Still the Jets

Team staying focused to avoid a let-down

The New York Jets are 0-2, but the Dolphins won’t take them for granted.

NEW YORK — Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake knows what to expect from the winless New York Jets on Sunday. Yes, he’s heard the talk of the Jets (0-2) being terrible, perhaps being the worst team in the NFL. He’s not listening.

“It doesn’t matter how their season’s going,” he said. “We were 0-2 last year, and we know how bad they want to turn their season in the proper direction, so I know they’re going to come out there and give us their best shot, and we’ve got to be ready for it.”

Wake also said he sees no significance in the phrase “firstplace Miami Dolphins,” even though that’s the case in the AFC East standings.

“It would have significance for me in December, but there’s a long way to go,” he said. “We’ve had one game. … It’s a long season. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

“If you’re in first place at 10 yards and you’ve got a 100-yard dash, what difference does that make? See me at the finish line.”

The Dolphins (1-0) appear to be on the road to normalcy after a tumultuous two-month run that’s included a multitude of injuries, a new quarterback, a

postponed season opener, a hurricane, a surprising suspension and a narrow victory last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Kicker Cody Parkey was the hero, making four field goals, including a 54-yarder with 1:01 remaining that turned out to be the game winner.

But there are concerns, among them the way Miami won. The Dolphins only scored one touchdown last week, going 0 for 3 on red zone opportunities.

The bigger concern, however, is the pass defense. They were riddled for 331 yards last week and defensive coordinator Matt Burke and coach Adam Gase both said the safeties and linebackers need to tighten their coverage.

Offensively, Gase was critical of himself for getting “too cute” as a play-caller early against the Chargers. He said he should have simply put the ball in the hands of his playmakers — wide receivers Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills. Look for Gase to correct that oversight this Sunday.

If all goes according to plan for the Dolphins, quarterback Jay Cutler (230 yards passing, one touchdown, no interceptions, 101.8 passer rating) will show his aggressive side and fling the ball downfield often, and Ajayi (28 carries, 122 yards) will look to establish a strong running game presence. Defensively, the front seven should shut down the run while the secondary covers tight enough to allow the pass rushers time to feast on Jets quarterback Josh McCown.

But even if that doesn’t happen there might be some wiggle room for the Dolphins because, the way things look so far, the Jets are bad.

They’re last in the league in run defense, allowing 185 yards per game, and 30th in total defense at 409 yards allowed per game. They’re secondto-last in total offense at 242.5 yards per game, and 22nd in rushing (82.0 yards per game).

McCown (353 yards passing, two touchdowns, two interceptions, 78.3 passer rating) hasn’t been anything special, and neither has running back Matt Forte (15 carries, 69 yards, 4.6 yards per carry). Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse (11 receptions, 123 yards, two touchdowns) has been steady.

Defensively, the Jets must hope their line, led by Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams, can lead the way. Otherwise, there aren’t many proven playmakers.

In other words, the Jets don’t have much going for them except Sunday’s game is their home opener, which might give them a little extra motivation.

The Jets, accused by many of tanking, or trying to purposely lose in an effort to get the No. 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft, are so bad they’d be easy to overlook.

Gase said he doesn’t see that happening.

“I think our guys are just excited that we’re going to get an opportunity to play on Sunday,” he said. “I think they’re focused on themselves and doing their job and making sure they execute the right way. I haven’t heard our guys really talk about anything going on outside of here. They’re focused on what they’re doing.”