Season Preview

Ladies & Gentlemen, it's finally game week!

It has seemed like an eternity, & there were plenty of doubts that it wouldn't even happen, but the Jets season is merely a few days away. We saw some positive changes during the off season like the rebuild of the offensive line & drafting offense early in the draft. But the biggest news of the offseason was the out of nowhere Jamal Adams trade. And yes, I still believe Joe Douglas FLEECED the Seahawks. In all, I think it was a solid off season. Was it the best ever? No it was not, but this team had A LOT of holes to fill & they were all not going to be fixed in one off season.

This post is going to preview each unit as well as the coaching staff & what I am looking to see from each of them this season.

Offense: This is Sam Darnold's 3rd year in the league. Many would say Year 3 is the make or break year for a QB & I tend to agree. However, I do not agree as much when it comes to Darnold. Now I'm not saying that because I'm a Jets homer, but more because Darnold was not put in the most ideal situation his first two years in the league. Not getting into that & looking forward, I think there's plenty in place for him to have a solid season as the Franchise QB. This is probably his best supporting cast around him yet, but there are still some questions marks that need to be answered. Lev Bell came into camp with a chip on his shoulder & in the best shape of his career, but will he be used correctly? Jamison Crowder is still a great safety net for Darnold, but outside of him what other WR's will step up? Breshad Perriman & Denzel Mims have been hurt for most of training camp so will one or both of them be ready to go or will the offense be relying on Chris Hogan & Braxton Berrios to contribute. The TE group has a lot of talent but there is injury concerns for both Chris Herndon & Ryan Griffin. If they can stay healthy, they can be game changers, especially over the middle of the filed, but there's an if there. Finally, after years of neglect, the offensive line was finally addressed with the additions of Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten, George Fant, and 1st round mammoth Mekhi Becton. When the offense steps onto the field Sunday, there will be 4 new starters across the OL. Now, in a regular off season, this new OL would have time to gel with one another, but this was no normal off season, so it will be interesting to see how they look early on. With this offense, I want to see a more uptempo style of play. Get Darnold on the move more & let him make plays. With Bell, get him the ball on the outside, give him a screen pass, & put him in the slot. Bell is a play maker, he needs to be put into position to make plays & not run straight ahead on 2 & 8 every series. Until the WR's are fully healthy, get them in quick routes to get the ball in their hands. The TE's need to be involved often. Once in the redzone, both Herndon & Griffin should be used a ton. If the OL can give Darnold time, I believe he can really begin to show all the potential that he has.

Defense: Yes, the Fake Leader Jamal Adams is gone & CJ Mosely opted out of the season, but I think the defense is still in really good shape. The defense of line should continue to improve and hopefully Quinnen Williams can show why he was the #3 pick in the '19 draft. The EDGE position has Jordan Jenkins but that's about it. They are going to need the likes of Tarell Basham, Jordan Willis, & Frankie Luvu to step up on the opposite side of Jenkins to help formulate a rush. Like I said earlier, Mosely is out this year but Avery Williamson returns from a torn ACL. Add him to the likes of Neville Hewitt, Blake Cashman, & Patrick Onwuasor & it is a solid unit. The had additions of Bradley McDougald, Ashtyn Davis, Pierre Desir, & Quincy Wilson should provide nice additions to the secondary to go along with Bless Austin & Marcus Maye, who had a great camp. Gregg Williams likes to mix it up a ton, so we will for sure see plenty of different schemes from this unit. There are no superstars, but just a bunch of players looking to make names for themselves. I believe that mentality fits perfectly within a Gregg Williams defensive system. Like every year, it all comes down to the pass rush. If the Jets can get a consistent rush without having to blitz every single play, that's a big help, but it is something that has been said for over a decade.

Special Teams: I'm going to keep this one simple, Sam Ficken better make his field goals & not suck. Oh & Braden Mann better show off his boot whenever he comes in to punt. Moving on.

Coaching: I promise, my talked about Adam Gase article will be coming this week, so I will speak quickly on him. He needs to be creative on offense, simple as that. Again, more to come on the so called, "Offensive Genius". Gregg Williams needs to find ways to create pressure against the opposing QB's. I have all the faith that he can do that, because he has shown in the past he works with what he has, unlike another coach on the Jets staff. Williams needs to continue this trend this year & put guys in positions to succeed. Dowell Loggains just needs to throw a perfect red flag whenever there is a challenge. Finally, Brant Boyer just needs to tell Ficken not to suck.

Well folks, it's almost game time. I don't know about you, but I'm really excited. Am I still convinced that the Jets can go 10-6? Absolutely I convince myself that every year. Will they most likely let me down? Yes, they always do. But no matter what, I'll have my Nick Mangold jersey on, crushing chicken wings, & yelling profane things at the TV this Sunday & Sunday's moving forward. Here's to another season Jets Fans! #TakeFlight