ESPN Misses the Mark in Breaking Down Gang Green

[JetNation]

So it looks like ESPN has taken a stab at projecting the win totals of all 32 NFL teams this season and while they have the Jets winning 1 more game than they did in 2017, they have those six wins as being the second-worst in the NFL, ahead of only the Cleveland Browns.

While nobody knows for sure just how many games any NFL team will win in a given year, to say that only one team in the NFL will lose more games than Gang Green in 2018 is a bit far-fetched.

Based solely on the fact that the Buffalo Bills have taken several huge steps backward along with the questions of Ryan Tannehill’s effectiveness after a season on IR, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect Gang Green to win three games against those two teams, alone.

Rich Cimini of ESPN New York correctly points out the fact that five wins in the first year of a major re-build would make a six win season a disappointment in 2017.

Rich Cimini’s take: The Jets’ roster remains under construction, but they have enough talent to win more than six games. They play in a weak division (except for the Patriots), and they have one of the easiest schedules in the league. They won five games last season in Year 1 of a major rebuild, so it would be a major disappointment if they don’t improve by at least two wins. The wild card is rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. If he takes over, his growing pains will hurt the team in the short term. Prediction: Over 6.1 wins.

The upgrades made by Mike Maccagnan this off-season would only go unnoticed if you simply weren’t paying attention, or were still longing for the good ole’ days of John Idzik.

Quarterback:

We’ve already touched on this a few times this off-season, but for those who haven’t been keeping track, Josh McCown is the only quarterback returning from last season’s depth chart.  Christian Hackenberg was traded to Oakland after Bryce Petty was released.

By drafting Sam Darnold with the 3rd overall pick in the draft and signing Teddy Bridgewater, the Jets go from McCown and a couple of guys who may not belong in the NFL, to McCown and a pair of first round QB’s, one of which has made the post-season in his short NFL career.

Running Back:

Matt Forte did an admirable job last season but replacing him with Isaiah Crowell gives the Jets a younger, more powerful, explosive runner than Forte had at this point in his career.

Wide Receiver:

Quincy Enunwa looks to bounce back after spending all of 2017 on injured reserve.

If not for McCown going on injured reserve late in the season, a pair of 1,000 yard seasons for Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse wasn’t out of the question.  With that duo still on board, Quincy Enunwa is expected to return after a season on IR, Terrelle Pryor was added via free agency.  Add to that the fact that Chad Hansen has earned rave reviews during OTA’s and this group could surprise a lot of people.

Tight End:

Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a pedestrian 2017 season, hauling in 50 balls for 357 yards (7.1 YPC).  Through waivers, the Jets acquired former Raiders tight end Clive Walford, who, at the very least, makes the loss of Seferian-Jenkins a wash.  With Jordan Leggett set to enter year two and rookie Chris Herndon on board, surpassing last season’s totals from the tight end position should be a lock.

Offensive Line:

Wesley Johnson was the worst center in the NFL last season and he has now been replaced by Spencer Long.  This upgrade cannot be understated given the fact that their inability to block up the middle last season was this team’s number one problem, and the number one culprit has been replaced.  Brian Winters is also expected to return from a serious abdominal injury that hampered him last season, making James Carpenter the biggest question mark on the O-line after a poor 2017.

Defensive Line:

Malcontent Mo is gone.  Muhammad Wilkerson was sent packing and he’ll be replaced by the likes of Henry Anderson, Nathan Shepherd and Xavier Cooper.  It’s hard to imagine getting rid of a player who had no interest in playing on Sundays and not getting better at his spot.

Linebacker:

The only notable loss for the Jets this off-season was Demario Davis.  His spot was upgraded with the addition of a younger, faster Avery Williamson.  Edge rusher is still an issue, but fixing an entire roster in two off-seasons isn’t realistic.  This should be priority no. 1 next season.

Cornerback: 

Outside of quarterback, this was arguably the Jets biggest need this off-season, and they filled it with one of the NFL’s best man-cover corners in Trumaine Johnson.  With Johnson, the return of Morris Claiborne on the opposite side, the unit should be much improved.

