NFL: Projecting final records for all 32 teams
By Brad Rowland
New York Jets
The Jets were good on defense last season, they have the best defensive “coordinator” in the league in head coach Rex Ryan, and they added a first-round pick (Calvin Pryor) at safety. That’s a nice recipe. Going from Antonio Cromartie to Dimitri Patterson at cornerback is a definite downgrade, but aside from that, the Jets should be equal or better across the board on defense, and with Ryan dialing things up, they are good hands on that side of the ball.
Offensively, Geno Smith (unquestionably) holds the keys. The former West Virginia QB showed flashes during his rookie season, but Smith completed less than 56% of his passes while issuing 21 interceptions, and that can’t continue. Fortunately, RB Chris Johnson was brought in as an upgrade over the tandem of Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell, and the Jets actually employ a real, live NFL receiver in Eric Decker. Both of those are pluses for Geno Smith, and he’ll need them.
It would be aggressive to project an “average” offense from the Jets, but as long as they are competent, they can be a better team while still falling short of their 8-8 mark from last season. Sometimes, that is how it works in the NFL.
The Pick: 7-9