so
Greg Zuerlein had a terrific season kicking for the Jets this yr. He set a brand new franchise file with 35 discipline objectives.
Listed below are the staff’s high 10 single-season leaders in discipline objectives made:
1. Greg Zuerlein, 2023: 35-38 (FGM-FGA)2. Jim Turner, 1968: 34-463. Jason Myers, 2018: 33-363. Nick Folks, 2013: 33-365. Jim Turner, 1969: 32-475. Nick Folks, 2014: 32-397. Nick Folks, 2010: 30-398. Jay Feely, 2009: 30-368. Greg Zuerlein, 2022: 30-3710. Mike Nugent, 2007: 29-36
Supply: Professional Soccer Reference
