.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Dec 17, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) leaves the field in front of Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson (11) after sustaining an injury against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Here are five questions that the New York Jets must answer during the 2017 season.
The New York Jets are in the process of rebuilding. No, they don't talk about the season that way. The team talks about winning every year, despite what the team looks like. Bowles has even stated publicly that it is a realistic expectation for the Jets to make the playoffs in 2017 (per Andy Vasquez of NJ.com). He knows that the players have to get acclimated and develop chemistry, but once that happens, he believes they can win, even with younger players.
That is what he is supposed to be telling his team. He's not going to walk into the locker room and share the sentiment that they have no chance of winning. That would be great for team morale. But, we know what is really going on. When the team jettisons its veterans and turns the team over to a youth movement, they are building for the future. They are starting things over again, and all Jets fans know it.
Team owner Woody Johnson has stated that there is no playoffs of bust mandate for the coach, per the NY Daily News. The same owner that brought in Tim Tebow now understands that the team needs to make progress in other ways in 2017. So what are those other ways? How do we get value out of the 2017 season?
There are questions that must be answered in order to call 2017 a success. The answer doesn't necessarily matter. These are questions that need answers one way or the other. Here are the five, in no particular order.
Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Jets outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin (55) makes a diving interception during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Jets won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
5. Is there an edge rusher in the house?
Doesn't it just feel like forever since the Jets had a consistent pass rush off the edge? Muhammad Wilkerson was coming off of a 2015 when he became that guy, posting 12 sacks. However, he fell back down to Earth last year with a mere 4.5 sacks. Many now wonder if he was worth the money he was given last offseason. He just doesn't put up the numbers on a consistent basis, performing far better as a run defender than a pass rusher.
More from NFL Spin Zone
The edge has been noticeably missing during the NFL draft as well. The last time the Jets looked at an edge rusher early in the draft was when they selected Quinton Coples in 2012. This year, they chose Dylan Donahue in the fifth round, who has speed, but coming from a small school has a long way up to make this team.
Many eyes will be on Lorenzo Mauldin. He was selected in the third round of Mike Maccagnan's first draft in 2015. He was expected to make an impact off of the edge. He started to in his rookie year, recording four sacks as a situational pass rusher. Mauldin was supposed to take the next step and become a three-down linebacker last season. Unfortunately, he was a bit overweight and he took a step backwards, only posting 2.5 sacks.
Kevin Greene, Hall of Fame linebacker is taking over the positional coaching duties in 2017. Mauldin is excited to work with him. He came to camp 10 pounds lighter, and finally seems ready to become that impact player the Jets need.
In 2017, we will finally learn if that impact pass rusher is on the roster.
Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers reacts on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
4. Can Kacy Rodgers turn this defense around?
One man who is squarely on the hot seat — and when I say hot, I mean scalding — is Kacy Rodgers. The defensive coordinator saw his team fall apart last year. In 2015, the Jets were second in the league against the run. Last year, they were 11th. They dropped from 13th to 17th in pass defense over the two years.
The biggest difference was in points allowed per game. In 2015, the Jets defense allowed 19.6 points per game, last year it jumped to 25.6. To put it simply, there were times last year that the Jets defense couldn't stop a nose bleed.
They also stopped forcing turnovers, intercepting just eight passes in 2016, good for second to last in the NFL. They picked off 18 in 2015, proving once again that despite the increase in offenses these days, defense still wins football games. The Jets stopped turning the opposing offense over, and instead allowed big plays every time we turned around.
Many were surprised, including myself, that coach Todd Bowles invited Rodgers back for a third season. As he revamped the coaching staff, it was assumed that he was going to search for a new defensive coordinator. Rodgers is still in New York, but veterans like Darrelle Revis and Marcus Gilchrist are not. He still has David Harris to lead the defense, and hopes that Muhammad Wilkerson will do the same.
No matter who helps, the Jets have to figure out if Rodgers is the guy to lead the defense into the future. If not, it's time to go shopping.
