Defense Wins Championships, Unless You’re the Jets

The irony in and of itself is blatantly obvious: how can a team that puts so much emphasis on its defense simultaneously continue to be so bad? This can be answered by exploring the other aspects of football and assess what the Jets have severely lacked in each one over the years, which, not to spoil anything, is a lot.

OFFENSE

Defense is only half of the game. Simply put, you can’t win if you don’t score. If a team repeatedly goes three and out, not only is it excruciating to watch, but it also leads to very few wins. Unfortunately, Jets fans have become all too accustomed to this style of football. 

To have a good offense, a team needs a solid foundation. A quarterback a franchise can count on to not only show up day in and day out, but also play well during the game is the most important part of a team. The sad reality of the situation is the Jets have not had a quarterback who possesses both of those qualities since they had Joe Namath in 1976.

In the last 15 years the Jets have had 18 different starting quarterbacks. That is not a typo. 18 different people have started a game for the Jets at QB since 2010. For reference, the Green Bay Packers have only had eight different players start a game at QB since 1992. It doesn’t take a world class data analyst to realize that the Jets have a QB issue.

To the players’ credit, the front office has done a lackluster job in helping these quarterbacks succeed. Looking at other franchises, it is clear that if a QB has weapons at his disposal, he plays well. Sam Darnold and Geno Smith may not have worked out with the Jets, but give them elite players like Justin Jefferson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and DK Metcalf to throw to and suddenly they play like a Tom Brady reincarnate. 

The Jets, however, have a tendency not to follow this trend.

The quarterback carousel usually starts with a first round draft pick who is made to be the savior of the franchise by the media. Instead of letting him develop under veteran players, he is thrown into the fire immediately, struggling to find his footing during games. With little to no help from the running or receiving core, and through brutal performance dissection from the media, the young QBs confidence is broken and he eventually leaves the team a shell of the player he once was. See Zach Wilson of the Miami Dolphins for a good example.

The offensive struggles continue to trickle down from there. The Jets have not had an offensive Pro Bowler since Brandon Marshall in 2015. The team has historically signed running backs who are long past their prime to financially concerning contracts. The revolving door of an offensive line continues to lead the league in penalties drawn. High drop rates plague the receiving core. The list of ineptitudes go on and on, but ultimately, the problems the Jets have faced stem from a lack of discipline.

COACHING

The staff in charge of the Jets have been virtually nonexistent when it comes to holding players accountable. Team chemistry has consistently been low, and the locker room has been littered with toxicity. 

For example, Aaron Rodgers walked all over the Jets during his tenure in the Meadowlands, skipping mandatory minicamp in 2024 to ride camels with his friends in Egypt. Over the past few years, multiple players, notably Le’Veon Bell and Hasson Reddick, refused to show up to team facilities in hopes to negotiate their contracts. Former linebacker IK Enemkpali once broke QB Geno Smith’s jaw over a $600 IOU. 

With all of these off-the-field incidents happening within the last decade, it is easy to understand why the team has seen little success. But what about on the field? 

The offensive play callers for New York have been some of the league’s most boring to watch. The Jets brought in Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s OC during the 2023 offseason to compliment Aaron Rodgers and his transition to his new squad. Unfortunately, this also came with some of the most excruciating play calls fans eyes have ever seen. 

Hackett was known for his run-heavy offense, leading to countless third-and-long handoffs up the gut that haunt Jet fans to this day. This repetitive style of weak ground and pound offense came with little success and led to the eventual firing of Hackett and his staff this past offseason. 

For years, Jets fans have had little to root for on offense. But with a brand new regime under Aaron Glenn and his coaching staff, some are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Glenn’s hard nosed, no-nonsense style of coaching has been a breath of fresh air for the players, and seemingly the media. Unlike years past, rumors from inside have been tight-lipped and scarce, which is a step in the right direction. 

But who oversees this new group of coaches? Someone has to be in charge here, right?

OWNERSHIP

Ultimately, the problems for the Jets start from the top down, beginning with ownership. Woody Johnson has been owner of the New York Jets since he bought the team for $635 million in 2000. Since he took over as “ Mr. Ambassador” (a real name he demanded himself to be called), Johnson has caused nothing but problems for the organization.

