Operation Tank For Sam Darnold is Going Swimmingly For the Jets
By Jason McIntyre
Why is everyone surprised that the Jets are tanking by blowing up their roster? This is a shock … why, exactly?
We’ve been leaving a breadcrumb trail for months telling you how bad this team will be next season. Hell, we gave the inept Jets front office the offseason blueprint at the beginning of January! Tear down the whole damn thing, dump Revis (check), Brandon Marshall (check), trade Sheldon Richardson (they tried), dump David Harris (check).
In March, it became clear in free agency the Jets weren’t going to pay for anyone, and they didn’t.
From an NFL exec- "I think the Jets might have the worst roster I've seen in a decade."
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) June 7, 2017
In April, when we ranked the starting QB situations in the NFL, the Jets were 31st. And since the Browns drafted DeShone Kizer, they leapfrogged New York, who only signed Josh McCown.
When it was time for the 2018 NFL Draft on May 1st … the Jets were #1.
So that’s why this week, when the Jets dumped wide receiver Eric Decker, it didn’t come as a surprise. Folks: This is smart. You can’t half-rebuild and keep big salaries on the books for no reason. The Jets are tearing the house down to the foundation, and starting over. It’s going to take a couple years, but if they build correctly, they’ll have a great run.
As a longtime Jets fan, I’m accustomed to rough years. Who can forget the 1-15 disaster under Rich Kotite in 1996? That was supposed to get them Peyton Manning, but Bill Parcells botched that, Peyton stayed in school, and the Jets only ended up with Keyshawn Johnson.
Two years later: 12-4 and in the AFC Title game thanks to ancient Vinny Testaverde!
Herm Edwards had two great playoff wins, but his final 4-12 season was a disaster. Eric Mangini’s 3rd year started with Super Bowl aspirations when Brett Favre stunned everyone; it ended with a landslide of losses and missing the postseason.
And the Rex Ryan tenure featured back-to-back trips to the AFC title game, and it felt like greatness was upon the franchise … they haven’t made the playoffs since.
But this offseason is different. I’m enjoying this one. Significantly.