Safety:

Jets fans are hoping for big things from Jamal Adams as he enters year two.

Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye both enter year two with Johnson lending a big hand.  Most players make a big jump from year one to year two.  No reason to expect any different with this pair.

Special Teams:

The kicking situation is unsettled and the punt returner competition will play itself out in camp.  Lac Edwards returns after a stellar sophomore season.

So there you have it folks, in a nutshell.  Across the board improvements at several key positions for Gang Green along with a fairly weak schedule in year two of a re-build.  If all of that only adds up to one more win, then it might be time for Gang Green to start looking for a new head coach.

The post ESPN Misses the Mark in Breaking Down Gang Green appeared first on JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum).

Click here to read the full story...

[dbatesman]

2 hours ago, JetNation said:

If all of that only adds up to one more win, then it might be time for Gang Green to start looking for a new head coach.

lmfao

[joewilly12]

I like it 2009-2010 we were under the radar as well. We surprised a lot of people those days are coming soon. 

[CrazyCarl40]

11 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

I like it 2009-2010 we were under the radar as well. We surprised a lot of people those days are coming soon. 

Except in those years the Jets had a dominant offensive line and pretty good defense. They don’t have either of those as of now. 

[JohnnyLV]

Darnold will not in any way be a downgrade over McClown and Bridgewater.

[Freemanm]

42 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

I like it 2009-2010 we were under the radar as well. We surprised a lot of people those days are coming soon. 

Yes but in those years, the Jets had arguably the best offensive line in football. O-line must be the #1 priority next offseason. Spencer Long was a good signing. Even though he is an average player, he's still a huge upgrade from Wes Johnson. Besides him, we really didn't improve the O-line. It's a unit that Macc can no longer afford to ignore. 

I do think we'll have a better record than last year, but I now believe it will be because of Teddy Bridgewater and an improved secondary.

[Larz]

The Jets roster is probably still not finalized 

There are a lot of injuries that could have an impact, Maye, Q, teddy, Pryor etc 

Darnold could play anywhere from 0 to 19 games 

Just too early for this 

Seems like a good topic for after the 3rd preseason game 

[joewilly12]

1 hour ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

Except in those years the Jets had a dominant offensive line and pretty good defense. They don’t have either of those as of now. 

Calm down Carl no one knows what we have yet..........any given Sunday my friend. 

[Jetsplayer21]

1 hour ago, joewilly12 said:

I like it 2009-2010 we were under the radar as well. We surprised a lot of people those days are coming soon. 

Were we really ? I know no one expected the D to be the #1, #3 in entire NFL but we knew they would be good. We had 1 of the best OLs, good rb core, strong WR core, Keller at TE. The only thing that sucked complete balls of that team was the worst qb in NFL. 

[joewilly12]

11 minutes ago, Jetsplayer21 said:

Were we really ? I know no one expected the D to be the #1, #3 in entire NFL but we knew they would be good. We had 1 of the best OLs, good rb core, strong WR core, Keller at TE. The only thing that sucked complete balls of that team was the worst qb in NFL. 

Yes we were as I remember it.

[Jetsplayer21]

37 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

Yes we were as I remember it.

I remember we did have high expectations for 08, when farve came on. The D was only middle of the back that yr, at best, but having him was a big lift.  Farve was on a roll, we were sitting pretty at 8-3! Then he tore his bicep and went to garbage. So did rest the jets season. Finished 9-7. Wish we had farve and not Sanchez in 09, farve was a MVP candidate with Vikings, and Sanchez needed crayon drawings on his wristbands?

[Thai Jet]

2 hours ago, Larz said:

The Jets roster is probably still not finalized 

There are a lot of injuries that could have an impact, Maye, Q, teddy, Pryor etc 

Darnold could play anywhere from 0 to 19 games 

Just too early for this 

Seems like a good topic for after the 3rd preseason game 

Not close. Macc will be scanning the waiver wire during pre season to tweek the final roster

[slimjasi]

5 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

I like it 2009-2010 we were under the radar as well. We surprised a lot of people those days are coming soon. 

