Especially given this is a FA year for him and he will want to have numbers because it could be his last big payday.
There is also just the reality that teams have to get younger and draft well. Teams need quality boom/bust draft prospects like Gregory Rousseau and Keon Coleman to hit. Part of that is team culture. Coaching. Dalton Kincaid. These players fall to good teams for a reason (Kincaid positional value, age) but they're still good enough to build around.
I always thought they could slip by the Dolphins for the WC spot if things went well. I've always been skeptical of the Dolphins ability to beat a team that's actually good. Way more flash than substance, imo.
I'd agree with that since after two games they're averaging 15 points a game on offense. For a team built like they are, you'd probably want that number in the 27-30 point range imo.
Fair enough. The Jets were marginal favourites to win the division ahead of the Dolphins in August. I have to say I didn't understand that line at all. I thought the Jets were 3rd best in the division, and I wasn't convinced the Patriots would be god-awful. I would have taken the Under on the Jets total wins line.
You can't perform like that with a make-shift O-line.
I found that whole storyline of how the Bills were somehow going to drop to third place in the division to be a little weird. I never understood how pundits and oddsmakers thought the Dolphins were somehow that much better or how a 40 year old coming off an achilles tear was this magical potion for a SB favorite. Do I think the Jets have a decent roster and a chance to be in the play-offs? Certainly, and I think looking at Monday in San Fran doesn't change that but they never looked like some lock to all of a sudden be great to me. And certainly not a threat to the real contenders in the conf. I do think the Jets are going to have to overcome some bad coaching to make any real noise though. And Rodgers is going to have to be a lot more than just okay which I'm not sure he can be at this stage. Maybe he can and they get healthy and he finds some other weapons but there are definitely question marks still.
I also think the passing game wasn't in sync against the Bills. The O in general just isnt as good as you'd want to see out of a team with Hill and Waddle.
I guess the answer to that question is it depends on where people were landing on the "hype ladder". I've seen some predictions of them winning the division easily with 12-13 wins and getting to the AFCCG which I think could be a little over hype. I think they are a solid bet to be in contention for a WC spot with 10-11 wins. And who knows, maybe that is enough to win this division. I also think Rodgers mentioning SB in pre-season doesn't help the perception. I did continually read about how they won x number of games last year despite the horrible QB play so all Rodgers has to do is be an upgrade to average. I think that may be a gross over-simplification of how football works. Who you play, when you play them and a lot of other circumstances effect the outcomes. I'm not gonna read too much into last Monday. Going across the country to face the Niners is a tough opener for anybody. I thought the Jets D would perform a little better and maybe keep it closer but week 1 doesn't tell us much usually.
Jets D is the major variable. A lot of the hype around the team is based on Rodgers having a top 5 D. Niners certainly weren't phased by that D.
I agree. The Niners ran the ball down their throat but that may well be more about Shanahan than the Jets. People are talking about the pass rush but everybody knows when the run game is going like that, it effects the get-off on the pass rush. They get to face a couple of subpar QBs and Olines so we will see how they bounce back. The Pats run game in week 3 may give us a better idea on how good the Jets front really is. Stevenson is a load.
Niners are kinda something else. You're in the same division so I'd imagine the Seahawks build their team to at least deal with it but I know their first playoff run they blew out their NFC opponents and really looked like they were going to beat the Chiefs after 3 quarters. But the Jets coach was on the Niners and had weeks to prep. Its not a great look.
