NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The New York Jets lost a close game against the Buffalo Bills Monday night, woke up Tuesday morning, and said enough is enough? The trade went down and Davante Adams will be heading to the Jets, changing everything for the organization. It doesn’t matter if you like Aaron Rodgers or not, Woody Johnson wants a Championship and he’s going all in. There are no more excuses with this team.
Rodgers came to New York and was set to change the culture of football there. While things have not gone as planned, let’s be honest here, it’s only been a little more than a month. He didn’t play last season so he nor the Jets knew where the issues were. In 5 games this season, the issues are glaring their ugly head but they have shown themselves. This is a good thing. Now they know what needs to be fixed.
Robert Saleh is gone. OC duties have been handed over to Todd Downing and against the Bills, there was a difference in their offensive scheme. Yes, they lost the game and Rodgers is taking heat for that but that loss was not solely on Rodgers. Missed field goals, penalties, and too many damn dropped passes.
The stats of the game were great for the offense. Breece Hall broke out of his slump with 18 carries for 118 yards and another 5 receptions for 56 yards. Wilson snagged 8 passes for 107 yards and even Allen Lazard caught 6 passes for 114. But then you had players like Mike Williams dropping passes that either hit their hands or their chests.
But if all the blame on Rodgers is him not doing his job, then where is the talk about Greg Zuerlein the Kicker who missed 2 field goals that would have locked the game up for the Jets? Rodgers went 23/35 for 294 yards with 2 TDS and a late interception on a pass that Williams fell down on that would have been a completion to get them in FG range.
Now, the New York Jets decided that they had seen enough and a move had to be made. The defense is not as suffocating as it once was but they did hold the Bills to only 3 points in the second half. The offense failed the team. This is not the same Jets team from the first month of the season, the offense was clicking. No, they will not score every possession and that’s something that fans must understand
With the arrival of Davante Adams, the Jets now have what they didn’t know they were missing. Having an elite receiver is good but those winning teams, have at least 2 or 3. The Kansas City Chiefs are winning Super Bowls on the shoulders of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce but they did have Tyreek Hill at one point. The Philadelphia Eagles have AJ Brown and DeVonte Smith. The Minnesota Vikings have Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. It’s the same thing with the Cincinnati Bengals with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The New York Jets have Wilson but after him, it’s a hole. Mike Williams is not that guy and neither is Lazard. Yes, the OL sucks at pass protecting but then every defense knows that Rodgers is keying in on one receiver. With Wilson being double-teamed, that gives time for the DL to get past the OL. With Adams, Rodgers can get the ball out quicker. And with Hall returning to form, the Jets now have the piece that should have gone for this offseason. But with Rodgers not playing a game last year, they didn’t know what was missing.
So it all comes down as if excuses were being made when the truth is, this is their offseason. The first few weeks were tryouts. The blueprint for this team is written, now it’s time to make the proper adjustments and that’s what this trade for Adams is. There are no more excuses.
Rodgers needed a second option through the air. Hall and Allen are a force in the backfield. Yes, the hate for Rodgers is blinding folks from the bigger picture but the Jets bugger picture is the Super Bowl, and no more excuses.