I hate to be a dick, but how were we "under the radar" with Rex Ryan as our head coach? Think about it. 

Also, in terms of pure expectations, we surprised many in 2009, but following the first run to the AFC Championship game in January of 2010, we surprised no one. I distinctly remember some in the media picking us to win the Super Bowl the following season. 

[CrazyCarl40]

6 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

Calm down Carl no one knows what we have yet..........any given Sunday my friend. 

Making a point doesn’t make me not calm. We have a pretty good idea what we have here. I’m not going to keep beating that drum, but it’s not great. 

[GKnight83]

That rating is very funny.  Then again...

1.  Cimini is both an idiot and a drama queen.

2.  The Bills are always over rated.  Probably because at ESPN everyone kisses Polian's behind.

3.  Fannybum is driving Miami out of business (well they will be in the basement next year not this coming season)

My call....Pats (11), Dolphins (8), Jets (8) and Bills (4)

[T0mShane]

2 hours ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

Making a point doesn’t make me not calm. We have a pretty good idea what we have here. I’m not going to keep beating that drum, but it’s not great. 

Carl. Any given Sunday, bro.

[Pointdexter]

9 hours ago, johnnysd said:

Darnold will not in any way be a downgrade over McClown and Bridgewater.

McClown...oh I see what you did there. You combined his actual name with clown. Ha!. So clever and original. No seriously, bravo to you.

[Dcat]

20 minutes ago, Pointdexter said:

McClown...oh I see what you did there. You combined his actual name with clown. Ha!. So clever and original. No seriously, bravo to you.

I marvel at such 'creativity'.  Do yu think he thought that one up all by himself? 

(j/k johnny)

[ljr]

5 hours ago, slimjasi said:

I hate to be a dick, but how were we "under the radar" with Rex Ryan as our head coach? Think about it. 

Also, in terms of pure expectations, we surprised many in 2009, but following the first run to the AFC Championship game in January of 2010, we surprised no one. I distinctly remember some in the media picking us to win the Super Bowl the following season. 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA .... Prob one of them was Chris Collinsworthless the idiotic annoying d**shnozzle !!!!

[joewilly12]

4 hours ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

Making a point doesn’t make me not calm. We have a pretty good idea what we have here. I’m not going to keep beating that drum, but it’s not great. 

You watch way too much ESPN 

[joewilly12]

6 hours ago, slimjasi said:

I hate to be a dick, but how were we "under the radar" with Rex Ryan as our head coach? Think about it. 

Also, in terms of pure expectations, we surprised many in 2009, but following the first run to the AFC Championship game in January of 2010, we surprised no one. I distinctly remember some in the media picking us to win the Super Bowl the following season. 

Rex talked a good game the team wasn't that good but exceeded expectations 2 years in a row. 

[Philc1]

35 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

Rex talked a good game the team wasn't that good but exceeded expectations 2 years in a row. 

People love to bash Rex but even after 2010 the jets actually overachieved with mediocre or poor talent.  In 2013 ESPN and Peter King both predicted us to go 1-15 and we went 8-8 with Geno friggin Smith as the starting qb 

[Philc1]

1 hour ago, ljr said:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA .... Prob one of them was Chris Collinsworthless the idiotic annoying d**shnozzle !!!!

Does anyone in the media actually like the jets or is at least impartial?  King, Myers, Collinsworth, Fatso everyone on ESPN they all hate us with passion.  Even our own writer Cimini is the biggest Debbie Downer

 

[kevinc855]

Cimini is a tool who feels he always has to pick against the jets to seem like he’s a “fair and objective” reporter. He’s lost contacts in the front office and is plain guessing at this point 

[kevinc855]

4 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

Does anyone in the media actually like the jets or is at least impartial?  King, Myers, Collinsworth, Fatso everyone on ESPN they all hate us with passion.  Even our own writer Cimini is the biggest Debbie Downer

 

The media has always hated the jets. Can anyone tell me one big game they favored us?? Me either, I stil laugh at Colin cowherds 0–16 prediction for the jets last year 

