The frustration of one other season with out a playoff look is right here once more for Jets followers. It has been a convention each January for the previous 13 seasons.
The Jets resemble that street development you see in your method to work — it by no means appears to finish and it’s laborious to see progress.
These playoffs have a number of groups that have been in comparable conditions to the Jets just lately 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 workforce doesn’t need to take 10 years. It reveals what having an excellent coach, an excellent quarterback and a strong supporting forged can do.
The Jets really feel like they’ve the primary and the third components and could have the second if they’ll maintain Aaron Rodgers wholesome in 2024.
When you return to the 2021 season, the 5 worst groups that 12 months 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 best reply is commonly 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 dwelling 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 resolution in latest reminiscence. After going 2-14 in 2020, that they had the No. 2 general decide, a place you don’t wish to be in ever once more. They needed to determine 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 decide 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 decide on the quarterback. The Jets did it twice in 4 years with Darnold and Wilson.
To their credit score, the workforce pivoted away from Wilson final offseason and made the commerce for Rodgers. That plan, after all, 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 workforce to root for.
The query is whether or not the Jets might be the workforce that flips issues round in 2024. The protection and particular groups have been each playoff-caliber in 2023. Douglas has achieved an excellent 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 enhance Garrett Wilson?
It could really feel as if the perpetual rebuild isn’t going to finish. However bear in mind the Payments had a 17-year playoff drought that resulted in 2017, and they’re now a perennial playoff workforce. 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 achieved.
Whereas seeing groups just like the Lions and Texans profitable playoff video games could make you scream if you’re Jets fan, it additionally ought to offer you hope.
A greater Bowles?
Todd Bowles’ success with the Buccaneers is additional proof that to be an excellent coach you want good gamers.
I don’t assume Bowles abruptly turned a significantly 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 12 months and went 10-6. The following 12 months, that previous roster obtained actually previous and the season fell aside. In 2017, the workforce mainly stripped the roster down, after which in 2018, he obtained one 12 months with a rookie quarterback in Darnold.
It was laborious to evaluate how good a coach Bowles was as a result of the expertise on the roster was horrible. In hindsight, Bowles obtained 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’s not to excuse Bowles’ errors with the Jets, as a result of there have been lots.
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 an ideal season kicking for the Jets this 12 months. He set a brand new franchise file with 35 area targets.
Listed below are the workforce’s prime 10 single-season leaders in area targets made:
1. Greg Zuerlein, 2023: 35-38 (FGM-FGA)2. Jim Turner, 1968: 34-463. Jason Myers, 2018: 33-363. Nick People, 2013: 33-365. Jim Turner, 1969: 32-475. Nick People, 2014: 32-397. Nick People, 2010: 30-398. Jay Feely, 2009: 30-368. Greg Zuerlein, 2022: 30-3710. Mike Nugent, 2007: 29-36
Supply: Professional Soccer Reference