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New York Jets: More than just a quarterback needed for 2018

By Michael Pallas

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 02: Mike McGlinchey #68 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates as he leaves the field following a game against the Temple Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on September 2, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. The Irish won 49-16. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 02: Mike McGlinchey #68 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates as he leaves the field following a game against the Temple Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on September 2, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. The Irish won 49-16. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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The New York Jets need not fixate on the quarterback position in 2018, but should rather just build the team right, and good will come.

I know it’s New York, and fans of the New York Jets don’t want to hear this — but a quarterback isn’t something that the franchise should have tunnel vision about. Everyone wants things now, and can’t wait. They look at what others have and think, we could’ve had that. No, you couldn’t have. It would’ve been different if the Jets drafted Deshaun Watson, but how different? We will never really know.

Say what you will about the quarterback class of the 2018 NFL Draft and how it’s the second coming of the class of 1983, but it’s not. There’s a wider talent gap between Sam Darnold (who’s said to be the second-best quarterback of the class) and Baker Mayfield (the supposed number three in the class) than between Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson going into last year’s draft.

Also, when you look at the 1983 class, it wasn’t exactly all roses. Yeah, there were three quarterbacks from that class that went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but it also produced two of the greatest quarterbacks to never win the Super Bowl, Jim Kelly (0-4) and Dan Marino (0-1). Also, they combined to lose their first eight.

When Mark Sanchez led the Jets to consecutive AFC Championship Games, he had a good team around him. They had Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Ladanian Tomlinson on offense, and the defense had Antonio Cromartie, Darrelle Revis, Bart Scott, David Harris, and Shaun Ellis.

The thing about football is the premise of winning hasn’t changed. Winning big games is about the offensive and defensive lines. Until the Jets fix those they will never win. It doesn’t matter who you put behind center. Eventually, having a bad offensive line will catch up to you, and if you can’t get after the opposing quarterback, good quarterbacks will eat you alive in the playoffs.

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The Jets can draft Baker Mayfield or Josh Allen if they want to, but it still doesn’t help them with two of their biggest pressing issues. They can’t protect the quarterback, and they can’t get after the opposing quarterback. Those are the things they need to focus on either before they take a quarterback, or immediately after — but preferably before.

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