Every NFL season the race for the league’s wooden spoon is almost as interesting as finding out
which teams will make the playoffs.
That is unless it is your beloved franchise that is languishing at the bottom of their respective
division.
This season some of the teams struggling for form include the Jags, the Texans, the Bengals and
the Chargers. Also on that list are the Jets. Here we look to what has gone wrong at MetLife
Stadium and whether there is hope on the horizon for the team’s long-suffering fans.
Trade and Draft Issues
It is often said that a team’s issues start in the off-season, as bad trades and poorly thought
through draft picks leave a coaching team little to work with once the regular season gets
underway.
Certainly, that was the case in New York, with the powers that be willing to trade away talents
like Le’Veon Bell, who was then immediately snapped up by Kansas.
With this season already nearing something of a write-off, New York better start planning how
exactly they are going to rebuild in time for next season, no matter how wrong it sounds saying
that in November.
New York have made a stuttering start to their new NFL campaign, but perhaps all is not lost!
Head Coach Conundrums
When someone like Bill Belichick describes quitting your franchise’s top coaching job as one of
the greatest moments of his career, you know there might be things going on behind the scenes
which will be detrimental to the long-term health of your football club.
Of course, what Belichick went on to achieve with the Patriots only underscored his assessment
of the Jets, and Adam Gase has sadly not been helping, with few football analysts daring to
make NFL predictions that include a Jets regular season win. The only thing their odds are
improving on is getting the number 1 draft pick next season, which could mean signing a player
of Trevor Lawrence’s quality.
Gase has made questionable calls during games that have cost his charges dear and it is hard to
think of many head coaches of past or present who have struggled as much as him. Some that
do come to mind are Marty Mornhinweg and Hue Jackson, both of whose win percentages
languished at well below 0.2. Unfortunately, Gase is on the way to joining their less than
illustrious club.
The Jets need to think outside of the box if they are to start challenging for conference titles and
the Super Bowl
Quarterback Quagmire
One thing that is always vital for fans is to feel is that their ailing team has a chance of turning
things around, with a quarterback who has potential to improve and grow into the role, such as
is the case with the Bengals and Joe Burrow.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the Jets just at the minute, with Sam Darnold, Joe
Flacco and James Morgan all struggling to string meaningful offensive drives together.
Too often this season the Jets have failed to post enough points on the board, with their leaky
defensive line doing the rest of the damage.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad of 1976 hold the record for the least points scored in a regular
season, when they only managed to average nine points per game. It is doubtful that the Jets
will stoop quite this low, but they may come frighteningly close.
The Case for Gase and Co.
So, is there only doom and gloom to be had as a Jets fan? Will brighter days ever come?
Well, there have been some signs of revival, with the team running the high flying Bills and
Patriots close, as well as welcoming back some previously injured players, all of which has
General Manager Joe Douglas optimistic about the team’s future.
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