The Jets: A Rebuild with the Underdog Spirit

“Everything dies, baby that’s a fact. But maybe everything that dies, someday comes back.” – Bruce Springsteen, Atlantic City, 1982

The Jets have gone into full-on rebuilding mode. They’ve cut Brandon Marshall. They’ve cut Darrelle Revis. They’ve even cut Nick Mangold. Ryan Fitzpatrick has lost his right to start another game as a member of the Jets, and his backups aren’t much better. Geno Smith was once full of promise, but has suffered an injury almost every year he’s been in the league. Bryce Petty might be promising, but desperately needs an offensive line if he’s going to be any good. Christian Hackenberg hasn’t made his NFL debut yet, so I don’t really have too much to say about him. Matt Forte was once a great running back for the Bears, but now he’s getting a little long in the tooth. In short, their offense couldn’t score, and their defense couldn’t prevent scores this season. The Jets went 5-11 and could only win 2 games at home. It’s time for the Jets to rebuild. The NFL needs it.

The Jets have always lived in the shadow of the more historic and more successful New York Giants. When the Jets (originally the Titans, intended to symbolize they were bigger than the Giants) first started up in 1960, they played in the run-down Polo Grounds. The Giants however played at the much bigger, much nicer Yankee Stadium. The Jets always had the short end of the stick when it came to football fans in the New York area, as the Giants had dominated the football market in NYC and its surrounding towns since 1925. This changed however, with one of the most important Super Bowl games ever played: Super Bowl III. “Broadway” Joe Namath guaranteed the AFL victory in the Super Bowl against the NFL’s powerhouse team, the Baltimore Colts. Namath brought glory to the Jets, as the underdog of New York, and the underdog of the Super Bowl went on to find victory. This was one of the best years to be a football fan, as the AFL story came to a close on a high note. The AFL and NFL successfully merged, and the modern NFL was born.

Fast forward about half a century and you have the Jets today. Falling from stardom, they haven’t made a Super Bowl since the historic Super Bowl III. However, their fanbase is still one of the strongest in the NFL. The Jets have a lot of character as a franchise and do their best to please their fans, even if they can’t find a way to make the playoffs. The Jets symbolize the underdog spirit and express the genuine feelings of fans whether they win or lose. Sure, the Jets are rebuilding. However, rebuilding generally doesn’t take too long if you have the right people leading the ship. If Todd Bowles can repeat what he did his first season, with the help of GM Mike Maccagnan, it would be great for the NFL. The rebuilding of the Jets might be difficult, but this season showed that some players have a lot of potential.

The base for an offense for the Jets seemed to be there last season. Bryce Petty wasn’t too bad when he was protected, and Quincy Enunwa showed a lot of promise. Eric Decker is a solid veteran receiver and is expected to play next season. Matt Forte is a decent running back, with Bilal Powell also looking better every week. Now, if the Jets can find some decent, veteran offensive linemen, then their offense should be fully functional. However, while I’m not too worried about the offense, fixing the defense is going to be a little bit more difficult. Week in and week out, the Jets’ secondary would crumble to pieces. Part of this was due to the fact that in signing a 31-year old Darrelle Revis, they lost their ability to spend more on other defensive players. Too much was put on the shoulders of a single, aging cornerback, leaving some very confused-looking secondary players just watching as the ball sailed over their heads. With Revis gone, the Jets have a chance to sign a well-rounded, balanced secondary. If these pieces are added, the Jets have a chance to make a wild card spot like 2 years ago, and they will have the opportunity to further build upon the foundation they’re creating this year. The Jets and the underdog spirit will be great for the NFL, as more people would tune in to watch a competent underdog take on the likes of the World Champion Patriots twice a season, along with the rising Raiders and a well-built Broncos team. This will bring much more competition to the AFC East (which everybody honestly would love to see) along with bringing back the attention of a gargantuan New York market. Overall, I’m very excited to see the Jets start a fresh rebuild. It’d be great for everyone if the Jets were good again, and I look forward to their future.

Written by Rick Wronski