[Philc1]

2 minutes ago, kevinc855 said:

The media has always hated the jets. Can anyone tell me one big game they favored us?? Me either, I stil laugh at Colin cowherds 0–16 prediction for the jets last year 

At least last year the extreme negativity had some basis in reality.  I’m not saying we are even making the playoffs but besides drafting Darnold we signed the best FA Corner and two of the teams in our division got worse

[Ohio State NY Jets fan]

Thanks to ESPN, the lower expectations are better at this point, no reason to get in peoples faces about the potential of the 2018 Jets, there are way too many variables

they supposedly exceeded expectations last year and could again this year but no reason to start calling them a playoff contender - let's get through camp healthy and name a QB

 

 

[kevinc855]

13 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

At least last year the extreme negativity had some basis in reality.  I’m not saying we are even making the playoffs but besides drafting Darnold we signed the best FA Corner and two of the teams in our division got worse

The media loves the bills story. All that working class city crap, dedicated fans blah blah, good for ratings I guess. Bills and dolphins downgraded big this year 

[joewilly12]

37 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

People love to bash Rex but even after 2010 the jets actually overachieved with mediocre or poor talent.  In 2013 ESPN and Peter King both predicted us to go 1-15 and we went 8-8 with Geno friggin Smith as the starting qb 

I liked Rex Ryan made things interesting and exciting here. 

[CrazyCarl40]

1 hour ago, joewilly12 said:

You watch way too much ESPN 

I don’t watch any ESPN. Except the spelling bee. 

[JohnnyLV]

40 minutes ago, CrazyCarl40 said:

I don’t watch any ESPN. Except the spelling bee. 

The little girl got jobbed. She gets some bizarre 43 letter German word and the winner gets two simple obscure words he already memorized but whatever, the modern spelling game is so much different now with the entourages, coaches and VR tools they are all using.

[Thai Jet]

4 hours ago, Dcat said:

I marvel at such 'creativity'.  Do yu think he thought that one up all by himself? 

(j/k johnny)

I'm guessing YES !!!  Am I right ?

[slimjasi]

4 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

Rex talked a good game the team wasn't that good but exceeded expectations 2 years in a row. 

Again, the bolded is simply untrue with respect to the second season. They had HUGE expectations coming into that season. 

[rangerous]

19 hours ago, JetNation said:

So it looks like ESPN has taken a stab at projecting the win totals of all 32 NFL teams this season and while they have the Jets winning 1 more game than they did in 2017, they have those six wins as being the second-worst in the NFL, ahead of only the Cleveland Browns.

While nobody knows for sure just how many games any NFL team will win in a given year, to say that only one team in the NFL will lose more games than Gang Green in 2018 is a bit far-fetched.

Based solely on the fact that the Buffalo Bills have taken several huge steps backward along with the questions of Ryan Tannehill’s effectiveness after a season on IR, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect Gang Green to win three games against those two teams, alone.

Rich Cimini of ESPN New York correctly points out the fact that five wins in the first year of a major re-build would make a six win season a disappointment in 2017.

Rich Cimini’s take: The Jets’ roster remains under construction, but they have enough talent to win more than six games. They play in a weak division (except for the Patriots), and they have one of the easiest schedules in the league. They won five games last season in Year 1 of a major rebuild, so it would be a major disappointment if they don’t improve by at least two wins. The wild card is rookie quarterback Sam Darnold. If he takes over, his growing pains will hurt the team in the short term. Prediction: Over 6.1 wins.

The upgrades made by Mike Maccagnan this off-season would only go unnoticed if you simply weren’t paying attention, or were still longing for the good ole’ days of John Idzik.

Quarterback:

We’ve already touched on this a few times this off-season, but for those who haven’t been keeping track, Josh McCown is the only quarterback returning from last season’s depth chart.  Christian Hackenberg was traded to Oakland after Bryce Petty was released.

