The New York Jets should be out of the rebuilding phase. They’ve had three drafts under Joe Douglas with very mixed results. They had plenty of money to spend and got a lot of B and C-type players who are there to get paid. Putting them next to your top draft picks and expecting them to develop is wrong. The Jets are missing passion on offense. Joe Flacco doesn’t have that like he used to, and his skills have diminished to the point where his best yards come in “garbage time”.
Head coach Robert Saleh has proclaimed that Flacco is his quarterback for now. As with a lot of things, he has time to course correct and if he looks at the matchup, he’ll see that the Cleveland Browns will mostly stone the Jets running game so throwing the ball, more than they did in the first half of last game against Baltimore, is necessary. Flacco will be a sitting duck against the Browns’ pass rush so Mike White should be starting this game.
Saleh is starting to be combative with the media and the fan base. Many are waking up to the fact with Zach Wilson out, Flacco isn’t a suitable #2 and this was bad roster construction. So why did your feet in the mud and expect something better than last week against a Browns team that would be more than happy to destroy Flacco?
White has a faster release than Flacco and can play that quick pass game the Jets seemingly love. When White has a second or two, he can zip the ball. Flacco can’t do that. Imagine doing that to rookie Garrett Wilson or Elijah Moore? That needs to happen to keep the opposing defense honest otherwise the Jets with a bad offensive line become very easy to defend.
The Jets had some positives in another embarrassing loss to start a season. Were they prepared for this game? Maybe for a half. Did they make the necessary or any good adjustments in the second half? No. That falls on Saleh, and his job could be in trouble if they drop every game before Wilson returns.
Saleh will get to coach Wilson again, he won’t get fired that fast, but he needs to win some games. More than four, and that’s what many think the limit is.
Don’t tell me the Jets are tanking or rebuilding ever again. They’re past that, and this GM and coach can’t wiggle out of that. They’ve had enough time to make better gains with this team, so it must start showing up on the gridiron.
Here’s a list of Jets home openers. I’ve attended more than a few of them:
2022-23 – 24-9 loss to Baltimore
2021-22 – 25-6 loss to New England
2020-21 – 31-13 loss to San Francisco
2019-20 – 17-16 loss to Buffalo
2018-19 – 20-12 loss to Miami
2017-18 – 20-6 win vs. Miami
