Monday, November 6th was a day that I have experienced many times before. Wake up, go to work, rush through a workout, eat a quick dinner, and shower just in time to turn the TV on to watch the New York Jets play a critical, season-altering prime-time football game. “Huge game tonight”, I shout at my girlfriend as she walks in on me nervously pacing the living room in my Aaron Rodgers jersey as the Jets defense takes the field for the game’s opening drive. Just like my mom used to do when I was a kid, my girlfriend responds with her best attempt at feigned interest, “Go Jets!”. Knowing that she is listening from the other room, I howl a little bit louder than I normally do as the Jets’ suffocating defense forces an immediate three-and-out. She hoots back enthusiastically, and I appreciate the fact that even though she probably knows how this will end, she at least supports my delusion while it lasts.
Two hours later, my girlfriend is nowhere to be found and all life has been extinguished in the living room. Instead, I am stoically shattered on my couch. I have muted the once blaring TV, not out of courtesy to my girlfriend who is trying to sleep, but rather because I can no longer withstand the onslaught of derision that the game’s announcers gleefully hurl at my beloved franchise after each incompletion, penalty, and drop. I will go down with the ship, but dedicating one of my senses to the catastrophe is all I can bear.
No team is immune to the dreaded no-show on the occasional prime-time game, but this has become an annual tradition of impotence in crunch-time for the New York Jets. Last year, with the team sitting at 7-7, the Jets faceplanted on Thursday Night Football against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an eerily similar situation to the debacle that occurred on Monday night against the Chargers. Both games were played at home against a beatable, contending AFC opponent and most notably, in both games the Jets’ offense was insufferable to watch. Why has the Jets offense, as an entire unit, been completely undisciplined, incompetent, and unprepared in the biggest moments under Robert Saleh’s regime? There’s a list of potential reasons floating around out there: Zach Wilson, play calling, injuries, the offensive line, and wide receiver depth, just to name a few. I agree that all of these aspects of the Jets offense have contributed to the brutal product that has been showcased on Sundays, but how many of these are actually fixable right now with the current resources available? A glaring problem that I have witnessed that I believe is correctable at this very moment is the coach’s attitude towards his own offense.
Take these two quotes from Robert Saleh during his post-game press conference after Monday’s game. Regarding his defense he said, “It’s simple…they understand the task: get the ball as many times as possible regardless of the score, regardless of what’s happening on the other side. You get the ball back for the offense, period.” For the offense he said, “It’s all of our jobs to score: to make the right play calls, to make sure we’re doing all the little things, to not fumble the ball, to take care of the football, to get positive yards, it’s just all the little details.” Understand? For the defense: get the ball. For the offense: score by taking care of the football, getting positive yards, and focusing on the little details.
The two preceding statements provide some insight into how the Jets’ defense and offense have been playing so far in the 2023 season. The defense has been playing clear-headed, fast, and violent. They have gotten the ball. When they haven’t gotten the ball, they have at least gotten TO the ball. The Jets defense is thriving in it’s pursuit of a singular, simple goal. The offense, however, seems to be suffering from analysis paralysis by honing in too strongly on the “little details”. Nathaniel Hackett has devoted himself so strongly to getting positive yards in the field-position-battle that he will never deviate from a predictable run attempt on first down. Zach Wilson is so afraid of throwing an interception that he would rather take a sack, even on 4th down than throw a risky ball to one of his receivers. It has been drilled into him to take positive yards over a negative play so relentlessly that he will throw a checkdown even when the team needs 15 yards for a first down. The offense’s job is to score touchdowns. That’s it.
In addition to the lack of simplicity in the objective set for the offense, there is a noticeably different tone in the way Saleh speaks about the team’s two units. When he spoke about the defense he was assertive and direct. When speaking on the offense, he sounded like an understanding parent whose child gets called into school because their child has been playing hooky for ¾ of the school year. He said that his offense was “moving the ball early” and it was just “one of those games where every time we had momentum it’s just a self-inflicted wound”. Self-inflicted wounds are self-correctable. A more effective message would be something along the lines of, “I will personally make sure that the deficiency improves because what has been happening is unacceptable” delivered with some conviction. School principles and NFL owners don’t want apologies, they need solutions. The principal doesn’t want to hear about “little details”; the child is either present or he’s soon to be expelled.
If someone on that offense is preventing the whole unit from accomplishing their singular purpose of scoring touchdowns by repeating the same mistake more than once, then someone else on the depth chart should be given an opportunity. It’s nothing personal. This should be communicated to every coach and player in the locker room. This is true for all positions: quarterback, wide receiver, right tackle, etc. In addition to utilizing the entire roster, the Jets should get creative with the playbook. Put Breece Hall in Wildcat formation. Let Zach Wilson attempt some play action bombs to Garrett Wilson and Xavier Gipson on first down. How about some designed runs for the QB? Give Trevor Siemian a shot, if Wilson can’t get it done. This team has reached such a pinnacle of futility in scoring touchdowns that no potential solution should be considered too outlandish to try.
Furthermore, possessing a defense of the Jets’ caliber should be encouraging the offense to take more chances, not less. The Jets have been playing as if they don’t want the offense to lose the game for the defense. The one glaring problem with this strategy is that it is way easier to score points and, therefore, win the game when you actually have full control of the football. This mindset has eliminated virtually all risk from the team’s playcalling and quarterback’s decisions. They are afraid of big plays because those require risk. They’ve somehow created the equivalent of the prevent defense only for when your team has the ball – “Prevent Offense: No Big Plays, No Big Mistakes”. It’s time for Saleh to reassess his team’s offensive philosophy and apply his favorite mission statement that has undeniably fueled the defense’s success: All Gas No Brake.
After the loss to the Jaguars last season, Saleh said, “It’s not about playoffs right now…thinking playoffs is farfetched”. At that point in the season the Jets still had a chance, but Saleh chose to issue this declaration of surrender early. In doing so, the Jets offense squandered the chance at a playoff berth despite possessing a great defense and a stable of budding stars on both sides of the ball. An early surrender is out of the question this year. Aaron Rodgers is eyeing a potential return and doesn’t have a ton of mileage left at 39 years old. The Jets’ defense is elite – even better than last year. The Jets have two young studs in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall that can consistently break open games, if given the opportunity. This team is comprised of high character individuals who play extremely hard for Robert Saleh who, I believe (despite his team’s offensive shortcomings) is an extremely intelligent and effective leader capable of one day guiding this team to a Super Bowl. There’s simply too much at stake and too many assets on this team to allow the offense’s passivity and predictability to derail a second straight season. If you’re going to go down, at least go down swinging.