Rex Ryan got the boot this offseason and the Jets hired another defense-first head coach. Todd Bowles improved the Arizona Cardinals defense and turned them into one of the best in the league. Defense isn’t the problem in New York…it’s their piss-poor offense that will cause their downfall in 2015.
Quarterback Geno Smith will start the season on bench with a broken jaw. A linebacker teammate punched him during training camp after Smith refused to reimburse the teammate for travel expenses to an event Smith never showed up for. Here’s some advice, kids…don’t piss off someone whose job is to hit people for a living.
Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the New York Jets.
2014 Win/Loss Record: 4-12
Key Additions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Brandon Marshall, CB Darrelle Revis, RB Stevan Ridley, CB Antonio Cromartie, OT Corey Hilliard, ILB Erin Henderson, RB Zac Stacy, WR DeVier Posey, OT James Brewer, OG James Carpenter, DE Stephen Bowen, DE Kevin Vickerson, ILB Jamari Lattimore, ILB Joe Mays, CB Buster Skrine, S Marcus Gilchrist & QB Matt Flynn
Key Losses: WR Percy Harvin, DT Kenrick Ellis, CB Kyle Wilson, CB Phillip Adams, QB Matt Simms, FB John Conner, WR Greg Salas, ILB Nick Bellore, S Dawan Landry, RB Chris Johnson & QB Michael Vick
2015 Draft Picks: DE Leonard Williams, WR Devin Smith, OLB Lorenzo Mauldin, QB Bryce Petty, OG Jarvis Harrison & DT Deon Simon
Non-Division Schedule: AFC South, NFC East & (Cleveland/Oakland)
Fantasy Sleeper: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – We are not sure how long Geno Smith will be out and if Fitzpatrick starts out the season well, they may not bring Smith back at all. Fitzpatrick has had moments in which he looked like a franchise quarterback and would then throw three interceptions the next game. The Jets are stacked at receiver and they could make his time with the Jets much easier than other places he has been. He could be a nice late-round quarterback #2 option.
Projected Starters
Offense – QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Chris Ivory, WR Brandon Marshall, WR Eric Decker, WR Jeremy Kerley, TE Jace Amaro, LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson, LG James Carpenter, C Nick Mangold, RG Willie Colin & RT Berno Giacomini
Defense – DE Muhammad Wilkerson, DT Damon Harrison, DE Leonard Williams, LOLB Quinton Coples, ILB Demario Davis, ILB David Harris, ROLB Calvin Pace, CB Antonio Cromartie, CB Darrelle Revis, SS Calvin Pryor & FS Marcus Gilchrist
Team Analysis: The Jets are a hard time to analyze. They could either be 3-13 or even as good as 8-8. The reason they could possibly be a .500 team is strictly due to their defense. New head coach Todd Bowles is great coaching up defenses. The reason I think they will be closer to three wins is because of their instability at quarterback. I think they are a better team with Geno Smith on the sideline, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is so up and down as a quarterback. The defense could bail him out if he has a game with multiple turnovers, but that’s a lot to ask. The AFC East is a tough division this year and the Jets will have trouble staying competitive offensively in games. I just don’t see them winning more than a handful of games.
2015 Wins Over/Under Line: 7.5 (Prediction: UNDER)
2015 Projected Win/Loss Record: 3-13 (4th in AFC East)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.