Keidel: Questions Never Cease With The Perennially Downtrodden Jets
By Jason Keidel
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Sunday's game between the Jets and the Buffalo Bills was an emblem in woes between two forlorn franchises.
It showed why neither team made the playoffs this year, why the Bills haven't reached the playoffs this century, and why the Jets haven't played in a Super Bowl since man landed on the moon.
The Bills didn't start the quarterback they wanted because he could get hurt, putting the club on the hook for $30.75 million next year. Instead, Buffalo trotted out a messy amalgam of E.J. Manuel and Cardale Jones, the former a first-round bust, the latter a variable.
The Jets started a quarterback they don't want, because the QB they wanted to start was hurt.
The Bills just fired their head coach, who also coached the Jets. Buffalo was 7-8 when it gave Rex Ryan the axe. The Jets finished 5-11 with the man who replaced Ryan. If Gang Green posts a similar record next year, Todd Bowles will surely see the very pink slip the Bills just slipped Ryan.
The Jets can't even get their on-field personnel right. Fitzpatrick-to-Marshall was a winning tandem last year, a tune that topped the NFL charts. That would be Brandon Marshall, of course, not Jalin Marshall, who hauled in the pass that put the Jets up 17-3 on Sunday.
But if the first day of 2017 unearthed a hit song for next season, it's in the Jets' backfield.
In the spirit of New Year's Day and the slew of college football games just played, the Jets essentially hosted the Bilal Powell Bowl.
Every year it seems the Jets are desperate to unveil their bellweather running back, the all-world workhorse to pound the rock, line, and opponents until they wave the white flag in the fourth quarter. First it was Chris Ivory, who ran like a rhino for most of 2015, until he lost his legs. Then they signed Matt Forte, who has a sprawling résumé that at least plants him somewhere in the Canton chat. But Forte is a bit long in the tooth and, to paraphrase Bill Parcells, has lost some tread on his Pro Bowl tires.
Powell ran the ball 22 times, for 122 yards (5.5 yards per carry), and scored a touchdown on one of his two receptions, putting some positive punctuation on the Jets' 30-10 victory over the Bills. In the four games since Dec 11, Powell has rushed 82 times for 411 yards (5.0 per rush) and three touchdowns. It's quite counterintuitive for the Jets to actually draft offensive talent, but they did back in 2011 when they took Powell in the fourth round out of Louisville.
But his 137 total yards on Sunday couldn't erase the stains of a lost season. As soon as the faerie dust of the victory blows away from the Meadowlands, the Jets will have to face the meat-hook realities of next season.
There's the curious case of Darrelle Revis, who made the most surreal plea perhaps in franchise history, imploring the Jets to show some "class" by bringing him -- and his salary -- back next year. Surely, it was all about Revis' commitment to the Jets and the area, not the $15 million cap number he's due to devour next year year. This is clearly about cash, not cachet. Yeah.
MORE: Report: Revis Seems Ready To Take Pay Cut To Stay With Jets
Perhaps the NFL's most prolific and profitable mercenary, Revis has some stones asking any team to show him monetary largesse after he's held teams over a barrel during his splendid career. If anyone should understand the zero-sum calculus of NFL performance, it's Revis, who is guaranteed about $6 million next season. If he agrees to shave his salary down significantly, he's likely to be welcomed back.
With Revis and the re-signing of Muhammad Wilkerson, who came into the season flanked by two behemoths in Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams, the Jets were at least supposed to have an ornery defense this season. Yet only the Browns, Saints, and 49ers gave up more points than the Jets (409). And Revis Island, once the most exclusive real estate in the sport, now has too many tenants to count.
The good news is the Jets will have over $70 million in cap space ... in 2018. According to Spotrac, the Jets have barely $1 million in cap room in 2017. They have no idea who will lead the team in the huddle or the locker room. Usually one man assumes both roles, but Bryce Petty didn't show us nearly enough to leave you warm this winter. And the Jets have protected Christian Hackenberg like the Manhattan Project. If the Jets look like a mess, that's because they are.
It's odd putting a postmortem on a season that died two months ago, but the Jets too often put sportswriters in that position. But at least we're paid to do it. Jets fans actually pay money to watch the autopsy.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel