There's no reason for the Jets to wait on a complete franchise rebuild
As I sit down to write this I am transitioning between anger, laughter, and depression with every passing second. How do the Jets lose that game? How does a team filled with that much talent continuously lose in such fantastic and heart-breaking ways. This is a team that was supposed to have a dominant defense, […]
As I sit down to write this I am transitioning between anger, laughter, and depression with every passing second. How do the Jets lose that game? How does a team filled with that much talent continuously lose in such fantastic and heart-breaking ways.
This is a team that was supposed to have a dominant defense, that got picked apart by Jacoby Brissett. This was supposed to be a shut-down corner that was burned by Kayshson Boutte. This was supposed to be a dominant pass rush that saw a terrible offensive line give their quarterback all the time he needed. This was supposed to be a generational quarterback that has continuously failed with the ball late in games. This was supposed to be an All-Pro kicker that suddenly can’t make an extra point. This is supposed to be 6-2 team that is sitting at 2-6. This was supposed to be a Super Bowl run but this just another chapter in a 13-year book.
The New York Jets are the epiitome of disappointment and they don’t even have a head coach or quarterback to be their whipping boy. After Sunday’s 25-22 inexcusable loss to the New England Patriots, the Jets must face the fact that they are in for a hard rebuild. I wrote earlier this week that a loss to the Patriots and the Houston Texans on Thursday Night should initiate a fire sale before the November 5th trade deadline. Now, I don’t think you even have to wait until Thursday.
Once again, before November even comes around, the New York Jets season is over. Sure, they are going to say the right things including “one week at a time” and “it’s not over until its over” but the Jets are in too deep a grave to pull themselves out.
Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich says the team is “pissed” and “hurt”.
With all due respect Jeff, you have no idea what it is like to be a fan of this organization. You have no idea what it is like to feel that hope year in and year out only to have inexcusable loss followed by hollow platitude followed by another inexcusable loss time and again. I thought the Jets might have found their head coach of the future, but it turns out I was wrong.
With no real leader at the helm, whether it be in the locker room or on the coaching staff, this team will descend into chaos as players abandon any sense of team pride in pursuit of the “me”.
Gone will be the guys who are worried about doing their jobs and in their place will be the guys who are out to pad stats and shine on film for their next employer. Too many older veterans will want out so they can have one more season of chasing a championship instead of working on another rebuild. They will all have their hands raised to be traded as quickly as possible. I imagine several players after that game have reached out to their agents about finding them a new home for the rest of the season. Any player that can abandon this sinking ship is going to try to. And the Jets should oblige as many of them as I can for their own sake as well as the players’.
The Jets need a soup to nuts culture and regime change. And they need to do it repeatedly until they get it right or Woody Johnson sells the team. GM, Head Coach, quarterback, coordinators. All of it needs to change. I would change ownership too if I could, but that isn’t going to happen. Beyond that, I believe they need to change how they approach hiring all those positions. This can’t be doing the same thing and hoping that you get it right this time. You need a fundamental change in how you approach every aspect of this franchise.
I asked a lot of Jets fans, fans of other teams, and even football people (former players, analysts, etc.) how a team so talented could be so bad. And the answer I get most often is “because they are the Jets”. I don’t accept that as an answer. There must be a tangible reason why this team is bad despite being so talented. But I can’t get anyone to give me an answer.
Is Aaron Rodgers the MVP he was a few years ago? No. But he isn’t bad. He’s okay. Is the Jets defense completely different from the top five unit they were last year? No. but they are playing like last season is a distant memory. Sauce Gardner says the proverbial, “we aren’t playing up to our standards”.
The Jets have a unique opportunity here. They were a “built-to-win-now” team that now knows it can’t. There is a lot the Jets can do for their future now, knowing that they are out of the playoffs. They don’t need to chase another win all season. Am I suggesting tanking for the first overall pick? No, but I am suggesting that every decision they make from October 27, 2024 on is about their 2025 team and beyond. Acquire future assets. Develop future talent. Eliminate future debt.
Going into this season, all but four players on the starting offense were not “home grown” players. They were players the Jets either signed in free agency or traded for. Time to change that. On the defense, the number was a little better depending on the defense you consider to be “starting”. It’s time to see all of the day-three picks and undrafted free agents jump in the pool to see if they can swim.
The Jets went all-in on the Aaron Rodgers experiment, and it is a clear failure. For the record, I do not regret going for it. It was the right move when they made it. But just because you made the right call then, doesn’t mean they need to stick with it now.
Buckle up, Jets fans. It will be a long time before you are going to feel hope for this organization again.
