New York Jets Playing to Preseason Expectations

Take a moment and walk down memory lane with me to the end of this rant by former Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Dennis Green:

"They are who we THOUGHT they were!"

Keep that quote in mind.

There has been a lot of frustration floating around the New York Jets’ fan base after losing to the Bills Thursday night, and with good reason. As we discussed after the game, there were plenty of mistakes made by the Jets that cost them the game. There were too many dropped passes, questionable play calls, and opportunities the Jets couldn’t cash in on. The game was theirs for the taking, they just couldn’t take it.

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There has also been talk about some of the players and coaches. Some social media postings talked about firing Chan Gailey, and how bad Ryan Fitzpatrick is. There has been talk of the offensive line, and how with seven games to go, the Jets’ season is over.

Wait a minute. Think back to before the season started. Aren’t these New York Jets exactly who we thought they were?

Take a look at what some of the experts believed coming into 2015:

Rich Cimini of ESPN predicted an 8-8 record.
Eric Frenz of Bleacher Report was kinder, giving the Jets a 9-7 record.
Around the NFL actually had the Jets predicted to finish last in the division, although they didn’t publish a record.
Don Banks of SI also had the Jets missing the playoffs and finishing last in the AFC East.
Brian Costello from the NY Post went with 9-7.
Seth Walder of the Daily News also predicted that the Jets will finish 9-7.

This is just a sampling, of course, of the experts predictions. The resounding opinion was around 8-8 or 9-7, with a few that predicted worse.

The Jets are 5-4 after nine games, showing that they certainly are who THEY thought they were.

Most of the fan base believed that the Jets were a .500 team as well, and with good reason. Take a look at the team, realistically for a moment.

The two quarterbacks are an inconsistent Geno Smith, and a journeyman named Ryan Fitzpatrick that is smart and economical, but has never been a big winner anywhere. His record as a starter, entering the 2015 season, was 33-55. He has shown flashes, granted. But did anybody really think that this guy was going to lead this team to an 11-5 type of season?

"They are who we THOUGHT they were!"

The key members of the Jets’ offensive line, Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson, are not getting any younger. Neither are Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, all of the above being 30 years old or older. Is it any surprise that Cromartie is getting torched more than he used to be, and that Darrelle Revis isn’t perfect anymore? Is an imperfect offensive line shocking?

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They play well at times, badly at others, which is exactly how .500 teams perform.

Brandon Marshall has been terrific, but also has been credited with seven drops over the nine games, including a killer down the right side in the second half of the game against the Bills.

The Jets’ linebackers still have difficulty in pass coverage, including Demario Davis getting torched by Karlos Williams on a back-breaking touchdown during Thursday Night Football. Lorenzo Mauldin is a rookie, with edge pass rushing skill, but he can’t be expected to be an expert in coverage at the NFL level. They get exposed.

.500 teams get exposed, exactly what is supposed to happen with mediocre teams.

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The Jets have been able to beat the teams, for the most part, that they should, like the Redskins, Jaguars and Browns. But, when facing the better teams, they come up short.

Which is exactly how .500 teams perform, which is what everyone thought the Jets would be before the season started.

So, when talking and discussing the Jets, and the changes that need to be made, remember what Dennis Green said in that famous meltdown.

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