Optimism often wouldn’t be the primary phrase that involves thoughts for a staff that completed 4-13 final season. But that’s exactly how the Jets really feel coming into the 2022 season.
“I still believe we’re going to win championships here,” head coach Robert Saleh mentioned. “I feel once you take a look at Joe [Douglas] and his workers and the way in which he communicates with us as a training workers, our course of is simply too good. I feel the gamers that we’ve introduced in are product of the fitting stuff.
“The way this organization communicates, the way Woody [Johnson] and Christopher [Johnson] give us whatever we need in regard to player acquisitions and being in this building and their support, it’s too good for this not to work. Just really excited again to continue to build this roster and develop these young men and live up to the promise that we made when we first got here.”
It isn’t simply lip service from the group. The Jets are definitely younger and have the longest playoff drought within the NFL (2010), however they’ve immensely improved their roster from a yr in the past.
“I think we have a pretty intriguing group of youth and veteran presence, Douglas said. “Adding guys like C.J. [Uzomah] and [Tyler] “Conk” [Conklin] and [Jordan] Whitehead and bringing in a man like Duane Brown in right here to associate with all of those first, second, third-year gamers, it’s a fairly cool group of youth and expertise.”
After being abysmal on each side of the ball final season, including extra expertise was needed. Offensively, the staff drafted vast receiver Garrett Wilson together with operating again Breece Hall, who will complement receivers Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, and operating again Michael Carter. They additionally signed guard Laken Tomlinson in addition to Brown to assist fortify their offensive line.
Gang Green improved on the defensive aspect of the ball by deciding on Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner with the No. 4 total decide in April’s draft. They beefed up their line of defense by including Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons within the first and fourth rounds. That’s to go alongside Carl Lawson who’s getting back from an Achilles tear he suffered final yr, Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers, and Mosley.
The roster has had such an overhaul that linebacker C.J. Mosley mentioned the playoffs are a “realistic goal” for the Jets in 2022.
“We just have to make sure we are doing the things we have to do to get better every day,” Mosley mentioned. “We just have to continue to get better and sharpen our craft. It’s a long road to the playoffs, so we just have to take it day-by-day and get better every day.”
Gang Green has roster depth, one thing that the staff couldn’t say in earlier seasons. Because of the depth at sure positions, Douglas and Saleh needed to reduce a whole lot of guys that in all probability would have made their staff a yr in the past.
This has led to different groups claiming a variety of the Jets’ former gamers after necessary roster cuts to 53 gamers Tuesday.
“I think it’s a cool thing that Robert [Saleh] always says when he’s talking to the team and again, I’ve referenced his team meetings and how great they are,” Douglas mentioned. “But when he’s showing clips and he’s talking about mentality and mindset and what it’s supposed to look like and the strain, the effort and look, your teammates see it, your coaches see it.”
If the nationwide notion across the Jets goes to vary this yr, it can come right down to the quarterback place. Zach Wilson regarded like a typical rookie quarterback, particularly early within the season, as he threw for two,334 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Gang Green doesn’t want Wilson to be like Patrick Mahomes. However, the Jets must see him make higher selections with the soccer and remove the turnovers that plagued him a season in the past. They additionally must see indicators that Wilson can turn out to be their franchise quarterback for the following decade-plus.
“I think we’ve talked about him coming back at the end of last year and the jump he made,” Douglas mentioned. “He was having that very same degree of development all through OTAs, all through coaching camp.
“I know you guys were here. I’m sure he would like to have that first series back in the Philly game, but he was getting back into rhythm and showing all of those traits and the progression that he had made in that second series before the injury. We have seen tremendous progress from Zach.”
The coaches really feel otherwise about this yr’s staff, and so do the entrance workplace and the gamers. Now, all it’s left to do is show it on the sector. Talk is affordable and the Jets haven’t received a sport in opposition to an AFC East foe since 2019. It all begins with being aggressive in their very own division earlier than beginning the speak of playoffs.
Before turning into the coach of the Jets, Saleh was the defensive coordinator with a rebuilding San Francisco 49ers staff that reached the Super Bowl in Kyle Shanahan’s third season on the helm.
In 2018, the 49ers received 4 video games. In 2019, they completed with a 13–3 document, successful the NFC West division title earlier than dropping to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. No one is predicting the identical success for the Jets after 4 wins final yr.
However, it is a younger core that has the expertise to ultimately flip the nook very like the 49ers did when Saleh was there.
“So, to draw similarities, I don’t want to compare anything to that group,” Saleh mentioned. “I do assume that now we have a very cool group of fellows. Just like these Niners groups, you’re going to see some guys come to fruition and are available to gentle like, ‘Holy cow, that dude’s a playmaker. He’s a game-changer.’
“It’s going to be really fun to see which one that is out of this group because I know they’re here. It’s going to be fun to see which one it is.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com