San Francisco 49ers

Jets vs 49ers: Q&A with The Jet Press

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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One of the great perks of the FanSided network is the ability to work with other great sites. Co-Editor Peter Panacy and I took advantage of this opportunity and engaged in a Q&A session with our counterparts over at The Jet Press leading up to the New York Jets-San Francisco 49ers matchup this Sunday. Here is what Luis Tirado Jr., The Jet Press Site Expert, had to say in response to our questions. You can find our responses over at The Jet Press.

Niner Noise: The Jets have certainly fallen on hard times after turning plenty of heads a year ago. What are the primary reasons to which you attribute this downfall, and what are the key areas in which New York has to address this offseason?

The Jet Press: It’s all about the quarterback for the Jets. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the biggest disappointment of the year and his abysmal play has had a ripple effect across the entire organization. The Jets defense has been a disaster due to a lack of execution and overall defensive scheming. The offseason can’t come soon enough as the Jets need to focus on bolstering up their aging and injury-prone offensive line, cornerback, and have clarity at the quarterback position.

NN: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the entire QB crop, has been under much scrutiny all year. While there is plenty of blame to go around, how do you see this situation playing out over the rest of the Jets’ remaining schedule and into the offseason? Do the Jets need to make some serious changes under center?

TJP: I don’t see Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith returning and the logical sense would be to have Petty, Hackenberg, and a cheap veteran quarterback compete for the starting job. The Jets need to stop starting washed up veteran quarterbacks and go with one of their young gunslingers.

NN: Colin Kaepernick showed some interest in possibly playing for the Jets last offseason. With him planning to opt out of his current deal with the 49ers, do you think New York would have any interest in bringing him in as a free agent? If so, is there a strong chance he’d start?

TJP: At the end of the day, it’s all about business. The Jets would be dumb to bring in Kaepernick since he’s nowhere near the quarterback he used to be and brings a whole lot of controversy with him. To have that potentially to be a disastrous situation in the city that never sleeps, I would think that smarter decisions would be made by the Jets to stay away from him completely.

Nov 27, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) throws a pass against Miami Dolphins during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

If they did bring him in, I don’t think he’d have what it takes to be better than Petty but again, if they paid top dollar for Kaepernick, it would probably be to give him the starting job as part of the deal.

NN: Todd Bowles is another one of those head coaches possibly on the hot seat this year. Is he the right guy for the job moving forward? If not, who would you like to see as a replacement?

TJP: Don’t believe what the media and most fans have been saying these past few weeks. Head coach Todd Bowles is indeed the right guy for the job but remember, it takes at least two to three years to establish a winning culture. Bowles is still fixing the whole Rex Ryan mess and hasn’t had a franchise quarterback to work with in addition to a younger/more aggressive team. If the Jets are smart, they keep him in place, tweak up his coaching staff to improve their offense/defensive secondary, and stay the course.

NN: Both the Jets and Niners are bad this year, although most would agree San Francisco is much worse. What’s the general consensus from the East Coast Jets fan base about how things are going with the 49ers and what needs to happen this offseason?

TJP: This has trap game written all over it. The Jets are lacking aggression, focus, and execution. Football fans can easily tell they don’t care when it comes to playing with heart and determination as there is a serious chance the 49ers will end their losing streak and beat the Jets. Just like us, most fans feel that you guys need a new quarterback and a plethora of faster offensive weapons for the whole Chip Kelly experiment to work.

NN: What matchups are you looking forward to in Week 14? Are there any players on the Niners roster who create concern or mismatches that might give San Francisco an edge? And how do the Jets go about trying to exploit the 49ers’ own weaknesses?

TJP: The only person that comes to mind is Kaepernick, to be honest. He’s a dual-threat quarterback and I expect him to go off against the terrible defense of the Jets through the air and ground. The Jets can beat the 49ers if they actually stick to running the football and try not to overload Petty with a ton of passing plays.