2015-16 NFL Preview: New York Jets

The Ultimate Sports Blog's

2015-16 NFL Preview

2014-15 Record: 4-12

Last Playofff Win: 2010 Divisional vs. New England Patriots

Last Playoff Appearance: 2010 AFC Championship vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Last Super Bowl Win: Super Bowl III vs. Baltimore Colts (1968)

Last Super Bowl Appearance: Super Bowl III vs. Baltimore Colts (1968)

Head Coach:

Todd Bowles (0-0 all-time in New York, 0-0 in playoffs)

Assistant Head Coach: Mike Caldwell

Offensive Coordinator: Chan Gailey

Defensive Coordinator: Kacy Rodgers

2014-15 Team Leaders:

Passing Yards: Geno Smith (2,525 passing yards, 59.7% completions, 13 TD's, 13 INT's, 77.5 QB rating)

Rushing Yards: Chris Ivory (198 attempts, 821 yards, 6 TD's)

Receiving Yards: Eric Decker (74 receptions, 962 yards, 5 TD's)

Tackles: David Harris (124 tackles)

Interceptions: Jaiquawn Jarrett/Darrin Walls (2 interceptions)

2014-15 Team Rankings:

Passing Offense: 32nd in NFL

Rushing Offense: 3rd in NFL

Points Per Game: 28th in NFL

Least Points Allowed Per Game: 24th in NFL

2014-15 Potential Starters:

Player Guide:

Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel


Offense:

QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick

RB: Chris Ivory

WR: Brandon Marshall

WR: Eric Decker

TE: Jeff Cumberland

C: Nick Mangold

OG: Willie Colon

OG: James Carpenter

OT: Breno Giacomini

OT: D'Brickashaw Ferguson


Defense:

DE: Sheldon Richardson

DE: Muhammad Wilkerson

DT: Damon Harrison

LB: Calvin Pace

LB: Quinton Coples

LB: David Harris

LB: Demario Davis

CB: Darrelle Revis

CB: Antonio Cromartie

FS: Marcus Gilchrist

SS: Calvin Pryor

2014-15 Schedule:

(September 13) vs. Cleveland Browns

(September 21) vs. @ Indianapolis Colts

(September 27) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

(October 4) vs. @ Miami Dolphins

(October 11) BYE WEEK

(October 18) vs. Washington Redskins

(October 25) vs. @ New England Patriots

(November 1) vs. @ Oakland Raiders

(November 8) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

(November 12) vs. Buffalo Bills

(November 22) vs. @ Houston Texans

(November 29) vs. Miami Dolphins

(December 6) vs. @ New York Giants

(December 13) vs. Tennessee Titans

(December 19) vs. @ Dallas Cowboys

(December 27) vs. New England Patriots

(January 3) vs. @ Buffalo Bills

Final Prediction: 6-10 (1-5)


Overlook: Welcome to New York, Todd Bowles. You've inherited a mess of a team. Just how big of a mess are the New York Jets? Well, let's just say it didn't take long for things to explode when the team arrived at training camp. By now, I'm sure you know the story of quarterback Geno Smith getting his jaw broken over an unpaid $600 tab to a linebacker who was subsequently released by the Jets a few weeks back. Yes, it was sad. Jets fans have all sorts of hope that Geno Smith is going to finally get "it" one of these days and turn his career around and become a decent NFL QB. Unfortunately, that day is never going to come and I'm here to tell you that the "SUCKER PUNCH HEARD ROUND THE WORLD" at Jets training camp a few weeks back was the best thing to happen to this team. Why was it the best thing to happen to this team? Because now Ryan Fitzpatrick takes over the QB reigns for Geno Smith and any NFL die-hard fan will tell you that Fitzpatrick is a much better NFL QB than Smith is at the moment and gives the Jets fans the best chance to win. Now, I'm not here to crown Fitzpatrick as the king of the NFL and declare him the MVP of the league, but I think fans in New York will quickly get over the Geno bust once the good ol' Harvard boy leads New York to a better season than they had any reason to have.

The good news for whoever the QB is for the Jets is, they will have some weapons to work with. Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are good wide receivers and are a better dual threat than a lot of other teams have to offer. The bad news for whoever the QB is for the Jets is....the offensive line is absolutely awful and the tight end position is disgusting. Seriously though. Outside of Nick Mangold (and maybe D'Brickashaw Ferguson), the Jets offensive line is filled with guys who would struggle to be back-ups in this league. I guess the Jets really do need Geno Smith to hurry up and recover from his injury, because I can't guarantee that whoever is playing QB is going to play a whole entire 16-game schedule. Good luck to you whoever you are.

Where the Jets are really going to shine is on the defensive side of the ball. I don't know if you've been paying attention, but the Jets have built an absolute dominating force on their defensive line. Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson are two of the best defensive ends in the league and even though Richardson has a suspension coming up that he must serve, the Jets will be fine considering they drafted the best defensive end in the NFL draft, Leonard Williams. I seriously feel for offensive lineman when they look up and see the New York Jets on their schedule. The Jets are also OK at linebacker, but I think they could use some improvements on the outside edges. The Jets also have quietly built up one of the best secondaries in the NFL as well. With the return of Darrelle Revis in town, New York now has Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine, and Dee Milliner at the cornerback position. That's just not fair.

Now, you may look at my win total for the Jets with 6 wins and think that's a little too high. I fully understand. This team offense is such a mess that I'm not sure they can put together enough points to muster up 3 wins this season. However, this defense has a reaaaaaallllllll good chance at returning to the nasty form it took during Rex Ryan's first few years. If the defense can play at a championship caliber and Ryan Fitzpatrick is capable of being the "game manager" he's been during his time in the NFL, than there's no reason the Jets couldn't win 6 games and maybe even flirt with a .500 record. In a league where your franchise QB gets his jaw broken over a measly $600, anything is possible. GO JETS!