The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams—including why you should or shouldn’t be rooting for them this season—in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 8. Today, the New York Jets.
Last year’s record: 10-6
Head coach: Todd Bowles
Core players: Darrelle Revis (CB), Brandon Marshall (WR), Muhammad Wilkerson (DL), Leonard Williams (DL)
2016 is about… Leapfrogging the Patriots. Tom Brady’s four-game suspension could open the door in the AFC East and the most likely team to benefit has to be the New York Jets. Todd Bowles’s club was one of four teams who actually beat New England last season—with a healthy Brady in the lineup, no less—and have the right formula to give them trouble again. The Jets ranked in the top 10 in both points per game and yards allowed per game last season, and were one of the league’s most productive teams in the passing game—the receiver combination of Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall combined for 26 touchdowns and there’s no reason to expect a drop-off from either player heading into 2016.
The Jets’ schedule out of the gate is extremely challenging—with the Bengals and Seahawks at home followed by road games in Pittsburgh and Arizona—but if they can survive that stretch, there’s plenty of optimism that the club can finish strong with a lighter schedule and challenge Bill Belichick’s club for a division title.
They lost… Pro Bowl left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who was the very definition of durability. The No. 4–overall pick of the 2006 draft played in every game of his 10-year career (160 straight starts) and never missed one practice or appeared on an injury report. In fact, he only missed one snap—and that was a trick play where most of the offensive linemen were taken out of the formation. The club also lost power running back Chris Ivory in free agency, who finished fifth in the NFL in rushing last season (1,070 yards) and racked up 627 carries over his past three seasons with the Jets.
On defence, the Jets suffered a key loss in the trenches as nose tackle Damon Harrison took a big offer from the New York Giants. Harrison, who was nicknamed Big Snacks, was an undrafted free agent who developed into one of the league’s premier run stuffers in his four seasons with the club. He also did plenty of dirty work, taking on blocks to provide room for fellow linemen such as Wilkerson, Williams and Sheldon Richardson. The Jets also made cornerback Antonio Cromartie a salary-cap casualty as his play dropped off significantly in 2015 and his production no longer equaled his cost. Cromartie remains unsigned as of this writing.
But they got… The Jets stayed active throughout the off-season to replace their key personnel losses. The club landed two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte early in free agency to help make up for the loss of Ivory. The 30-year-old is one of the most versatile running backs in the league and should provide an interesting mismatch option out of the backfield as a receiver for Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’s a perfect fit in Chan Gailey’s offensive scheme and the club also added former New Orleans Saint power back Khiry Robinson to give the club another short-yardage option.
To help compensate for losing Ferguson, the Jets bought low on former Denver Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady, who was an elite offensive tackle before suffering various injuries over the past few seasons. He’s still got talent, but is on the exact opposite end of the scale of Ferguson in terms of durability.
In terms of their defensive line, New York opted for 280-pounder Steve McLendon to replace Harrison, despite a difference in stature (Harrison is 350 lb.) and playing style. McLendon played 34 percent of the defensive snaps last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets also added significant speed at the linebacker level with the addition of 2016 first-round pick Darron Lee from Ohio State. Lee should be an effective blitzer in Bowles’s aggressive defence.
Growing from within… The Jets’ core is full of veterans, so Bowles will need to get a bit more of some of the younger players on the roster, including 23-year-old pass rusher Lorenzo Mauldin. The Louisville product recorded four sacks in his rookie season and is expected to take on a starting role in 2016 as an outside linebacker, so there are plenty of expectations for the 2015 third-rounder. Also, the club will be asking 27-year-old cornerback Buster Skrine to take on an increased role after a quality season guarding the slot in 2015. With Cromartie no longer around, Skrine should be the Jets’ No. 2 corner in base defence and shift to cover the slot in nickel formations.
Why this team? The Jets’ roster is loaded on paper. They have great talent at wide receiver, a multitude of options at running back, a stout offensive line and one of the best defensive-line groups in football. Plus, they will have a lot more familiarity with their coaching staff in their second season under Bowles.
If Fitzpatrick can play at the level he did last season—or even close to it—the Jets should be right in the playoff race.
Why not this team? Fitzpatrick had a career season last year and the Jets still missed the playoffs. Despite his 31 touchdown passes in 2015, it’s fair to wonder if his Week 17 dud that cost New York a playoff spot is more a reflection of his actual skills. Also, the loss of Ferguson could have a massive impact if Clady isn’t able to stay healthy. On defence, the big question surrounds star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who started to show signs of decline last year and had difficulty covering top receivers for the first time in his career. The team doesn’t have great secondary depth otherwise and there’s already talk about him moving to safety in the future.
How much hope? 6.8/10: The talent is there, but so much comes down to the quarterback.