By drafting Sam Darnold with the 3rd overall pick in the draft and signing Teddy Bridgewater, the Jets go from McCown and a couple of guys who may not belong in the NFL, to McCown and a pair of first round QB’s, one of which has made the post-season in his short NFL career.

Running Back:

Matt Forte did an admirable job last season but replacing him with Isaiah Crowell gives the Jets a younger, more powerful, explosive runner than Forte had at this point in his career.

Wide Receiver:

Quincy Enunwa looks to bounce back after spending all of 2017 on injured reserve.

If not for McCown going on injured reserve late in the season, a pair of 1,000 yard seasons for Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse wasn’t out of the question.  With that duo still on board, Quincy Enunwa is expected to return after a season on IR, Terrelle Pryor was added via free agency.  Add to that the fact that Chad Hansen has earned rave reviews during OTA’s and this group could surprise a lot of people.

Tight End:

Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a pedestrian 2017 season, hauling in 50 balls for 357 yards (7.1 YPC).  Through waivers, the Jets acquired former Raiders tight end Clive Walford, who, at the very least, makes the loss of Seferian-Jenkins a wash.  With Jordan Leggett set to enter year two and rookie Chris Herndon on board, surpassing last season’s totals from the tight end position should be a lock.

Offensive Line:

Wesley Johnson was the worst center in the NFL last season and he has now been replaced by Spencer Long.  This upgrade cannot be understated given the fact that their inability to block up the middle last season was this team’s number one problem, and the number one culprit has been replaced.  Brian Winters is also expected to return from a serious abdominal injury that hampered him last season, making James Carpenter the biggest question mark on the O-line after a poor 2017.

Defensive Line:

Malcontent Mo is gone.  Muhammad Wilkerson was sent packing and he’ll be replaced by the likes of Henry Anderson, Nathan Shepherd and Xavier Cooper.  It’s hard to imagine getting rid of a player who had no interest in playing on Sundays and not getting better at his spot.

Linebacker:

The only notable loss for the Jets this off-season was Demario Davis.  His spot was upgraded with the addition of a younger, faster Avery Williamson.  Edge rusher is still an issue, but fixing an entire roster in two off-seasons isn’t realistic.  This should be priority no. 1 next season.

Cornerback: 

Outside of quarterback, this was arguably the Jets biggest need this off-season, and they filled it with one of the NFL’s best man-cover corners in Trumaine Johnson.  With Johnson, the return of Morris Claiborne on the opposite side, the unit should be much improved.

Safety:

Jets fans are hoping for big things from Jamal Adams as he enters year two.

Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye both enter year two with Johnson lending a big hand.  Most players make a big jump from year one to year two.  No reason to expect any different with this pair.

Special Teams:

The kicking situation is unsettled and the punt returner competition will play itself out in camp.  Lac Edwards returns after a stellar sophomore season.

So there you have it folks, in a nutshell.  Across the board improvements at several key positions for Gang Green along with a fairly weak schedule in year two of a re-build.  If all of that only adds up to one more win, then it might be time for Gang Green to start looking for a new head coach.

The post ESPN Misses the Mark in Breaking Down Gang Green appeared first on JetNation.com (NY Jets Blog & Forum).

Click here to read the full story...

espn is going for the star power.  they pump up teams based on their player's perceived performance when in fact most players are a product of the systems they are playing in.  there are really only 5 or so teams that really perform over extended periods of time.  once you get past those 5 the rest can can be anywhere.  philly going to win a superbowl again?  very doubtful.  they will have a hard time making the playoffs because they are in a tough division.

as for the jets, they've improved.  this is bowles show me year.  maybe they didn't fill all the holes but they have filled quite a few and with them, it's all about playing good smart football for the whole 60 minutes.  and if either the defense or offense comes around it could be a really exciting season.

[Fantasy Island]

16 hours ago, Larz said:

The Jets roster is probably still not finalized 

There are a lot of injuries that could have an impact, Maye, Q, teddy, Pryor etc 

Darnold could play anywhere from 0 to 19 games 

Just too early for this 

Seems like a good topic for after the 3rd preseason game 

Losing Maye would be horrific.   He is our best Safety.