New York Jets: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Training Camp
It's nearly impossible to find any recent news on the New York Jets that doesn't involve Geno Smith, IK Enemkpali, a $600 dispute, some jaw-jacking and a haymaker.
Once again, the Jets are a punch line.
It's a shame because the Jets have put so many resources into overhauling their team for Todd Bowles' era as head coach. This incident doesn't necessarily spell the downfall of the Jets before they've ever had a chance to rise up.
What it does, however, is turn the wheel over to someone else who will bear the same responsibility as Smith: man the offense, play within the system and be a steady presence for what could be a playoff team.
Training camp, now two weeks and one preseason game old, has shown us many things about the Jets.
The Rex Ryan Era Isn't Completely over
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Rex Ryan is coaching the division rival Buffalo Bills these days, but his fingerprints are still all over the Jets roster. That will be true so long as there are any players left on the roster who were added in Ryan's six years with the Jets—though cutting them all isn't the right answer.
Cutting IK Enemkpali for punching Geno Smith in the jaw? That was the right answer.
To be fair, Ryan's teams never had any locker-room brawls (although linebacker Bart Scott nearly came to blows with a reporter back in 2012). That being said, to blame Todd Bowles for the locker room he inherited would be like blaming the family dog for the mess in the living room after the kids threw a rager the night before.
"It takes time to right a team," Bowles said. "When you come to a team, you’ve got to establish your own culture. That’s not going to happen overnight. You take lessons and you learn from them."
So far, Bowles has shown a commitment to creating a new identity for the Jets. He was even-keeled in his handling of the Sheldon Richardson suspension, and he made the right decision by cutting Enemkpali. If he continues to instill the values of accountability and chemistry in his team, the Jets can forge that new identity with time.
The Jets Were Wise to Acquire Ryan Fitzpatrick
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In a poll conducted several months ago, with 1,182 votes cast, 49.9 percent of Jets fans thought Geno Smith should be the starting quarterback against 50.1 percent who thought Ryan Fitzpatrick should lead the team.
It's not accurate to say the Jets are "upgrading" by switching to Fitzpatrick while Smith heals his broken jaw for six to 10 weeks. It's fair to say, though, the confidence level won't take much of a hit (if any) with the backup on the field.
Fitzpatrick will be starting while Smith is out, and if preseason is any indication, he should be just fine. Fitzpatrick completed two of his three pass attempts on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions, and his only incompletion was a dropped pass by tight end Jeff Cumberland.
Fitzpatrick is well-versed in Chan Gailey's spread offense, which will place him in the shotgun on a majority of the offensive plays. The Jets have built their offense for success in Gailey's system. So long as Fitzpatrick can man the controls and keep the ship afloat—and the defense holds up its end of the bargain—the Jets should not fall behind in the win-loss column.
The Injury Bug Is Unrelenting
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Believe it or not, Geno Smith is not the only person on the roster who is dealing with an injury right now.
There's also safety Antonio Allen (placed on season-ending injured reserve), cornerback Dee Milliner (out six to eight weeks with a wrist injury, per ESPN.com's Rich Cimini) and wide receiver Devin Smith (out four to six weeks with broken ribs, per NFL Network's Albert Breer). That list doesn't even include defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who is suspended for the first four games of the season.
The Jets will be without a lot of key players to start the 2015 season.
For the players who can come back, the questions will be when they come back and how effective they are when that happens. The Jets have considerably higher expectations for some of those players than others, but each one has (or had) an important role on the team.
Every team loses players to injury at this time of year, but a heavy dose of early attrition at the top of the roster is testing the Jets.
Mo' Money, Fewer Problems
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It's strange to think of how few position battles there are on the roster, considering that the Jets were 4-12 last year. In 2014, they had glaring weaknesses at outside linebacker, cornerback, wide receiver and guard. They had more problems than Tom Hanks in Money Pit.
Right now, the only battles that remain open through two weeks of camp are at right guard, No. 3 wide receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner.
According to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, incumbent Willie Colon is the front-runner to start at right guard, Jeremy Kerley is the front-runner for both the No. 3 receiver role and the punt-return duties, and the kickoff-return duties could go to anyone ("pick a name, any name" as Cimini says).
Kerley's spot is secure for the time being, with rookie Devin Smith out of action. Colon is still fighting off young guards in Oday Aboushi, Brian Winters, Dakota Dozier, Brent Qvale and Jarvis Harrison. That battle could still result in any number of different outcomes, but the Jets have more options than a millennial on Tinder.
It makes perfect sense. The Jets entered the 2015 offseason with roughly $52 million, according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media. Why shouldn't they have spent money to improve their roster?
The Running Game Could Still Be a Big Part of Jets Football in 2015
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For years, the Jets offense earned its keep by running the football. It never translated to consistent year-in, year-out offensive success, but the Jets were still one of the better rushing attacks in the league for the better part of six years under head coach Rex Ryan. Why throw out the baby with the bathwater?
The Jets have certainly stockpiled the personnel to execute a ground-and-pound attack with backs like Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, Stevan Ridley and Zac Stacy, but they have also assimilated a group of skill-position players that now includes wide receivers Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, Jeremy Kerley and Devin Smith.
Ivory and Powell were effective in Thursday's preseason opener, rushing a combined 14 times for 60 yards against the Detroit Lions. The offensive line got a good push up front, opening holes for the two backs to work their magic.
Indeed, the Jets have the right people for a mix of a ground-and-pound attack and an air-raid offense. The only part they're missing is a quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick could prove to be a serviceable game manager, but the Jets shouldn't count on him to do much more than that. The best way to help him would be to employ a steady dose of the running game.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.
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