Outside the newly hired teacher(s) - coaching staff, there should be optimism for the youth movement on this team... Do we have a roster filled with pro bowl player(s), maybe... But we do have tons of potential and with ex-player(s) whom are on the coaching staff there should be more optimism for success... Media loves to drive the negativity and so many fans buy into it... The two driving forces of negativity and division on whether this team will ever be good is led by Manish Mehta and Rich Cimini both are anti-Jets beat reporters, yet again all they do is sucker fans in to their delusional reporting... Maybe Todd Bowles isn't the right fit, or maybe he is handcuffed more than we are be led to witness... Being surprised in a press conference about a roster move shows there is more disconnect in the front office to the coaching staff than there should be...
The real truth is this roster has loads of potential and there is plenty of time to get these players on the same page to be competitive not only this season while building for the future... Drafting two safeties was shocking, yes but look who is the head coach a former safety... Will this help our secondary, most definitely... Our problem was in coverage last year and now it looks like this back end has the talent to not only playing up in the box but over the top... Our corner position is not a position of strength but at the same time it is not a position of weakness neither...
Our defensive line is so stacked, it wouldn't be surprising if they sell one or two players via trade before season start... Even if they got rid of two they still would have a deep talent base of five strong to utilize throughout the season... One suspect position group is the linebacker position but this is the bridge between the secondary and defensive line, so getting an average out put would be more than suffice to have a successful defensive out put this year.... Not singling any specific player out but the chemistry from each group will only get stronger with more snaps played together...
Like the defense the interesting aspect should be the special teams execution... Can Lachan Edwards improve on a shaky rookie season? Who will be our kicker, can Ross Martin with the big accurate leg from Duke finally prove himself a capable option or with free agent signing Catanzaro take this job with ease? Who will be the return specialist? There seem to be plenty of contenders, so will they platoon this position with all the capable options? A lot of questions but this is nothing new...
Yes leaving the offense for last but not the worst as many say it will be... Yes, the Jets signed McCown as an insurance policy, but already Cimini has proclaimed him the starter and that is far from reality... The Jets are giving both Hackenberg and Petty every chance to earn the job, and right now neither has given up on earning it... Yes there are some bumps and bruises but all we hear from those trash reporters is how bad either/or of them look... Never read anything on how good they are doing... Like a few here I watched Petty at Baylor and believed not only with his huge arm, he has the intangibles to be a solid starter... Like Petty, Hackenberg has more "it" factor to be that franchise type QB... Developing either of them while allowing the other to play is paramount moving forward... McCown should only be the backup to whomever is anointed starter and in case of an injury should he see playing time for that game alone... Allowing the other young one a full week of practice for the following game to be ready... Like most I think Hack has potential but may need another year (at least half of a season) to develop further... Roll with Petty won't be the end of the world...
We arguably have the best versatile back field in the league... Matt Forte is still a viable option but Bilal Powell deserves more... What I mean Powell should be the lead back, like Forte said he is happy with this new scheme which will allow him to be on the field more on passing downs (3rd down), hope this doesn't mean they will keep him on the field for 30 straight plays... Put Bilal on the field on first and second downs then bring Forte on third down would be so much better for this offense regardless who is under center... With the rookie this year, McGuire looks to also be a part of that strong duo, giving us an ultimate trio to keep the defenses guessing...
One position that has been missing for years, now becomes one of the strongest parts of this team in the tight end position... Austin S. Jenkins leads the way but the potential with our draft selection this year in Leggett and other potential like Brian Parker will provide another group of receivers that will help any signal caller whomever that is... This is one position that could seen being having an additional player maybe like blocker Eric Tomlinson even Jason Vander Laan would complete this roster group... We were led to believe that we would be adding a full back to this roster this year but right now there is only one and just because we are in need doesn't mean it has to be a full back, but one of those two blocking tight ends could do the same...
The under-rated position is our receiver position but there is some proven talent with Quincy Enunwa, last year rookies in Robby Anderson and Charone Peake... The new additions of Chad Hansen and ArDarius Stewart we should be eager to see the production they can accomplish... Again regardless of who is under center these guys are suppose to make things happen and as aggressive attacking the passes while running crisp routes and being the strength rather than the weakness like last year...
Finally the offensive line, some say is average at best which is the farthest from the truth... Last year they showed some promise especially in the run blocking game, with more of a zone blocking scheme in a west coast offense should allow the pass blocking scheme give any signal caller a few additional seconds to find the open target or dump it off the security option of Bilal Powell or Matt Forte... Our o-line has enough talent to continue the growth with some depth that can provide additional support moving forward... Some are questioning why they didn't invest a draft pick or three into this line but in reality they aren't as bad as some other units in the league... Expect next year the Jets will use some of the newly gained cap space to sign maybe one or two new pieces under the age of 25/26 to continue building this line...
So unlike the social media verse, I don't feel this team is the worst kept secret in the national football league but an aspiring group of talent with loads of potential that will grow together moving forward... Will they win 12 games probably not, but don't be surprised if they go 9-7 or 8-8 because the talent is the there and there are teachers for coaches whom were former player(s) in this league and will drive these young ones to play beyond their current potential and because of that this will be an interesting season... Even if they don't bring it all together, watch the improvement of each position compared to last season and even the year before... I know I will get scrutinized but someone has to stay optimistic and I guess I am that person...
