Jets Nation, Please Calm Down

Jets fans, Jets media…it’s time to relax. I know there hasn’t been much to cheer about this season. I know it’s been a major disappointment. I know the most interesting thing to argue about on talk radio has been the decisions around the back-up quarterback situation. But let’s face it, if you’re arguing about who the back-up quarterback should be or should have been entering the season, you’ve already lost the battle and your season is already over.

That’s exactly what happened with the Jets. Their 2023 season, for all intents and purposes, ended after 4 offensive plays. Aaron Rodgers’ injury was a freak incident. Terrible luck where no one was at fault. So let’s not over-react. The Rodgers experiment hasn’t failed. It hasn’t even been conducted. The Jets don’t need sweeping changes. They don’t need to fire the head coach or the GM or the offensive coordinator. That would be an emotional and ill-advised move (although I wouldn’t put it past the Jets).

Because let’s be clear about this - If Aaron Rodgers had been playing all season, things would be much different right now. The Jets would undoubtedly be at least 8-4 instead of 4-8. Don’t believe me? Let’s walk through some of their losses.

A bad Patriots team beat them 15-10 at home in Week 3. Zach Wilson completed just 50% of his passes for 157 yards. Do you really think Rodgers wouldn’t have done better? Do you really think he wouldn’t have led this offense to more than 15 points against New England?

The Jets followed that up with a loss to the Chiefs by just 3 points. Their final drive of the game ended because Wilson dropped a shotgun snap. That just wouldn’t have happened with Rodgers. I don’t know how you could argue that he wouldn’t have been worth at least 4 points more than Wilson on that night.

Speaking of which, the Jets lost by 4 points to the Raiders in Week 10, only scoring 12 against a defense that is average at best. As they drove for the go-ahead score in the final minutes, Wilson made a critical mistake and fired an interception on a basic play with a basic read. It was a throw that a 19-year veteran would not have made.

And then last week, the Jets scored just 8 points and lost by 5 against a Falcons defense that currently ranks 25th in DVOA.

Those are four easily identifiable wins. And it’s hard to think that the Jets wouldn’t have been more competitive or won at least one of their other 4 blowout losses. A big part of some of those blowouts were offensive mistakes and the defense being on the field way too much. In case you were wondering, the Jets are the worst 3rd-down offense in the NFL this season, and they entered Week 14 with the 2nd lowest average time of possession in the league.

I’ll ask again, do you think any of that is just a little different with Rodgers under center?

The Jets didn’t bring in Nathaniel Hackett to be the offensive coordinator because he’s supposed to have an innovative system or the ability to turn a bad quarterback into a good one. He was brought in to pair with Aaron Rodgers, implement his offense, teach it, and run it.

That’s not a bad thing. Familiarity, trust, and the ability to work together, are key components of the QB-OC relationship. I know it looks bleak right now. I know it seems like Hackett has no clue. But you don’t have to look too far to see and believe that this would have worked (and still can work) with a healthy Rodgers.

Just think back to Adam Gase. Jets fans probably remember him for his inability to develop a young QB or run a functioning offense while he was the head coach from 2019-20. Sound familiar?

Well, don’t forget that he was the Broncos offensive coordinator in 2013, which was the year Peyton Manning broke every major single-season passing record. Offenses and offensive coordinators look a lot different when you have a Mount Rushmore quarterback running things.

That’s what the Jets have in Rodgers. Hackett’s lack of success without him isn’t an indicator that things would still be terrible with Rodgers.

Wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb were brought in for the same reason that Hackett was. Neither was expected to be a game-changer, especially without Rodgers playing. They were brought in because of their familiarity with him and the system. They have in-game chemistry with him. They know how he wants routes run in various situations. Rodgers can’t be everywhere at once, so having receivers who can cascade his message and the nuances of the system was a critical and smart move.

Of course, all these decisions look bad without Rodgers playing. But as far as we know, he’ll be back next year with a full offseason to work on his game instead of rehabbing, and a rested body that didn’t have to deal with the wears and tears of the season (outside of his Achilles).

None of this means the Jets don’t have to make any changes. They absolutely have to address the holes on their roster.

The offensive line is obviously the number-1 area that needs to be fixed. They were a question mark coming into the season, but injuries have also taken a huge toll. They’ve started 10 different offensive linemen and used 13 overall so far. Do you know of many teams in the NFL that have a good 10th, 11th, 12th, or 13th offensive lineman?

The Jets could also use more play-makers at the skill positions. They’ll likely be in decent position to select an impact player in the first round of this year’s draft barring some kind of unforeseen turnaround in the next 5 weeks. Could someone like Marvin Harrison Jr. be in play?

Each of these are areas that absolutely need to be addressed. But firing the GM or making major changes to the coaching staff would be a huge mistake. If you bring in a new head coach, you’re likely bringing in someone with a different philosophy on defense. This group is filled with players in year 2 or 3 in Robert Saleh’s system, and they’ve been very successful with it so far. The more they play in it, the more continuity they’ll have, and the better they’ll be. Changing course now would bring with it a learning curve and the risk of regression.

A new head coach would also bring a new offensive coordinator and/or a new system. Do you really want to do that with Rodgers? Do you really want a 19-year veteran learning a new system and terminology? Conversely, if your answer to that is to bring in a new coach and coordinator but run the same system, my question would be, what’s the point?

When New York traded for Rodgers, they weren’t doing so with the HOPE that things would work in the short-term while planning for 5 years down the road. This was a move that needed to be complemented with a win-now all-in approach. That would include avoiding transition years with new systems, coaches, and large roster turnover.

And that’s how they should continue to behave, at least until we know Rodgers won’t be coming back or if he comes back for a year and this team is still not very good. Barring another injury, I highly doubt that would happen.

Bottom line, reacting emotionally is the worst thing anyone can do in a critical situation (See the world, 2020). It’s too early to abandon ship. Let’s see how things shake out in 2024 after the Jets have hopefully added more beef up front and more talent at the skill positions.