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That isn’t my problem as a beat-writer and will not impact how I cover.
Yesterday, I wrote a blog
In January, Jets owner Christopher Johnson was asked if there’s a mandate for his team, coming off back-to-back 5-11 seasons, to make the playoffs in 2018.
“I have no mandate,” Johnson said. “Believe me, I want to get to the playoffs. I want to build a team with Mike and Todd that can compete for the playoffs every year. That can’t happen fast enough. But there’s no mandate.”
He’s smart to stay away from mandates because of the uproar it would cause in the media.
But I’m making one – THE JETS NEED TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS THIS SEASON!
The Jets have missed the playoffs seven years in a row, last making the second-season in the 2010 campaign. That is unacceptable in a league with myriad mediocre teams, and with a system set up for competitive balance thanks to a salary cap, and a draft/waiver wire order based on won-loss record from the previous season.
So the Jets need to make the playoffs in 2018.
No excuses. No explanations.
Just do it.
Their seven-year playoff drought needs to end.
Here are some of the responses I got from Jets fans –
“Which QB inspires playoff aspirations, the 40 year old that never been there, the one coming off a career threatening injury or the 20 year old rookie?”
I said McCown who played well last year.
“Has he ever played a full season? lol and now you want the journeyman taking away snaps from the rookie lol wow,” tweeted the fan.
I said I don’t view the NFL as a developmental league.
Another fan tweeted, “No they don’t. They need to improve both on the field and in the standings. 7-9 to 9-7 is a reasonable marker especially if Darnold plays at some point and progresses.”
Let me respond to these two fans.
Here is the deal people – I evaluate teams based on wins and losses. There are no caveats in my world.
This is a multi-billion business. Your job as an NFL team is go out every week and win football games.
If you agree with the first guy who doesn’t think the Jets have a QB who can take them to the playoffs, that’s not my problem as a beat-writer.
As I mentioned, this is a team/organization that has missed the playoffs seven straight years which is inexcusable in a very watered-down league. There are A LOT of pedestrian teams.
For goodness sake, the Buffalo Bills, in a rebuilding year, with far from an ideal QB situation, made the playoffs last season.
The prior two years, Houston made the playoffs without an elite QB.
You figure out a way to manufacture wins like Sean McDermott and Bill O’Brien did.
The Jets have gone 5-11 in back-to-back seasons under the leadership of Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan.
I’m I supposed to lower the bar for this team in the fourth year of the leadership of these two men?
Absolutely not.
Just because they might have found their franchise QB in the 2018 draft, does that mean we hit the reset button and have no expectations for the Jets this year? Just let the kid play and the results don’t matter?
All that is bull in my world.
The Jet had close to $100 million in cap space entering this off-season. Did they sign all those players to not make the playoffs? Do you give a cornerback, Trumaine Johnson, a five-year deal for $72 million with a $20 million signing bonus, and $45 million guaranteed to not make the playoffs?
That doesn’t make sense.
I’m sorry if this bothers people, but I think the Jets need to make the playoffs this year.
Missing the second-season eight years in a row in a league build for parity is unacceptable.
And I really don’t care about excuses people are making for why they won’t, like those who feel you should throw a young QB out there before he’s ready winning be damned (the NFL isn’t a developmental league).
None of that is my problem.
I will judge this team by their won-loss record in 2018 and whether they make the playoffs.
End of story.
May 18, 2018
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