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    Rich CiminiESPN Staff Writer

There's an unwritten guideline for those who play and coach for the New York Jets: Never -- repeat, never -- do anything that warrants a comparison to the 1996 Jets.That was the worst season in franchise history (1-15), and any association with that year promises to be unflattering.

Which brings us to the 2016 Jets -- specifically, the defense. It allowed 409 points and 5,479 total yards, the worst totals since ...

Do we really need to say it ?

With that sobering truth in mind, let's get to the season-ending report card for the defense and special teams.

Defensive line -- D

The only reason this isn't an F is because Leonard Williams (team-high seven sacks) was terrific, continuing his ascent to becoming one of the best defensive lineman in the NFL. The rest of the group -- i.e. Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson -- was awful. Considering the amount of talent on the line, this was easily the most disappointing position on the team. In more than 1,600 combined snaps, Wilkerson and Richardson managed a total of six sacks. Wilkerson was slowed by a surgically repaired ankle early in the year and the coaches never found a way to utilize the Big Three in their 3-4 front, but those factors can't hide the obvious: The Jets' so-called stars let them down.

The vaunted run defense came unglued, as the Jets allowed 989 yards after Week 8 (21st in that span). They missed run stuffer Steve McLendon, who sat out the last six games with a hamstring injury. You know who they really missed? Damon Harrison, whose departure created a leadership void in the defensive-line room, which lacked accountability.

Linebacker -- D

You knew there would be growing pains with a young, rebuilt unit, but no one expected them to be this severe. Lorenzo Mauldin regressed in his second year and the Darron Lee-Jordan Jenkins rookie tandem made only a handful of impact plays. Jordan (2.5 sacks) came on at the end, providing hope for 2017. Lee played a lot (62 percent of the snaps), but he didn't always play well. There were some hiccups in pass coverage and he didn't display the sharpest linebacker instincts. Basically, he looked like a terrific athlete playing football, not a terrific football player. The organization still has high expectations for Lee and Jenkins.

Old reliable David Harris was solid against the run, but his production declined as a blitzer (0.5 sacks). Truth be told, the Jets didn't get much pass rush out of the linebackers -- only seven sacks. As a team, the Jets made 27 sacks (29th) and a league-low 60 quarterback hits, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Secondary -- F

In a word ... putrid. The Jets allowed 30 touchdown passes and made only eight interceptions. If a quarterback puts up those kind of numbers in a season, he gets a trip to the Pro Bowl and a $100 million contract. The Jets' secondary was every quarterback's best friend, as they allowed nine pass plays of at least 50 yards. This was a veteran group, familiar with Todd Bowles' system, and yet they blew coverages every week, leaving receivers uncovered.

What went wrong? Darrelle Revis' decline was a big factor because he no longer was able to neutralize the No. 1 receiver, creating a trickle-down effect. Opposing quarterbacks racked up a 104.2 passer rating when targeting Revis, according to Pro Football Focus. Buster Skrine also struggled, allowing a team-high 10 penalties. Let's be real: Everybody struggled. Calvin Pryor failed to make a single interception even though he spent most of his time (288 snaps) at free safety.

Special teams -- D

The Jets didn't make a big play on special teams until the 57th minute of the 16th game, when Doug Middleton capitalized on a Bills' brain lock by recovering a kickoff in the end zone for a touchdown. Prior to that gift, it was a pretty ragged season -- again. The most egregious mistake came against the Dolphins in Week 9, when they allowed a 96-yard kickoff return in the final minutes to lose the game. They used a seventh-round pick on Lachlan Edwards, but they probably would've been better off with a veteran free agent. The only positive was Nick Folk, who finished seventh in field-goal accuracy.

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