Vet impact can lead Jets in new direction
AT THIS point last year, Jermaine Kearse was still a Seahawk, Jamal Adams was an unproven rookie, Leonard Williams was playing second fiddle to Muhammad Wilkerson, and the Jets were hoping Christian Hackenberg could be their franchise quarterback. If you asked who the team leaders were, someone might have mentioned Wilkerson, whose reputation disintegrated to the point the former Pro Bowl defensive end was benched for missing meetings, then released. Josh McCown wasn’t named the starting quarterback until the season opener, about the same time Kearse was acquired ina trade for Sheldon Richardson after receiver Quincy Enunwa went down with a neck injury. Every successful team needs a core group of veteran leaders who keep everyone accountable and focus on team instead of individual goals. The Jets didn’t have it until it was too late last year. Today they have those core players already in uniform. Kearse is an established veteran voice of reason, and Adams has a year of experience and takes every practice personally. Williams, entering his fourth season, no longer has to defer to Wilkerson, and McCown has proven himself to be a pro’s pro worthy of respect even with Sam Darnold in the quarterback room. They are players who can offer leadership and create the kind of unity that wins games after the national anthem is played. If you’ll recall, the 2017 Jets used the Week 3 controversy over the NFL anthem protests to present a“unified” franchise. CEO Christopher Johnson stood in the center as the owner and every pl aye r was locked armin-arm. No one kneeled. They beat the Dolphin that day at the Meadowlands, 20-6, and won three consecutive games for a 3-2 start. But there was not enough substance in the symbolism, and the season fell to a 5-11 finish. The 2018 Jets might interlock arms for the anthem again, though it wasn’t much of a hot-button issue during their OTA session on Tuesday. Whatever they choose to do, there should be more substance behind their show of unity this season because it is starting now instead of in September.
“We had a lot of people who came in and weren’t here for this aspect of OTA’s and whatnot,” said Kearse, who was acquired from Seattle in exchange for Richardson on Sept. 1 . “It’s better this year. Now we have a lot of guys here, and it’s been very beneficial for everyone when it comes to building chemistry.”
You can see the signs even in May. Adams, the first-round draft pick from 2017, raised the competitive energy at practice, telling the defensive backs to “be a soldier out there” and acted like a completion in seven-on-seven was third-and-5 in the Super Bowl.
“I just want to keep the juices going, talk a little noise,” Adams said. “It makes practice fun when we’re out there competing and definitely just going at it.”
McCown lightened the mood by running 65 yards into the end zone as if he was Barry Sanders, and there was another show of leadership and unity after practice when Kearse and offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum stood side-by-side to be interviewed about the anthem controversy and the support Johnson has shown his players by vowing to pay their fines.
“We’re very appreciative of his support,” Kearse said.
The Jets won’t get fined because their players haven’t kneeled, but it continues to create an all-for-one atmosphere they’ve already adopted for 2018. None of this guarantees the Jets will go from 5-11 to 11-5, but at least they start this season with a solid core of leaders who can set a proper tone during OTAs. “Whether it’s social issues, whether it’s on the field, in the meeting room, it starts from the get-go,” Kearse said. “In order for us to be successful on the field we have to get to a unified locker room. I feel like we’re heading in the right direction.” Symbol is mis fine. Substance wins games.