The Jets roll into their bye with a big win over the Miami Dolphins.
Photo courtesy of Pedro Cambra (Flickr).
The New York Jets are back and better than ever. With new coach Todd Bowles leading the way, the team looks to form a new work ethic and strategy for its players. They have new coaches from offense to defense, along with many new acquisitions made in the off-season to help improve this team, which was disappointing just a year ago.
The team finished 4-12 under former head coach Rex Ryan, now head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, the team fell to last place in the AFC East and had one of their worst seasons ever as a franchise.
After firing Rex Ryan and making many new roster moves, the team is looking incredible and playing with a purpose this season for the first time in a while. The players and fans have something to cheer about, since the team has transformed into a winning team to start the season.
The owner of the Jets made some bold moves this off-season with the dismissal of of John Idzik and Rex Ryan along with some other coaches on the staff. This was the step in the right direction the Jets needed so they could start fresh and move away from their poor performances in the past.
With their new signings, general manager Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles, The Jets are hoping to turn around the franchise in a positive way. They also signed former New York Jets cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie to massive contracts. With those two big names, the Jets signed free agents Buster Skrine and safety Marcus Gilchrist to create one of the most dangerous secondaries in the league. Furthermore, they resigned defensive run stopper David Harris and backup running back Bilal Powell.
The Jets were looking to add big-name starters along with depth this season to increase their aggression on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. But, the Jets didn’t stop there. They made some incredible trades to create a new environment in the locker room for the team. They wanted veteran leaders to produce and teach the younger teammates, which resulted in the acquisition of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Marshall and Zac Stacy.
Additionally, they signed some potentially talented players in defensive tackle including defensive end Leonard Williams, wide receiver Devin Smith, outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin and backup quarterback Bryce Petty. All seem ready for the NFL level and prepared to make a major impact to their team.
With all of these additions the team, the Jets drastically improved from one of the worst teams to one of the most explosive. Their key additions sparked a new atmosphere for the coaches, players and fans in the New York and New Jersey area because the Jets haven’t had much to cheer about the previous few seasons.
The Gang Green ranked among one of the best in their draft class and off-season additions for the first time in many years. Their new general manager made some surprising, bold moves and they seem thus far to have paid off.
It’s still a long way ahead until the end of the season, but so far, so good. Along with all of these key additions, there were some minor setbacks for the Jets’ roster that they didn’t expect to encounter, such as Geno Smith being punched in the face by his own teammate, which broke his jaw and forced him to sit out the majority of the season.
Former high draft pick Dee Milliner is currently out for most of the season along with Jace Amaro. One of the biggest suspensions was losing former rookie of the year Sheldon Richardson for violating substance abuse policy. He was suspended for the first four games of the season, but now will have his first start of the season at home against the Washington Redskins.
Who would have guessed the Jets would start off their 2015-16 season so well? Starting off (3-1) so far and heading into a bye week is exactly what the Jets need to rest up and start playing more competitive games in the second half of the season. It’s an opportunity for the team to study and watch game footage on other teams to find answers or gain knowledge on how to beat these difficult competitors after coming off a major victory in London, England against division rival, the Miami Dolphins.
The time difference will be difficult to get used to, but the Jets now have a chance to come back and get some needed rest. Most importantly, it gives the players a chance to practice and rest up from earlier injuries in the season.
After the bye this week, the Jets will be home on Oct. 18 to face the Washington Redskins (2-2) and will then travel to face their division rival, the New England Patriots (3-0). Both will test what the Jets are truly made of this season and see if they are capable of competing against some of the better teams in the league.
