No more guessing
This week we finally get some real answers on Jets
The season is finally here. No hypotheticals or what-ifs. It’s time to see what the Jets will look like under rookie quarterback Zach Wilson and Robert Saleh as they face the Panthers and their ex, Sam Darnold.
The excitement is through the roof in Jets nation. Now it’s time to see what the product really is. Here’s the final mailbag before the regular season kicks off.
But before we get there, here’s a mailbag of questions from Jet fans asking a few questions based on Week 1 and overall expectations for certain players.
In your opinion what are 3-5 benchmarks (could be stats-based, could be intangible things) Zach Wilson needs to hit for his rookie season to be considered a success?
@KPM0611
For me it’s simple. Flash the talent that made him the No. 2 overall pick.
Wilson won’t be the finished product, nor should he. But in his rookie season the least you can ask for is the arm talent and the electric playmaking to be on display.
Here are benchmark numbers for Wilson:
At least 3,700 yards passing, 21 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 62 or better. His turnover numbers should be under 18.
I do think Wilson can throw for 4,000 yards with the extra game, something only Joe Namath has done in the franchise’s history.
But as long as Wilson flashes his electric talent and doesn’t look in over his head, that will be a success.
Is Corey Davis that absolute number 1 option? Or is Jamison Crowder the security blanket that gets more targets? @postandtost
Did you see the preseason? Absolutely.
Wilson was throwing to Davis majority of the time.
Yes, Elijah Moore didn’t play, but when Moore plays in the regular season, it won’t impact Davis’s production.
The Jets are paying Davis to be the No. 1 receiver after he signed a threeyear, $37.5 million free-agent deal. And Wilson has treated him as such.
Moore will produce dynamic plays and Crowder will move the chains. But Davis will give the Jets both.
What are the biggest mismatches in the Jets/Panthers game? @csharpei1
For the Jets, it’s the Panthers’ receivers against the Jets’ corners.
The Panthers have a trio in Robby Anderson, DJ Moore and Terrace
Marshall Jr.
Anderson and Moore are thousand-yard receivers. And according to reports, Marshall had a strong training camp.
At corner, the Jets have a plethora of questions due to inexperience. They will trot out a second-year player in Bryce
Hall and a rookie in the slot in Michael Carter II. And to replace Bless Austin on the outside, it will be either Javelin Guidry, Brandin Echols or Isaiah Dunn. None have experience playing there.
Even a Jet fan drunk on optimism would be pessimistic about that matchup.
For the Panthers, it’s their offensive line versus Gang Green’s defensive line.
The Panthers’ offensive line isn’t good. Left tackle Cam Erving and left guard (and former Jet) Pat Elflein are major liabilities.
And while the Jets lost Carl Lawson, they still have talent. Foley Fatukasi, Bryce Huff, Shaq Lawson, Sheldon Rankins, Quinnen Williams and John Franklin-Myers will be able to get after Darnold and cause havoc. Over/under 5 wins? @FrostyTaco After the Lawson injury, I dropped the Jets from six wins to five.
Lawson was going to have a dominant season. He was unblockable at training camp, no matter who was in front of him.
With Lawson, Rankins, Williams and Franklin-Myers, the defensive line was going to carry the Jets to multiple wins.
I expect the offense to be better than last year but still have growing pains due to youth at important spots. Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Wilson and Moore are all talented but developing. So they will flash brilliance and also provide head-scratchers. Part of the process.
Do you expect Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson to be the top two RBs, or do you see (Michael) Carter/(La’Mical) Perine taking on a good chunk of carries?
@NYJfootball2015
Based on the preseason and training camp, it’s going to be Johnson and Coleman carrying the load. Johnson fits this offense the best with his speed, vision and decisiveness. Once he decides which gap he’s going to hit, he explodes through it. Coleman is the veteran in the group and has experience in this offense. So it’s those two to start out.
Carter will get some touches because he provides the most in the passing game, but just a few.
Sam Darnold over or under 300 pass yards? @Loucifer_III
Under. But I believe it will be an efficient performance because of his weaponry.
And oh yeah, Christian McCaffrey will tote the rock too, taking the pressure off Darnold in multiple ways. I don’t expect Darnold to throw more than 30 times, but if he does, the Jets could be in great shape. It could mean that the Panthers are losing. And Darnold was consistently one of the most intercepted QBs in the league over each of the last three years. When he throws a bunch, you know what eventually happens: turnovers.