By WILLIAM BOLOGNA
The New York Jets failed to live up to their expectations for the 2016 season following a hopeful 2015 season, finishing with a 5-11 record. While head coach Todd Bowles’ job remains safe, the Jets replaced a large majority of their positional coaching staff.
Following the retirement of former Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, the Jets hired former Saints wide receivers coach John Morton to replace Gailey as the offensive coordinator moving into 2017. Morton had success as a receivers coach in New Orleans, aiding in the production of many young, talented receivers, such as Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas and Willie Snead. Morton, a receivers specialist, proves to be a smart hire for the Jets, who possess Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson and Jalin Marshall, all young, talented receivers with potential to succeed in the NFL.
“It’s clear that the Jets are trying to rebuild” said lifelong Jets fan and season ticket holder, Mike Rossi, 50, Bronx. “As nice as it would be to win now, its going to take time and patience to build a new foundation to succeed with.”
Jets fans have come to realize that the team has a lot of holes, which were exposed last season, and that they will take time to fill. Going into next season, there doesn’t appear to be much light at the end of the tunnel quite yet for Jets fans, but that’s something they’ve grown to be OK with, knowing they are working on building for the future.
Todd Bowles Builds from Scratch
The Jets practically cleared house on positional coaching staff. Mick Lombardi, who worked as a quarterbacks coach in San Francisco prior, was hired as the Jets new quarterbacks coach, according to a report published on the official Jets website. Replacing running backs coach Marcel Shipp, according to NBC Sports, is Stump Mitchell, who has worked in the past with star running backs such as David Johnson, Shaun Alexander and Clinton Portis.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Jets hired Dennard Wilson, NBC Sports reports. Before joining the Jets, Wilson coached for the Rams, working with players like Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, E.J. Gaines, and LaMarcus Joyner. NBC Sports also reports that the Jets hired Robert Nunn as their defensive line coach. Nunn worked with the Giants defensive line from 2010 on, which proved to be strong during his years with the team.
With a bright outlook for the future with a new, accredited coaching staff, the New York Jets will also make efforts to
get younger and bring in more talent.
The Jets declined on their option to retain offensive tackle Ryan Clady, saving them $10 million according to nj.com. Clady, who is 31 years old, has been injury prone and playing at a level which does not warrant his $10 million salary. Another declining veteran is Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. According to Fox Sports, the Jets could save $9.3 million against their salary cap by cutting Revis, whose play has declined heavily this past season. The Jets are also rumored to be in the market for a “high-end corner”, making Revis expendable.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor will the New York Jets be. The Jets are going to take time to come into form. Many positions for the Jets remain as big question marks. Their secondary and linebackers struggled in 2016, and the quarterback position and the offensive line could also use some help.
It may take time to build the Jets back into a winning team, but the coaching staff and front office will have their work cut out for them this off-season, looking to patch some of these holes through free-agency and the draft in order to build a new, young core.
Great article. Very informative and offered a lot of insight into the Jet’s franchise, as well as the moves they’ve made in the off-season in an effort to rebuild the team. It’ll be interesting to see if their advances pay off, how long it will take to see improvement, and how the dynamic of the team changes with the new players and coaches being brought in.