Much like the New Jersey Turnpike, the New York Jets have stunk for years, and none of the ride has been comfortable or smooth.
Next time you’re in the Garden State, open a window near exit 13 on the turnpike, I promise it won’t disappoint. If the stench doesn’t knock you out, surely a pothole on the road will, although residents were assured that would no longer be a problem after raising the gas tax, but I digress.
Whether you’re changing a tire or waiting for AAA, take a moment to admire the beauty of those New Jersey swamps. Hey, they don’t call it the Meadowlands for no reason.
For those that don’t know, the Jets actually reside in New Jersey, but wear “New York” across their chest on game days, because who doesn’t love money? The almighty dollar will always win out in the end.
Only one place to go
It is said that once you hit the bottom, there is only one place to go. Up. The Adam Gase years were rock bottom for the Jets and it still impresses me to this day that HBO didn’t take the opportunity and put that disaster on “Hard Knocks.”
Yet they finally pushed forward, moving on and hiring Robert Saleh, whose shiny bald head might as well say, “Rub for good luck,” like a Buddha’s belly. The problem with the Jets has always been personnel and staff, two key areas for success in this business, but perhaps even worse, they just don’t know how to fly.
The Jets wish they could fly, but the ink hasn’t even dried on the learner’s permit yet. They have a young team that will one day, maybe, get off the tarmac and start taxiing to the runway, but until then, they remain grounded. Unless someone comes along and starts tying a bunch of balloons to the plane, like a certain famous movie once theorized.
In 2021, quarterback Zach Wilson wasn’t great, or even good, and was downright ugly at times. However, he figured it out as the season went along and began to find his footing in the league. Riding high off a final stretch that saw him improve almost across the board, expectations grew for 2022, until a poor decision in a preseason game led to an unfortunate injury that will keep him out until Week 4 at the earliest.
Of course, Wilson wasn’t the only problem, as the defense also ranked bottom third in the league. In the end, not much went right for last year’s version of the Jets.
Signs of life?
The Wilson news is bad, but there is plenty of young and exciting talent on this team. Whether it’s receivers Elijah Moore and rookie Garrett Wilson, or rookie running back Breece Hall, the Jets might be in a position to score points and a lot of them too.
On defense, they revamped a secondary that was desperately in need of some varsity talent. They drafted one of the most exciting prospects in cornerback Sauce Gardner, while signing former Seahawk D.J. Reed to play opposite him. Saleh’s defense will also see the return of defensive end Carl Lawson, who missed all of last season due to a Torn Achilles.
It’s a sign that this leaky defense may not be taking on as much water anymore. During final roster cuts, depending on when you start counting, the Jets had about seven players claimed on waivers. That alone is an accomplishment for a roster that couldn’t even field 53 professional football players as recent as one year ago.
That may not seem like a big deal, but it’s these small victories that need to be noticed in Florham Park.
The Jets through the betting lens
Here’s a fun special that it’s a shame no sportsbook wants to offer, because I’d love to know what the odds would be. The Jets to win a game in September.
For reference, the Jets haven’t won a game in September since Sam Darnold’s debut in 2018 and have opportunities against the Ravens, Browns, and Bengals this year to change that.
It’s almost hard to believe that just a few short months ago, this same team was one of the most heavily bet teams to go over 5.5 wins. How quickly things change, right? Now they are saddled with injuries to their starting quarterback and multiple offensive tackles.
Nonetheless, look for this year’s Jets to be less of a paper airplane and more like the cheapest motorized one you can buy at the store. Is it great? Absolutely not. However, it’s a step in the right direction.
Maybe Gardner becomes the shutdown corner the team hopes to have drafted. If the preseason was any indication, he’s in for a good year after going through the preseason without being targeted once. Not bad. With that in mind, +1400 on FanDuel for Defensive Rookie of the Year is great value.
BetBasics Best Bet
We head over to DraftKings where we look at Elijah Moore’s receiving total. 800.5 cannot possibly be a serious line here. Look up “free money” in the dictionary and there’s no doubt in my mind that it says, “Elijah Moore over 800.5 receiving yards.”
There might be one of those fancy lock emoji’s after it, but my memory is a tad fuzzy there. Here’s the case. Moore finished with 538 yards in his rookie year, despite playing in only 11 games, starting in six. He will be receiving passes from the veteran quarterback Joe Flacco for at least the first three weeks.
Moore’s best game of 2021 came with Flacco in November when they played the Dolphins. He finished with eight catches on 11 targets, 141 receiving yards, and a touchdown. As long as he stays healthy, the Jets’ best receiver will go over this total by Thanksgiving.
The Jets might be the NFL’s proverbial punching bag, and mostly for good reason. They always bring it on themselves. Odds are, they won’t make the playoffs again this year, which would stretch the longest playoff drought in the sport to 12 seasons. It’s very rare this team gets anything right, but for once, the point can be made that the ship plane is pointed in the right direction.
For now, they just have to focus on winning a game in September. Then a division game for the first time in two years. Then maybe we can consider flying, but until then, this plane remains grounded.