David Tepper, Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers and Trevor Lawrence are in varying levels of disarray. Composite: Guardian design
New York Jets
Ownership: Culture is a nebulous term in sports, one of those know-it-when-you-see-it things, but few things are more evident than the Jets culture being rotten under Woody Johnson. They have not made the playoffs since the 2010 season, pirouetting from short-term fixes to visions of long-term rebuilds, without the patience to see the team through difficult spells. It is a short list of owners who would axe a coach five weeks into a season because they were maybe-possibly embarrassed in front of their friends, but if any owner would, it’s Johnson.
Coach: Bailing on Robert Saleh five weeks into the season is harsh. Since he took the head coaching job with the Jets, he has consistently fielded an elite defense despite a lack of any support on the offensive side of the ball. Still, there was some sense in the Jets’ decision. If you’re listing who is responsible for this season’s woes, then general manager Joe Douglas, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron Rodgers would be at the front of the queue. But the Jets cannot bench Rodgers and, given his close ties to the quarterback, firing Hackett was also not an option. Removing a general manager would not provide a spark, so moving on from the head coach may have been the only way to salvage the season.
Related: Aaron Rodgers denies ‘ridiculous’ claims he played role in Saleh’s firing
Quarterback: The Aaron Rodgers of today is not the Rodgers of his back-to-back MVP seasons in Green Bay. At 40 years old and coming off an achilles injury, he looks skittish in the pocket and is unable to conjure the kind of off-script magic that made him such a dynamic threat during his peak years.
Hope for the future: What future? With a 40-year-old quarterback, the Jets are operating on a year-to-year timeline. There’s no guarantee that Rodgers will return next season. If he…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jets-mess-not-most-hopeless-080033296.html
Author : The Guardian
Publish date : 2024-10-10 08:00:33
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