There's been talk for several months about the Jets creating a roster competitive enough to show up on game days, but not good enough to win games. Surely they're eyeballing USC Sam Darnold--if the redshirt sophomore leaves school early. Their backup plan might be UCLA's Josh Rosen.
Outside of Ryan Fitzpatrick's terrific 2015 campaign and Cliff Pennington's highly efficient 2002 season, it's hard to remember any QB this franchise could get get excited about. And no, I won't count Joe Namath, an incredibly sub-par QB who's made a living off of a Super Bowl won by his defense. And growing up in New York City and having watched Ken O'Brien for years, his 1985 season gave fans reasons to hope. But for a guy coming out of the famed QB class of 1983, O'Brien's career was merely serviceable.
The Jets organization and its fans are long past aching for difference maker at quarterback. That's step 1 for turning things around, and they have just the roster to do it. And that should worry folks who draft Bilal Powell or Matt Forte just a little bit. Yes, Powell's been among my top 25 RBs all summer. He's the team's most likely back to earn fantasy starter production. If the Jets are losing comfortably, they can afford to keep throwing Powell and Forte out there.
But what happens if they're leading the Jaguars at home in the second half in Week 4, or another beatable home matchup--the Bills--in Week 9? Will there be an Elijah McGuire sighting--the team's rookie #3 RB? Whereas a playoff contender might keep its star RB on the field with a minor late-season injury, will the Jets use such an opportunity to shelve talent in favor of inexperience . . . for the good of the team? Isn't that what Jets fans want? A shot at a franchise-altering draft pick?
Or what if the Jets trade Powell midseason to a playoff-bound team seeking to shore up its backfield? Bilal could lose value if he's no longer the 1A to another's 1B status, while Forte and McGuire would be elevated . . . unless Forte's traded, which might well happen given yesterday's news that he's officially on the trading block.
Or maybe I'm overthinking it. The risk here is letting speculation interfering with common sense. Powell remains a likely RB2, while the aged Forte is less trustworthy as a RB4. Led by Josh McCown, the Jets surely could find ways to lose every game regardless of Powell's effectiveness.
But this is something to monitor closely. This is a team that's positioned itself to draft a high-impact rookie next year. Acquiring anything less than a future franchise QB could set this team back at least another year. If the Jets and, say, Browns are 0-8 heading into the October 31 trade deadline, we'll need to be prepared for dramatic moves to keep the Jets headed in the wrong (i.e. the right) direction. And that could wreak a little havoc on fantasy teams.
Outside of Ryan Fitzpatrick's terrific 2015 campaign and Cliff Pennington's highly efficient 2002 season, it's hard to remember any QB this franchise could get get excited about. And no, I won't count Joe Namath, an incredibly sub-par QB who's made a living off of a Super Bowl won by his defense. And growing up in New York City and having watched Ken O'Brien for years, his 1985 season gave fans reasons to hope. But for a guy coming out of the famed QB class of 1983, O'Brien's career was merely serviceable.
The Jets organization and its fans are long past aching for difference maker at quarterback. That's step 1 for turning things around, and they have just the roster to do it. And that should worry folks who draft Bilal Powell or Matt Forte just a little bit. Yes, Powell's been among my top 25 RBs all summer. He's the team's most likely back to earn fantasy starter production. If the Jets are losing comfortably, they can afford to keep throwing Powell and Forte out there.
But what happens if they're leading the Jaguars at home in the second half in Week 4, or another beatable home matchup--the Bills--in Week 9? Will there be an Elijah McGuire sighting--the team's rookie #3 RB? Whereas a playoff contender might keep its star RB on the field with a minor late-season injury, will the Jets use such an opportunity to shelve talent in favor of inexperience . . . for the good of the team? Isn't that what Jets fans want? A shot at a franchise-altering draft pick?
Or what if the Jets trade Powell midseason to a playoff-bound team seeking to shore up its backfield? Bilal could lose value if he's no longer the 1A to another's 1B status, while Forte and McGuire would be elevated . . . unless Forte's traded, which might well happen given yesterday's news that he's officially on the trading block.
Or maybe I'm overthinking it. The risk here is letting speculation interfering with common sense. Powell remains a likely RB2, while the aged Forte is less trustworthy as a RB4. Led by Josh McCown, the Jets surely could find ways to lose every game regardless of Powell's effectiveness.
But this is something to monitor closely. This is a team that's positioned itself to draft a high-impact rookie next year. Acquiring anything less than a future franchise QB could set this team back at least another year. If the Jets and, say, Browns are 0-8 heading into the October 31 trade deadline, we'll need to be prepared for dramatic moves to keep the Jets headed in the wrong (i.e. the right) direction. And that could wreak a little havoc on fantasy teams.