The armchair, Monday morning GM's love to constantly criticize JD. And on some small things or transactions they may be right. But the total transformation this team from 2019 up until now is truly great. Nothing short of great. There will probably be posters that respond to this thread with both guns blazing, but any real Jets fan will know that's just more jibberish from people that claim they knew how to do it better. 2019 Starters Offense Sam Darnold QB Leveon Bell RB Robbie Anderson WR Jamison Crowder WR Demaryius Thomas WR (RIP) Ryan Griffin TE Kelvin Beachum LT Alex Lewis LG Jonathan Harrison C Brian Winters RG Brandon Shell RT DEFENSE Henry Anderson LDE Steve McLendon LDT Quinnen Williams RDT Jordan Jenkins LLB James Burgess MLB (After Mosley went down) Neville Hewitt RLB Nate Hairston LCB Daryl Robert's RCB Jamal Adam's SS Marcus Maye FS Brian Poole DB 2022 Starters Offense Zach Wilson QB Breece Hall RB Corey Davis WR Elijah Moore WR Garrett Wilson WR CJ Uzomah TE Duane Brown LT Laken Tomlinson LG Connor McGovern C Alijah Vera-Tucker RG George Fant RT DEFENSE Carl Lawson LDE John Franklin-Myers LDT Quinnen Williams RDT Jermaine Johnson RDE Quincy Williams LLB CJ Mosley MLB Kwon Alexander RLB DJ Reed LCB Ahmad Gardner RCB LaMarcus Joyner SS Jordan Whitehead FS The talent level is literally night and day. JD has done a magnificent job transforming this roster. He's also managed to get the Jets financial house in order also as the Jets have the very least amount of dead cap space in 2022.....
It’s now time to start winning games. Building means absolutely nothing if you can’t put up the wins.
That's the absolute bottom line. The bar is already low for this team... they need to exceed expectations for once.
What’s crazy is that the other teams around them have also improved. We have this team in 2019 we have a shot to sneak in the playoffs, now everyone is picking us to have 5 wins.
There's a lot more to building a team than putting names on a roster. You need to build synchronicity between the players on each of the levels of the offense and defense and then you need to put all of those levels together. The Jets have not done this on either side of the ball since 2015. Neither the offense nor the defense function as more than individual parts and there's always a part injured or out of sync and that further hurts the effort. You need to have systems that players understand and where their efforts add to the whole instead of having their errors subtract from it. You need to either have players that adapt well to what you are trying to do or you'd better be ready to adapt the systems to what the players are capable of. Rah-rah losers expect their players to be able to perform like trained seals in whatever system they want to run. Winners work relentlessly towards matching the systems to the players so that they can maximize the performance out of whatever assets they have on hand. This team is no closer to being competitive than any other Jets team since 2016. All JD has done is create some flashing lights and mirrors in the off-seasons to help sell tickets. It's not that he hasn't added talent. It's that talent alone means nothing in the NFL if the off-the-field effort does not support it and the Jets are probably the worst team in the NFL at creating a framework for their players to succeed.
The team has gone 7-9, 2-14, and 4-13 during his first three years. The results have to improve soon or he'll be out.
Nice post. If I could amend one word from your last sentence. You stated that the jets fail to create a framework for their players to succeed. True enough, but I think they fail to even create a framework or mindset to COMPETE! It seems like every year the jets lose most of their first 8 games. Nearly every game they are behind double digits are halftime. Whether its coaching or the players they acquire, they seem never ready to compete from the opening whistle/games on the schedule. Even preseason of 2022, whether starting the 1st string or 2nd, they sleepwalked thru the first half. They "relied" on 3rd stringers to bail them out at the end. A few years ago on the opening kickoff of game 1, the jets returned the ball to about the 40, but scrub Daniel Brown was caught holding and the ball was placed back to the 9. So typical. The New York jets just seem unready/unmotivated/unprepared to compete/play/succeed until half the game and then half the season is over with. Don't understand it. Hope it changes this year.
There is little doubt that we have improved by leaps and bounds player personnel wise. That’s a fact, not just some list of names. But we are coming from so far behind while the competition is still improving. The final proof is still TBD and will be cemented by wins and losses. I sure as hell expect this team to be competitive on every game and show serious progress. I think JD has done a stellar job with the players, but what about the coaching staff. That is still quite an unknown. Saleh is a motivator and fully supported by his players, but can he create the infrastructure and game system to make us a winner. Being a player coach and being a winning coach are not synonymous. This year should tell us plenty. I’m hopeful, but cautious, at the same time look forward to this season with joy, and flat ass refuse to accept the nonsense that is all smoke and mirrors and we are no further along than we were in the past and the doomsday statements of fact about our future failures without having even played one freaking game yet this season. I have a terrible theory that we have a few fans just waiting patiently in the shadows hoping for the season to get going in the wrong direction so they can proclaim …told you so. Hope I’m dead wrong because being a fan means to me always hoping for success. If we don’t have at least some hope then why even waste our time.
Capable means nothing without results. I will be the first to sing praise to JD once we start winning. Until then, it’s time to put up or get the hell out of NY.
Excellent post. I might not share your lack of enthusiasm and will always look at the potential good, but you make a lot fair/great points that even the most optimistic fan can agree on. In the end this team has to turn the corner and win some freaking games to vindicate all of these high flashy picks and free agent signings.
This topic is straight from the Bizarro World. Make all the lists you want but Joe Douglas holds the worst record for all Jets General Managers since Rich Kotite, and it's not even close - the record is what determines success in the NFL, not "small things like transactions." Twenty-seven years of lousy football and Douglas has put up the worst record in that time but you want to put him above criticism? Get in touch with reality - you are what your record says you are! And the record says nothing at all about transforming a roster and there is no trophy for lowest dead cap space. There is nothing "truly great" about 13 - 36 and that's what Joe Douglas is. It may be too early to close the book on Joe Douglas but to attempt to short circuit any discussion is ridiculous.
I have no problem with optimists or pessimists. But to start a thread with a personal attack right in the title is unacceptable and should have no place in this forum.
i understand this thought process, but was his record going to be good coming into the fire and shyt storm he did? People say he has a horrible record during this time. He hasn’t even been able to get all of his players and scheme going because of the ownership pulling strings and letting past GM draft before firing him. Who does stuff like that? He came in with a average roster had to tear it down and literally build ground up and it’s still gonna take some time I think. Not saying I don’t want progress but not all of it lies on JD. Coaching needs to turn these players into stars and the ownership needs to stay out of football related stuff
There is no discussion because blinkered people only see W's as the only thing they are going to judge him on, and you're entitled to do so. If we were having true discussion these people would be able to admit that JD has brought about unprecedented levels of actual professionalism to the GM role something not seen at 1 Jets drive for a very long time. but but but his record is 13-36 and that is what he is. And that is why there is no discussion only derision from either side.
Joe Douglas has really built this roster. Great young talent at the skilled positions. Time will tell but it's hard to win games in the off season. He was hired to build it and has done it. The Jets are lucky to have him.