Richard Barnes – USA TODAY Sports
When the New York Jets opened training camp this year, the scene was more of something you’d expect to see from the first day of high school then an actual NFL camp. Drama, unrealistic expectations, and an impending sense of doom all seemed to hang in the air and make its unsightly presence known. ESPN had cameras set up, waiting for the inevitable drama that would unfold. For starters, who would the starting quarterback be? The incumbent Mark Sanchez certainly doesn’t have a strong hold on the job. To compile Sanchez’s problems, the team drafted West Virginia QB Geno Smith to compete with Sanchez and third stringer Greg McElroy for the starting job. Drama was high, and tension hung in the air.
Tim Tebow is now gone, and the stage is set. Rex Ryan has yet to name a starter, and with each passing day, it seems Sanchez looses his reigns on the starting job. But the question remains, however, not only who the starting quarterback will be but how good will this team be. To most people outside of New York, the answer is extremely clear: the 2013 Jets will be nothing short of a sideshow, a circus and something to laugh at.
What the team lacked in wins last season, it certainly made up for in confidence. Ryan has repeatedly boasted Super Bowl-guaranteeing claims, all of which have yielded less-than-impressive results the past few seasons. With Ryan on the hot seat and Sanchez not far behind him, the Jets are under insurmountable pressure to not only win, but to win now.
So, what should we expect out of the 2013 Jets? More of the same in the last few years, with butt fumbles, being on the wrong side of blowouts and increasing drama around the bend of every corner. The Jets will not only be bad this year, but they will be historically bad. Giving this team a projected 6-10 record might be a stretch to say the least. Heck, every team has a large amount of confidence heading into each season, thinking of what ‘could be.’ But for the Jets, the stage has already been set for failure: a quarterback who has no idea what he’s doing, a rookie who thinks he knows what he’s doing, and a delusional head coach who’s bold claims are only something to laugh rather than to take seriously.
In summary, the Jets will be pathetic this year. A few early wins by Sanchez might help save his job until mid season, but the turnovers will inevitably add up, and Smith will take over midseason as the starter. The only way the Jets can overcome this is to let Smith take the reigns now, go through early failure and only hope it can lead to future success. Get Sanchez and his ridiculously priced contract out of town now, admit the team is a work in progress and plan for the future. Heck, even getting rid of Ryan might be a sensible thing to do, so the team’s fan base isn’t misled every year into thinking its something it’s not. Then, and only then, can the Jets be set up for future success. Until then, the circus continues.
