3 Things the New York Jets Have to Do to Get Their Season Back on Track

New York Jets fans were hoping to see a different Jets team after the team's bye week during Week 9. They were hoping for some intensity and a glimmer of hope that this team was going to turn things around in the second half and make a playoff run. Sorry, Jets fans, but as the saying goes, it looks like the "same old Jets."

With their most recent embarrassing loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, the season is getting dangerously close irreparable for the New York Jets. Playoff dreams are fading fast. No matter how easy the schedule seems the remainder of the year, the Jets always seem to find a way to turn those easy games into nightmares for their fans. Jets fans are losing faith in their team, their quarterback and their coach. 

The good news is that the season isn't over yet. Well, depending on your point of view, that could be bad news. This team is getting harder and harder for Jets fans to watch. You can sit down on a Sunday afternoon and gauge the Jets fans' disdain by observing the Twitter stream during the games. It won't take long for you to pick up that the trend is that there isn't much optimism surrounding this team.

And why should there be? This team has played awfully for the majority of the season. It has a complete disappointment thus far. What makes it even worse is that this season there hasn't been a team that has really stepped up and taken control of the division. The Patriots lead the division, but they have been handed wins all year; they haven't dominated like in previous seasons.

This could have been the Jets' year. Maybe it still can be, but they are running out of time. If the Jets are going to make some noise, they have to turn this around right now. Here are three things the Jets can do to get the 2012 season back on track.   

Get Joe McKnight Involved in the Offense

For a team with relatively no offensive threats, you would think they would do everything they could to take full advantage of the one few offensive weapons they have. Joe McKnight is still not being used as much he should. He's a dynamic offensive player, and should be on the field for as many offensive snaps as possible.

Unfortunately, McKnight was unavailable for the Seattle game due to a nagging ankle injury. The Jets hoped to have him back after the bye week, but McKnight's ankle had other plans.

McKnight will hopefully be back on the field next week against the Rams, who gave the San Francisco 49ers a run for their money in Week 10.

Create Turnovers on Defense

So far this season, the Jets defense has not performed like a typical Rex Ryan defense. They lost a main ingredient when Darrelle Revis went down with a knee injury earlier this year, but Revis is only one man. While he is an important part of the defense, he can only cover one receiver. The rest of the defensive players are still expected to do their jobs.

One of those jobs is creating turnovers. With the Jets offense playing so poorly, it is even more important than ever for the defense create turnovers. It will give the offense more opportunities to score points, and get the defensive players to the sideline for some much-needed rest.

By creating more turnovers, it alleviates the pressure on the defense to stop long drives. Creating turnovers can also allow for the defense to get better field position for the offense, and even put some points on the scoreboard themselves.  

Control the Time of Possession

The Jets are making the three-and-out famous this year. There are times where you can walk out of the room to go grab a beer and not even get back in time to see their offensive possession. This has to change if the Jets are to experience any level of success for the rest of the year.

The Jets have to get creative. The play-calling is very conservative, almost like they are afraid to make mistakes. They will never be able to win games if they are setting up a game plan which is focused on not making mistakes. Nobody wants to make mistakes, but they happen, and if you are constantly afraid of making mistakes you will never get to the next level.

The Jets offense is stuck in neutral. There is a lot of finger-pointing going on with regards to what is causing the problem. Forget all that. Get back to running the ball effectively and work the play-action pass off of the run. Get the ball into the guys' hands that can make plays, like Jeremy Kerley and Joe McKnight. Control the time of possession, and extend drives even if they don't lead to points.