It’s that time of year again and fans across the country can finally rejoice. The NFL season officially kicks off next week and each of the 32 NFL teams will start 0-0, each with an equal chance to kiss the Lombardi trophy. The New York Jets open their regular season against the Oakland Raiders at home on September 7th with one goal in mind: a trip to Super Bowl XLIX. The Jets seem equipped to do so as they trimmed their roster down to the league mandated 53 players.
The Jets only have two quarterbacks on the roster after preseason 2014: Geno Smith at QB1 and Michael Vick as his mentoring backup. With only two quarterback slots available, the Jets cut Tajh Boyd and Matt Sims. Tajh Boyd, who was called ‘The Used Car Salesman” around camp for his power of conversation, was drafted in the 6th round by the Jets and wanted by Rex Ryan. The former Clemson star had a weak training camp and an unimpressive preseason, showing the true brutality of this league and that no one is safe from the brutal axe of roster cutting. Matt Sims had a nickname of his own around camp as he was deemed “Mayor.” Sims earned his nickname by giving each and every fan his undivided attention after every practice or team event. Several times after practice Sims would be the last one on the field, making sure everyone got what they wanted and that every fan was left content. The son of Phil Sims looked sharp in camp, and had solid preseason stats with a combined 29-49 for 323 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions in three games played. Had the Jets taken 3 quarterbacks this season on the 53 man roster, it’d be hard to argue against Matt Sims for the 3rd string quarterback position. However, Sims did stay with the Jets on the practice squad.
The Jets made some surprising moves at the wideout position as well, cutting Stephen Hill and Clyde Gates who were both active parts of the 2013 team. These cuts leave the projected receiving core to be Eric Decker at WR1, David Nelson at WR2, and either Greg Salas or Jeremy Kerley at the WR3 position. Being a dark horse for a spot on the roster, Greg Salas earned a shot at the WR3 job as he impressed at the Green vs White scrimmage. Leading the receiving core in yards, Salas had a good preseason showing with 5 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown in three games of action.
At running back the Jets predictably kept the two dreaded monster made up of Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory, as well as Bilal Powell. Alex Green and Daryl Richardson were also cut from the team. Chris Johnson looked healthy over the course of preseason which is a good sign moving forward as Ivory and Powell were both banged up during training camp. Chris Johnson totaled 23 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown on the ground along with 6 catches for 52 yards, so there is reason to be optimistic about Johnson, a player who has battled knee injury but has rushed for over 2000 yards in one season during his career.
On defense the Jets did a lot of shuffling around in the secondary cutting 5 defensive backs: Brandon Dixon, Rontez Miles, Johnny Patrick, Dimitri Patterson and Jeremy Reeves. With Dexter McDougle out for the year and Dee Milliner still in question for the opener, the Jets have some undeniable question marks in the secondary. An interesting move for Gang Green could be to sign recently released veteran Champ Bailey. Bailey was released by the Saints when they trimmed their roster to the 53 man league limit on August 30th. Champ would be a solid addition, assuming he’s healthy enough, as the Jets could use some experience in their back 4.
Besides the above mentioned cuts on offense, there weren’t many other surprises when it came to cutting the defensive roster as the front seven is pretty set for the New York Jets. Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson will be on either side of Damon Harrison up front while Quinton Coples and Calvin Pace will predictably take the outside linebacker jobs. David Harris and Demario Davis will be on the inside with Harris acting as the “Mike.”
One word to describe the 2014 New York Jets is “potential.” They’re still a young squad, even though it feels like the young studs Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson have been in the league for years. An 8-8 finish last season gives a lot of promise going into the 2014 season but everything rests on the shoulders of Geno Smith and how he performs. A lot of pressure falls on the former Mountaineer because it’s no secret that he has a more than capable replacement behind him in Michael Vick. Geno Smith struggled as a rookie in 2013 throwing for 3,046 yards with an abysmal touchdown to interception ratio of 12:21. However, nothing but praise is coming from the Jets about Geno Smith’s improvement this preseason and training camp. Even Michael Vick supports him, and he has fully accepted the mentoring role and was quoted during camp saying that Smith will be “10 times better than where he was last year” and that “he’s looking forward to it.”
New York sports fans expectations are always higher than the city’s skyline but can you blame them for being a little more excited and optimistic about this season? The Jets made a lot of moves in the offseason, especially on offense, that give them a Super Bowl caliber roster, so why not this season? Their hopes are not as far-fetched as other years, and assuming Geno plays to his praises, CJ2K returns to form and that defense plays up to its top 10 potential, the Jets make a strong case for the AFC wild card, maybe even the AFC East. My prediction for the New York Jets this season is for them to go 10-6, take the wild card to make the playoffs and make a Super Bowl run. Calvin Pryor wins Defensive Rookie of the year honors, while Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison and Eric Decker come out of the 2014 campaign as pro-bowlers. Opening day is so close that you can almost hear the “J-E-T-S” chant, but the underlying truth is that fans across the Empire State are really hoping to hear it in Arizona come February.
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