Jets Fans Learn The Next Man Isn’t Always The Better Man

Vincent Carchietta USA Today Sports

On a miserable Sunday at MetLife Stadium when laughs were hard to come by, I got a kick out of scrolling social media where Jets reporters were calling for Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to feed Dalvin Cook early in New York’s desultory 13-8 defeat to Atlanta.

Starting running back Breece Hall was admittedly struggling to gain much traction in the early going, as he had been for much of the last two months. Ergo, the push to see someone else, anyone else. Even the cooked Cook, who has been one of the NFFL’s least efficient backs for the last two year in terms of rushing yards gained over expected. The implorations grew in number after Cook accumulated 22 yards on his first three carries. “Feed Cook accumulated 22 yards on his first three carries.

Then he fumbled in on attempt number four in Jets territory, setting up the Falcon’s lone touchdown in the second quarter. Cook’s subsequent five carries netted six yards. So much for Cook.

It wasn’t any different than how the media and fans have treated the Jets quarterback position this season. Zach Wilson, who was thrust into action when Aaron Rodgers ruptured his Achilles on the fourth snap of the season, deserved to be benched based on his dreadful performance record. At the time, no one desired or needed to see any more of him. Like with Cook, the Book on Wilson was complete.

However, it was utter folly for anyone to think that the next man up, in this case Tim Boyle, was going to fare any better than Wilson had.

It took Boyle, who had never won an NFL game in his three prior starts coming into the season (and stunk in college), less than eight quarters of work in a Jets uniform for folks to turn on him. After Boyle’s poorly-thrown interception at the end of the third quarter, he was replaced by Trevor Siemian at the start of the next Jets’ possession. To healthy cheers, by the way, because the backup QB is often the most popular guy on a team from a fan’s standpoint.

Of course, there is a reason why the Jets were able to pick Siemian up off the street in midseason. He’s a statue in the pocket and not all that accurate. Even some of his passes from a clean pocket on Sunday were way off target.

Though it can be tough to warm up quickly in the New Jersey rain so late in the game, he’s a veteran who was supposed to understand that was going to be a possibility as Boyle’s backup. Siemian ended with a stat line of 5-for-13 passing for 66 yards with 3 strip sacks taken, one of which was lost with the Jets driving at midfield with 2:47 remaining in the game.

The Jets got the ball back one more time with less than two minutes to go, but Siemian could get no further than his own 37-yard lien before a sack and a fourth-down fling as he was falling down from pressure fell incomplete.

Folks, Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh didn’t stick with Wilson for as long as he did while knowing he had something better in reserve. There was never any “conspiracy” either. He knew what we all found out—that Wilson probably did give the Jets the best chance to win, because the guys behind him on the depth chart are just so darn awful.

Still, that’s an indictment on both Saleh’s staff for not developing a former No. 2 overall pick and on General Manager Joe Douglas, who made not only that pick but also put this entire wretched team together. If anyone is still steadfast that Rodgers alone could have elevated this offense, I have magic beans to sell you. From watching this offensive line pass protect all season, combined with the negligible separation gained by New York’s receivers not named Garrett Wilson, I am convinced that an injury to the 40-year old Rodgers was only a matter of time.    

Now that this is clear, it should be easier for owner Woody Johnson to blow up his organizational chart after the season. If the Jets couldn’t beat Atlanta, a team with a below-average quarterback that hadn’t played an outdoor road game north of Tennessee all season, it’s very possible that Gang Green will run the table to finish with 10 consecutive losses, blowing by last season’s debacle that ended with six straight defeats.

Unfortunately, Jets fans have also learned from their tortured experience that there’s no guarantee that the next GM/Coach tandem will be any better than the previous one.