5 KEYS FOR THE GANG
Here are the key questions facing the Jets as they come back after the bye week
The sputtering 3-7 Jets return next week from their bye with a litany of concerns entering the final six weeks. Truth be told, there are no easy fixes for what ails this franchise that will miss the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season.
Here’s a closer look at five key questions facing Gang Green:
1) Will the players rally around Todd Bowles?
We’ve heard players from all corners of the locker room support their embattled head coach, but talk is cheap at this point. If they truly believe in Bowles, then actually play hard and give maximum effort. The Jets, frankly, gave minimal effort in their embarrassing 41-10 loss to the hotgarbage Bills before the bye. Days later, I still cannot fathom the pathetic team effort that we witnessed last Sunday.
It was a flat-out disgrace. It’s ridiculous that these guys actually got game checks. That’s what you call good ol’ fashioned thievery right there, folks.
Anyway, let’s move on. Nobody expects the Jets to beat the angry and well-rested Patriots next weekend, but is it too much to ask to play hard? Spoiler: No, it’s not.
It certainly looks, feels and smells like the Jets will be searching for a new head coach in six weeks, but it’s never too late to be a professional and play with pride. Bowles and his staff at least deserve that from their players.
2) When will Sam Darnold return?
The good news: The most important human being on One Jets Drive is out of a walking boot.
It’s incumbent team decision makers to be smart and not rush the kid back. Can you imagine if the rookie was thrown back in their at less than 100 percent only to reinjure his foot? Ugh. The mere thought is making me nauseous. The Jets were hopeful last week that Darnold would return after the bye, but they didn’t really know. Heck, Darnold probably didn’t even know.
Here’s what I know: If the guy’s foot is still sore, sit him. This isn’t an important game in the grand scheme of things.
3) Will Eli McGuire be unleashed?
Hey, when you got the next LaDainian Tomlinson on your roster, you have to give him touches, right? I kid, I kid. But it’s becoming clear that McGuire is the best running back on the roster at the moment.
Isaiah Crowell’s first (and probably last) season with Gang Green has been a dud outside of the season opener and his franchise-record setting 219-yard performance against the Broncos. His 4.8 yards per carry average this season couldn’t be any more misleading. Consider this: Crowell has averaged 2.6
yards per carry on 89 attempts in eight of 10 games. Real talk: That stinks.
McGuire has out-snapped Crowell since returning two games ago (68-42). Now, the Jets aren’t going to turn McGuire into a three-down back, but it’s fair to believe that he’ll be getting more touches than the 18 he’s had in two games.
4) Will we see more of the younger players?
Here’s the deal: If you don’t produce, take a seat. Bowles said that he’ll evaluate everything and everybody. There have been too many guys, who quite frankly, haven’t earned playing time because of poor effort or poor production. I think it’s reasonable to expect to see more of guys like Parry Nickerson, Nathan Shephard, Trenton Cannon and Frankie Luvu.
There have been concerns about Rashard Robinson’s ability to absorb the playbook (and adjust if need be), but he should get more opportunities as well if others (see: Trumaine Johnson, Mo Claiborne) falter.
5) How many more games will the Jets win?
If the season ended today, the Jets would have the No. 5 pick in the 2019 draft. The smart money is that Mike Maccagnan will be picking in that neighborhood when the season actually does end. The rest of the schedule is, well, sort of brutal. The Jets will only face one team with a losing record: The Bills. And I don’t need to remind you what Buffalo did to Gang Green, do I? (See: Answer to Question No. 1 for a refresher).
The Jets will face Tom Brady twice and Aaron Rodgers. They’ll have three road games. The Jets have proven that no road games are layups regardless of the opponent.
It’ll be a minor miracle if they split the final six games.