Matt Forte Says Jets Don't Care About Everyone's 'Tanking' Talk and Predictions

Analyst expectations for the New York Jets in 2017 may be low, but running back Matt Forte doesn't want to hear about the team's tanking anymore. 

Forte let it be known the Jets aren't focusing on what anyone has to say as they prepare for the upcoming season. 

"People make all these predictions and stuff, and things go the opposite way," Forte said, per Charles Cotton of the New York Post. "Like everybody's saying with tanking and that stuff. We don't care what anybody else says, it's about us."

Preseason predictions for the Jets have not been kind. They are coming off a 5-11 record and lost veterans such as wide receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall and cornerback Darrelle Revis. 

USA Today's Nate Davis predicted the Jets will have the NFL's worst record in 2017 at 1-15.

"A lot of people are jumping ship before the season even starts, but I welcome that," Forte said. "All of y'all can jump ship, but it just shows you were never on board in the first place. … We're going to stick together, and we're going to play out the season to the best of our ability."

This is the beginning of a rebuilding phase for the Jets. It could get uglier than last season, but Forte is a nine-year NFL veteran who has been around long enough to know that when things appear to be at their worst, unexpected things can happen.