The New York Jets Win, But At What Cost?

NFLJetsBen Jacob
Written By Ben Jacob

It was the moment all Jets fans were worried about for the back half of the season came. Once the team lost to the Raiders on a last second hail mary, it felt like divine intervention was involved to ensure the Jets finished 0-16. As fans, we kept going through scenario planning of what game we were most scared of that could cost us our chance at a generational talent in Trevor Lawrence. A win against one of the (supposedly) best teams in the NFC in the Los Angeles Rams was never on the radar for Jets fans rooting for a clear path to the number 1 overall pick.

Unfortunately, the overused phrase “any given Sunday” rang true, as the upset win of an Adam Gase coached team beating a Sean McVay coached team (with 10 days of preparation) does not and will not ever make logical sense.

Two conversations have ensued since the game and the Jets ability to control their own destiny for the top pick in the draft ended simultaneously.

The first is a question of fandom coming from players in the Jets organization. Mekhi Becton, the stud 21-year old left tackle who is on a path to become the best in the league in short time stated that “if you wanted us to lose, you’re not a real fan honestly.” It is understandable why players feel this way. These players are putting in work every day to improve and ultimately to win, and although morale can be low with leadership (or lack thereof) from Adam Gase, these guys are professionals. The argument for “rooting against your team” in this capacity has always been sacrificing short-term pain for long-term gain. No matter the sport, there will always be a disconnect of fans rooting for a tank and players fighting for what they get paid to do. Both sides can be understood and ultimately there isn’t a “right way” to be a fan. Players and fans want the same thing in the end: to win championships; when you are rooting for an incompetent franchise like the Jets, you have to think outside the box in terms of what ways you can get players or coaches that can be so good that even terrible ownership won’t affect their greatness. Trevor Lawrence appears to be one of those types of athletes to overcome external factors and now it looks like he will join the list of “what could have been” talents that never made it to New York.

 

The second conversation which will be discussed ad nauseam is where does the team go from here. Many factors went into the shocking upset win over the Rams, but the rookie performances stood out in highlighting once again that Joe Douglas seems to be capable of making the right decisions in evaluating talent. Becton is on his way to the top of the list for offensive tackles in the league, and proved this once again by dominating against the best defensive player in the NFL in Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd and other Rams defenders. Fifth-round pick Bryce Hall came up with a one handed interception and has been thrown into the fire since being activated on IR, he’s shown to be a serviceable player with some upside which is all you can ask for out of a late round pick. And then there’s punter Braden Mann, who has been the most active player (other than possibly Frank Gore) this season. He came up with the last minute tackle that altered the course of Jets history. These rookies along with others in Denzel Mims and Ashtyn Davis have shown flashes to give fans some ounce of hope with believing in Douglas to form a young core through the draft in the years going forward.

Quarterback is labeled the most important position in professional sports for a reason, and that is what will consume Jets twitter, radio, and more until the pick is announced in Cleveland on Thursday, April 29. Between Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and any other wild card QB prospect (look out for Mac Jones to be rising up the board), there will be many options to choose from as the next “project” for the Jets organization. The other option would be to take the best player at another position or trade down and build around Sam Darnold. It’s been a tumultuous relationship between Darnold and the Jets, and it seemed destined for a breakup. Now the door has been left open for almost any possibility. With the number 2 pick, the degree of difficulty for Joe Douglas goes up immensely in making the right decision about the future of the QB position on the Jets, how he wants to build around that player, as well as the coaching staff for the new season.

Although anything is possible and the pendulum could swing back with an unlikely win from Jacksonville, Jets fans currently find themselves in a familiar place: dejected, wondering why they root for a franchise that brings them to these emotional lows so often.

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Ben Jacob
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