RIGHT FITZ
Marshall excited for Jets to build on 2015 offensive gains
BRANDON Marshall was in a nostalgic mood at his locker Thursday. The Jets wide receiver recalled what he thought when he saw quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on the practice field for the first time last summer.
“He was terrible,” Marshall said, drawing some laughs from reporters.
But Marshall was dead serious. He said at the start of the 2015 training camp, he was not sure what the Jets decision-makers were thinking by bringing Fitzpatrick in to back up Geno Smith.
“[I’d] have a 5-yard hitch route and [he’d] throw it in the dirt,” Marshall said. “Everybody felt that way. We were like, ‘ What the heck? If Geno goes down, we’re in trouble.’ That’s how everybody felt. He proved us wrong. He’s pretty good.”
So how did he feel when IK Enemkpali made his fears a reality?
“I was scared. It was over. The season’s over. We’re done,” Marshall said somewhat tongue in cheek.
A year later, Marshall’s worries look foolish. Fitzpatrick replaced Smith after The Punch and led the Jets to a 10-6 record with a franchise-record 31 touchdowns.
The Jets’ 2015 offense was one of the best in team history, setting the franchise record for yards. Now, the question is what the unit can do for an encore.
Marshall believes this offense is way ahead of where it was last year simply because of familiarity. In 2015, Fitzpatrick, Marshall and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey were new to the team, not to mention head coach Todd Bowles. Fitzpatrick did not get to start working with the starters until the middle of camp when Smith went down.
“It was hard to do what we did last year,” Marshall said. “We definitely came up short. We obviously didn’t win it. For us to come in and have Ryan get the ball late in training camp, we had a new offensive coordinator, a new head coach, a new left guard [James Carpenter], that definitely makes it hard for an offense to jell and bond the way that you want to to be successful. It seemed like it took us seven or eight weeks to do that. We just feel really good about where we’re at right now.”
The Jets’ offense needs a fast start this year, both to the season and to games. Like Marshall said, the offense did not really hit its stride until late November last year. Too often, the offense scuffled early in games and had to rely on late heroics to win. Those heroics ran out in Buffalo in Week 17.
In preparation for Saturday’s preseason game with the Giants, the Jets have watched the film from last year’s regular-season matchup with their crosstown rivals. That game was a perfect display of a slow start. The Jets needed 10 fourth-quarter points and a field goal in overtime to win that one.
“It just felt like we left a lot out there,” Marshall said of the Giants game last year. “It just feels like we’re light years ahead of where we were at that point just from a communication standpoint, knowing exactly who we are and what we do best in certain situations whether that’s red zone, third down.”
The offense starts with the connection between Fitzpatrick and Marshall. The duo connected on 101 passes last season. Marshall thinks they are capable of even more this year.
“I actually think he’s better this year,” Marshall said. “He’s throwing the ball much better, more velocity, he’s throwing it deeper. He seems comfortable back there. He’s looking really good. He’s impressive.”
Maybe Fitzpatrick should wait to sign his contract until just before training camp every year.
“No, no, no,” Marshall said. “We need him here. We love having him around. No more offseasons with Fitz not being here.”
The Jets’ offense is ready for takeoff, and unlike last year Marshall is thrilled that Fitzpatrick is the pilot.