Unity a product of GM’s makeover

NEW YORK (AP) — In the middle of a busy offseason marked by a drastic roster renovation, Mike Maccagnan insisted that the New York Jets would be competitive.

The general manager repeated that early in training camp, right when doom and gloom was being predicted for the team — with many fans and media wondering if there would be any victories to celebrate this season.

Well, so far, the Jets already have two, and most of Maccagnan’s less-than-popular moves have worked.

“I think we’ve surprised some people outside,” cornerback Buster Skrine said after the Jets’ 23-20 overtime win over Jacksonville on Sunday. “But inside, we’re not surprised that we’re winning games.”

It’s that defiant approach that has made the Jets’ ragtag bunch of veterans, nonames and inexperienced youngsters an intriguing opponent. Coach Todd Bowles has stressed a “One Team, One Goal” mantra — and the players have talked about an overwhelming sense of unity since the offseason.

“I would say the chemistry is high,” quarterback Josh McCown said during a conference call Monday. “I’ve felt that since I’ve been here and we’ve done nothing to take away from that. It’s probably one of the better places, for me, that I’ve been in 15 years.”

Winning can certainly breed that feeling, and there’s a chance for more next Sunday when the Jets take on the Browns (0-4) in Cleveland.

“We’ve said it all along, for us in the building, there’s an exterior narrative that goes out,” McCown said. “And then there’s the story that goes out that we’re trying to tell and that we believe in — and I do believe those are two different things.”

This team isn’t without its blemishes, of course, and bad losses at Buffalo and Oakland to open the season certainly played into the dismal prognostications.

The Jets are still looking for consistency and faster starts from the offense, some sign of a pass rush from guys such as Muhammad Wilkerson and Leonard Williams — who have no sacks — and being able to close out games. That’s why New York is taking nothing for granted heading into its matchup at Cleveland.

“We were once a winless club, and we know how that feels,” Bowles said. “We’ve only won two games. We’ve got nothing to get big-headed about. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Jets, particularly Maccagnan, took lots of criticism during the last several months for stripping the roster of several of its most recognizable names in favor of what became a less-expensive youth movement.