Nov 13, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson (11) hauls in a long pass in front of Los Angeles Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines (33) in the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
3. How good are the Jets young wide receivers?
Last year, the Jets tried to roll the dice with a veteran core of players to make a run at a title. That included the wide receiver position, led by Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Unfortunately for Jets Nation, Eric Decker was lost early to injury, Marshall wasn't nearly as good as he was in 2015, and the Jets offense stalled for a good part of the 2016 season. Ryan Fitzpatrick lost the 2015 "Fitzmagic", and in his wake was a turnover machine.
That meant that we saw the young players in the latter part of the season. Guys like Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, and Charone Peake took the stage for the staff to evaluate. Enunwa took a major step forward with 58 receptions for 857 yards and four touchdowns. Robby Anderson flashed by posting 587 yards in just eight starts last year. The quarterback situation may have been in flux, but these players showed a great deal of potential and gave fans a lot to be excited about going forward.
Marshall is gone and the jury is still out on Decker. The Jets added two receivers in the draft, ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen. Stewart is more of an "H-Back" type of player while Hansen is more of a traditional outside guy. Enunwa is expected to move ahead and become a real leader for this group, but what about the rest of them? They have an entire season to show us what they can do. How good are they? Is this a group that the Jets can grow with, or do they need to re-think this depth chart heading into 2018?
Sep 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) and quarterback Christian Hackenberg (5) prior to action against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
2. Is there a potential franchise quarterback on this team?
Yes, this is the most obvious one. But, Jets fans everywhere know that this is by far the biggest question, and one that has been waiting for an answer for decades now.
Josh McCown was signed to a one-year, $6 million guaranteed contract (per Spotrac) to be the veteran "bridge" quarterback. He may very well start the season as the Jets starting quarterback. However, barring a miracle playoff run, if McCown starts all 16 games in 2017, it's a problem. It means that the last two quarterbacks selected in the draft were wasted picks.
The Jets must figure out what they have in Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. It has to happen. Many have written off Petty as a career backup. Personally, I believe he still deserves a real shot at the starting job here. His decision-making wasn't perfect, but that's a common problem with young quarterbacks. Petty was running for his life to the tune of 13 sacks despite starting only four games. He still managed to complete 56 percent of his passes. Don't count him out.
However, most of the eyes will be on the second round choice, Christian Hackenberg. He wasn't even dressed until the final week of the 2016 season, mainly because his accuracy left a lot to be desired. Rich Cimini of ESPN wrote about how a scout was even taken aback by his throws in warmups:
Accuracy is an issue for Hackenberg, whose adjusted completion rate (counting drops, spikes, etc.) was 64 percent in his final year at Penn State, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked 120th in the nation. The previous year, he was 104th. I talked to an opposing scout who studied him in pregame warmups for one game last season and was taken aback by how many off-target passes he threw.
If he couldn't get it done in warmups, can Hackenberg be trusted in games? He will get a real shot to prove his worth in 2017. The Jets have to see if something is there. They must figure out whether they need to go back to the well in draft or not.
Jan 1, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles coaches against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
1. Can Todd Bowles keep this team motivated for 16 games?
Coach Bowles was at the center of a lot of debate in 2016. There was a lot of speculation that he was on the proverbial "hot seat", and there was a faction of fans that believed he deserved to be fired after last season. After the team fell apart, fans wanted to see the team go in a new direction and jettison the current Bowles/Maccagnan administration. Woody Johnson did not listen to outside influences and gave the current coach/GM another chance.
There will be a lot of eyes on the head coach, however. The fans that wanted Bowles out had good reason. There were times in 2016 where the Jets looked interested. When they were down in games, the team appeared to check out. They had no fight left in them. If a team quits, much of that can be attributed to the head coach. Johnson didn't agree, so Bowles is back.
But this cannot continue. We have talked about the various ways the Jets can answer questions and make progress in 2017. It will all be for nothing if the team quits on Todd Bowles. If they don't fight until the end of every game this season, he must go. That is the final question they must answer, whether or not Bowles can keep this team from quitting when things aren't going well.
