With all of the gloom and doom predictions for the 2017 Jets I believe there are a number of things to look forward to. And they're all on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive Line
Leonard will be the best player on the field most Sundays. Period. IF we are to believe Wilkerson, he is once again healthy and out to prove last year was not the real thing. Fair enough. IF Sheldon has an once of common sense, he's going to stay out of trouble, stay in team meetings and will take advantage of Leo's double teaming and register double digit sacks and TFL. Mclendon, Simon and hopefully Pennel will be picking up the loose scraps the other guys will leave behind. This group could be fun to watch. Of course, we thought that last year. And the year before that. And the year...
Linebackers
The guy who benefited the most from the Adams/Maye selections is Darren Lee. He had zero help behind him last year and that will change drastically in '17. With that help Lee will be able to use his speed and take a big step forward this year a la Deone Buchanan. Jordan Jenkins will be the next David Harris, a solid contributor and leader year in and year out. No idea what will happen with Mauldin given his arrest. I'm not buying in to the Dylan Donohue hype just yet. His story reads like training camp fodder until proven otherwise. This group will not be the strength of the defense but there's enough here to hide most of the weaknesses. Also, I would not be surprised if Mac finds a one year starter when teams start paring their rosters.
Secondary
Here's where it gets interesting. Was the lack of success of last year's secondary a result of the poor penetration and pressure from the defensive line or the other way around? Either way, the corners should be MUCH better this year, especially IF Claiborne can stay healthy. If he does miss games, it will be very interesting to see the disparity in passing yards allowed with/without him in the lineup. What I'm excited about most is to see how much of a difference a stud CB will have on this team. It could be a total game changer which would make Mac focus on that with the $90mm he'll have to spend next off-season. On the other side should be Burris who is another key in the development of this defense. Skrine should not be seen anywhere near the outside and should stay in the slot. Would love to have Williams take over the slot by year end so we can move on from Skrine. I think the safeties will change the entire defense for the better. That likely won't be complete until mid-season but it should happen.
The record may be something to forget this year, but there are many things to prove, not the least of which is to see if Bowles has the chops to move the pieces around to create his opus magnum defense.
Defensive Line
Leonard will be the best player on the field most Sundays. Period. IF we are to believe Wilkerson, he is once again healthy and out to prove last year was not the real thing. Fair enough. IF Sheldon has an once of common sense, he's going to stay out of trouble, stay in team meetings and will take advantage of Leo's double teaming and register double digit sacks and TFL. Mclendon, Simon and hopefully Pennel will be picking up the loose scraps the other guys will leave behind. This group could be fun to watch. Of course, we thought that last year. And the year before that. And the year...
Linebackers
The guy who benefited the most from the Adams/Maye selections is Darren Lee. He had zero help behind him last year and that will change drastically in '17. With that help Lee will be able to use his speed and take a big step forward this year a la Deone Buchanan. Jordan Jenkins will be the next David Harris, a solid contributor and leader year in and year out. No idea what will happen with Mauldin given his arrest. I'm not buying in to the Dylan Donohue hype just yet. His story reads like training camp fodder until proven otherwise. This group will not be the strength of the defense but there's enough here to hide most of the weaknesses. Also, I would not be surprised if Mac finds a one year starter when teams start paring their rosters.
Secondary
Here's where it gets interesting. Was the lack of success of last year's secondary a result of the poor penetration and pressure from the defensive line or the other way around? Either way, the corners should be MUCH better this year, especially IF Claiborne can stay healthy. If he does miss games, it will be very interesting to see the disparity in passing yards allowed with/without him in the lineup. What I'm excited about most is to see how much of a difference a stud CB will have on this team. It could be a total game changer which would make Mac focus on that with the $90mm he'll have to spend next off-season. On the other side should be Burris who is another key in the development of this defense. Skrine should not be seen anywhere near the outside and should stay in the slot. Would love to have Williams take over the slot by year end so we can move on from Skrine. I think the safeties will change the entire defense for the better. That likely won't be complete until mid-season but it should happen.
The record may be something to forget this year, but there are many things to prove, not the least of which is to see if Bowles has the chops to move the pieces around to create his opus magnum defense.
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