Back in 2010, Johnson overstepped his staff and completed a blockbuster trade, swapping a fourth-round and sixth-round pick for Broncos backup QB Tim Tebow. Johnson made the move because Tebow was a household name who could help sell tickets. He would end up playing only one season for Gang Green as a backup, and attempted just eight passes in his time with the Jets. 

Woody then left his brother, Chris Johnson, as owner and CEO of the franchise in 2017, after the Senate confirmed him as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Morale and overall quality of play for players dropped significantly during this time. New York went 22-59 during Woody’s hiatus.

He finally resumed his CEO position in 2021, but it only got worse from there.

Johnson became a full-on puppet master during the tenure of HC Robert Saleh, pulling all the strings on cuts and trades. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams were his two big purchases, costing roughly $150 million combined. Johnson vetoed a trade for star receiver Jerry Jeudy because his “Madden rating” was too low. He orchestrated the acquisition of Hasson Reddick and Mike Williams, both All-Pro players who had disappointing tenures.

Players and staff anonymously complained about Johnson, saying that he yelled at and berated players and coaches during meetings, leading to irrational and emotional firings. Rumors circulated around Johnson’s grandson, Brick, who was reportedly telling Woody who to sign and cut, although he has denied these speculations. 

In an annual NFLPA poll, players and staff around the league were asked to rank each franchise based on training facilities, accommodations, medical equipment, and other factors, including ownership. Johnson was the lone rider, as he was the only owner in the entire league who received an “F” grade from his players. When asked his opinion on the poll, Johnson stated the whole operation was “totally bogus.”

It seems that as long as Woody Johnson is in charge of operations in New York, the road to success will be long and hard. 

THE NAMATH CURSE

Spectators will always find a way to cope with the pain that comes with being a fan, and conspiracies are a big one. Some think the games are rigged or the equipment is faulty, but for Jets fans, none stand taller than the conspiracy of Joe Namath.

Namath famously guaranteed a victory in an interview while drinking just nights before Super Bowl III against the Colts, in which they were 18-point underdogs. Colts players laughed it off, but the Jets responded that Sunday with one of the biggest upsets in professional sports history, winning 16-7 in their one and only championship appearance in franchise history. Since then, the Jets have virtually been a non-factor in the AFC East, let alone the NFL.

In order to explain the uncanny disappointment over the last six decades, Jets fans have speculated that Joe Namath sold his soul in order to “guarantee” the team a Super Bowl victory. Hearing this sounds ridiculous, that fans would pin their disappointment on their franchise quarterback who gave them their only taste of winning, but the numbers don’t lie. 

Ever since New York hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, the team’s record is 374-498 (.429). Going back to 1969, they have had 13 playoff appearances, 10 victories, three Divisional titles, four AFC championship appearances, and currently hold the longest playoff drought in all of sports at 15 years. 

Fans believe that as long as Joe Namath is alive, the Jets will never win another Super Bowl. This conspiracy went outside of football and eventually bled into Hollywood, leading to director Quentin Tarantino and Dolphins QB Dan Marino to poke fun at Jets fans in Little Nicky (2000). 

Obviously Joe Namath has nothing to do with the Jets struggles over the last 60 years, but it is easier to blame something out of the team’s control than to face the music and admit what is really going on. 

CONCLUSION

The Jets have multiple issues plaguing the team. Whether it is the undisciplined offense, the lackluster coaching, the overinvolved owner, or the Namath curse, there is much to fix. The good news is, the Jets seem to be headed in the right direction. Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey bring a clean slate and a fresh start to the Meadowlands. 

But the new coaches can’t address all of the problems in one offseason. They must lay the foundation. The team needs to establish a winning culture by holding its players accountable. Coaches need to build a good rapport in the building. The staff needs to build trust amongst one another. The team cannot afford to keep rotating pieces in and out of the building. All of these qualities are present in a winning environment. 

So if you are a Jets fan, don’t immediately jump ship if the Aaron Glenn regime doesn’t start off as hot as you would’ve liked. Success does not come overnight, it takes time. Trust the process and maybe, just maybe, another Super Bowl is over the horizon.