0-6 Jets have nowhere to go but up
At 0-6, frustrations and struggles abound in all aspects of the game for New York
NEWYORK » Frustrated fans woke up Monday morning to the reality that things remain the same for the New York Jets.
In a word: painful.
Adam Gase is still the coach. The offense is still struggling. So is the defense. Special teams, too. But, hey, at least the 0-6 Jets are now “winning” the slow crawl to the No. 1 overall draft pick. Whether that ends up being Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence remains to be seen.
One thing’s for sure, though: This season has been tough all around.
“You can get all caught up in the emotions of this game and the outside noise of the fans, but no one cares more than the guys in the locker room,” guard Greg Van Roten said. “This is my job. I get paid to play football. I love this game and I want to go out there and play a perfect game every week. It’s incredibly frustrating when you lose a game.
“It’s even more frustrating when it’s not even close because you have a short window to do this as a professional athlete.”
Van Roten, a native of Long Island, grew up a Jets fan and said his father Thomas has followed the franchise for 68 years.
“As frustrated as the fans are, I understand that, but I’m way more frustrated than you are because this is a year of my playing life that’s not going the way that you want it to go,” said Van Roten, in his first season with the Jets. “Dealing with that, you allow yourself to do your job and this is what you get paid to do, so you’ve got to find a way to stay positive, block out that noise and just play a good game the next time you get to go out there.
“Because, eventually, there’s not going to be a next time.”
Van Roten credited the embattled Gase with trying to find different ways to turn things around, from when they’ve met to how they’ve communicated and who has attended meetings. He said the coach showed
about Sunday’s ami the in those players to 30 situations understand plays 24- were 0 loss Monday thinking and at what how Mi- of they can all improve moving up the “You on forward. same a don’t Monday as last want week and to show and it’s the same as the week before that when you’re not being successful on Sundays,” Van Roten said. “He is doing everything he can do to make sure we’re all set to go for our next opponent.”
What’s Working
Joe Douglas’ cellphone. With the Jets’ season spiraling, the fire sale is officially on.
Last week, the general manager tried f i nding a trade partner to move Le’Veon Bell before ultimately releasing him last Tuesday. After the game Sunday night, Douglas agreed to deal veteran nose tackle Steve McLendon to Tampa Bay. The Jets also sent a 2023 seventhrounder to the Buccaneers in exchange for the Buccaneers’ sixth-rounder in 2022 Douglas is likely not done, especially with plenty of time before the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 3.
What Needs Help
Well, everything. But one key area that has been brutal: third- down efficiency. The Jets were an awful 2 of 17 in those situations at Miami, a major reason for their inability to get on the scoreboard.
“Hey, man, it was a tough game and the only thing you can do in these situations is just hold your head up high and keep on fighting and fighting and fighting,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “It was ugly.”
But it hasn’t just been that game. New York is last in the NFL with a 30.23% conversion rate on third downs.