A decades-long “tradition” has unfortunately involved the New York Jets. Due to issues on and off the field, including the notorious apathy of its front office, this team had lost all winning mystique and was content to go unnoticed, which it has achieved despite New York’s demanding sports market. But there is something in the air that indicates that everything is about to change.
Why will the Jets no longer be the laughingstock of the NFL in 2021?
In this article I explain the reasons why people are no longer going to be able to mock the Jets in 2021 after they have a solid year thanks to the changes in the right direction that they have had in the last two seasons.
The change of staff is very beneficial
One of the best signs is the passing of one of the worst playcallers 2020 as Adam Gase a Robert Saleh, one of the most coveted defensive masterminds around the league for his incredible work on defense. In 2019 he was the main architect of the 49ers reaching the Super Bowl and, for his work in 2020, where they were the sixth best defense in the EPA per play allowed – this without EDGE star Nick Bosa and with important players missing games like him. CB Jason Verett and S Jimmie Ward– talks about what the Jets’ new HC can do even in unfavorable situations.
Mike LaFleur he’s the offensive coordinator for New York. He was the 49ers passing game coordinator since 2018. He largely helped Garoppolo have a good 2020 season and players like Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel to excel in the NFL in their respective rookie seasons. LaFleur’s system will be one that will primarily help make Zach Wilson’s adaptation to the NFL as easy as possible, with plenty of RPOs and screen plays that will also help the Jets’ WRs rack up yardage after the catch.
Zach Wilson can make big plays
The talent of arm Zach Wilson it is something that cannot be taught. At BYU the QB demonstrated the magic he can do with throws over 60 yards as we saw against West Kentucky University. He can throw to all areas of the field without any problem and with extraordinary ease, plus he has the instinct of an elite quarterback to move inside the pocket and disappear. He was the third QB with the most yards thrown on passes of more than 20 yards, in addition to, according to PFF, only 1.2% of his plays could have ended in delivery of the ball.
Improved offensive line
The offensive line could be top-20 this season if things go our way. Mekhi Becton He had an extremely solid year and one of the best offensive rookies of the year, so he was surely blocking the pass. They struggled at RT last year with George Fant, but they fixed it with the arrival of one of the most underrated right tackles in free agency: Morgan Moses, who last season wasn’t exactly the best opening spaces in the running game but blocking the pass his performance was excellent.
As RG they have Greg Van Rotten, an average player who is not excellent, but also does not make mistakes: almost always that is what you look for in a G. In the center position he has Connor McGovern, it is practically the same case as Van Rotten . The LG Alijah Vera-Tucker It’s the one we’re all excited about, the Jets made a trade up with the Vikings to get this player, that’s how confident they felt to go up for a guard, something you hardly ever see. The way he reads the game and is aware of everything is something that turns his talent into a top-15 pick and something that is going to help his QB tremendously.
Improved WR body
Corey Davis came to the Jets after having the best season of his career. Among the WRs with at least 81 targets, the Jets 84 were the 10th WR with the most receiving yards in the NFL and only Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson and AJ Brown had more yards per rushing than he. Everything indicates that it will be the focus of this offense, with this scheme that privileges players who can accumulate yards after the reception and also dominate the intermediate zone of the field. If it can be Corey Davis himself, this offense is bound to be explosive.
The Jets draft was easily one of the best in the NFL, this is demonstrated with the selection of the ex of Ole Miss, Elijah Moore. Much is made of him being a slot player only, but he has the skills to also be productive outside in training. He is a player who, despite his short stature, plays with all the intensity and fights absolutely all the balls. His speed makes him win a lot of duels and he could be the new monster in receiving yards in this scheme.
And beware, the Jets still have Jamison Crowder, a player who can still fulfill a slot role quite well and be productive with it. A Denzel Mims is a player we all hope this year can leap forward into his second year in the NFL, last season he played like an average WR and this season he can have that leap. Braxton Berrios tied Jarvis Landry and Cole Beasley in rushing yards in 2020 and is a good backup player.
The Jets’ backfield could work
The Jets were extremely smart when it came to drafting an explosive RB in the fourth round. That is the best move in a league where more and more teams aim to play with committees and pass the ball, so this position is devalued more and more and it is no longer worth selecting a player of this position so high . Michael Carter was extremely explosive in 2020 with North Carolina and RBs who play this way in college have been shown to have more potential to succeed in the NFL than those without it.
In addition, it is a great receiving RB, so it can be used in various sectors of the field in the style of Nyheim Hines in the Frank Reich system. RB Tevin Coleman is going to take multiple snaps, especially on offenses designed to run between the tackles, which is where he excelled in 2019 with the 49ers. Josh Adams has shown great potential and could also be a part of this running offense alongside Ty Johnson and La’Mical Perine.
Playmakers On the defensive
The defense has several interesting players who can play game by game. Saleh’s system focuses a lot on zone defense, which falls into the arms of the linebackers. This defense depends a lot on how well LB CJ Mosley of the year returns from COVID and his injury in 2019, two years without playing full seasons and the Jets need him to return to a superlative level for this defense to work.
Mosley is not the only good player in this defense, among the biggest names is the young manager who has everything to break it this season: Quinnen Williams. Last season he had 39 pressures, a not so incredible number, but if we talk about his defense against the running game he was truly elite, he was the league leader in DTs in tackles at crucial moments (fourth down or third down near the first and ten) called “stops” with 38 and nothing else Aaron Donald forced more fumbles than Quinnen Williams himself. In his third year, with Saleh as his HC, we will possibly see a tremendous jump in production.
The defensive line is not only made up of him, but also a great EDGE like Carl Lawson, who was an elite pressuring the QB in 2020. Among the EDGEs who played 550 snaps, he was the fourth most pressured player in the entire NFL with 64, was the second with the most hits to the QB only behind TJ Watt and also was fourth in the NFL beating the rival tackle in 20% of his snaps in Pass Rush. He will undoubtedly play a vital role with the Jets.
One of my favorite players is also part of this team, Folorunso Fatukasi is a great coach who stands out for his great work in the pass rush in the 4-3 base defense, which is the one that I plan to benefit the team the most. Added to him, John Franklin-Myers was the eighth in the NFL with the most pressure on the QB and this season he could do more with this system.
The Jets also have one of the best safeties in the league in Marcus Maye. The way he can read offensive plays and react quickly to them to make big plays makes him one of the best on the planet. In addition to being one of the best in coverage, he is also good in the running game, reading blocks and avoiding big plays on the ground. The pair with Jamal Adams was elite, but having Marcus Maye on your defense can make you smile Sunday after Sunday.
What can go wrong with this defense?
CB’s position, which is the most important on defense, is anyone’s guess for the Jets and this could drag them down if no one dares to step forward. Since Saleh’s system relies more on zone coverage, the CBs are not as important as they are with the Dolphins, since in Brian Flores’s system they use too much man-to-man coverage.
One player to watch from CB’s position is Javelin Guidry, who had few snaps in 2020, but given the lack of players and his talent, he could start as a starter this season. The Jets urgently need both Blessaun Austin and Bryce Hall to raise their bar to be at least average and not drag players.
Conclution
Despite all my enthusiasm, I don’t think the Jets can get beyond third place in their division in 2021, but I do believe that they will be a team that will fight every one of their games and, with good games from Zach Wilson, they will bring several victories. to home. The easy laughs that this New York team caused in the NFL are over.
How much do you trust the Jets? Do you think Las Vegas is wrong to project only six games won for them? We read you in the comments under this article and on our social networks.
