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The scheduled season opener is only three days away, and there are two things the Jets absolutely, positively – under no circumstances – can allow against the Panthers on Sunday in Carolina:
- They can’t let their former quarterback, Sam Darnold, hone their defense with a prolific passing performance, showing them for relinquishing him and dropping him after last season.
- And they can’t let their former wide receiver, Robby Anderson, run like a deer through their high school, catching long touchdown passes and embarrassing them for neglecting him in contract negotiations two years ago.
The Jets, with their roster wet behind the ears (the youngest in the league), could very well lose the game. They’re 4-point underdogs, so the Las Vegas picks think they’ll come back to New Jersey 0-1 in Robert Saleh’s head-coaching debut.
It is also possible that the Jets will win the game. The Panthers, after all, aren’t the Packers, Buccaneers, or Chiefs.
If the Jets lose the game, however, how they lose it can be critical to their psyche (and that of their fans) going forward.
The best way to avoid both calamitous and embarrassing potential scenarios involving Darnold and Anderson is to play to their strength, which is their attack.
It became clear this summer that the Jets’ offense has more firepower than their defense.
So their hope will be that the offensive running and motion sickness system their coordinator Mike LaFleur brought from San Francisco, combined with a few dynamic plays from their rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, will be enough to stop the Panthers offensive. field.
Fair or not, Wilson and LaFleur hold the key to how the Jets fare on Sunday.
Wilson, the 22-year-old second draft pick, will take over from LaFleur, the 34-year-old first-time coordinator.
It’s hard to tell which guy looks younger than his age – Wilson or LaFleur, who spoke confidently on Thursday about where Wilson comes in on Sunday and also laughed at the signs Wilson shows daily that remind you of what he is young.
“Some of the music and movies that we bring up, he has no idea [about]LaFleur said. “We bring up ‘Caddyshack’ and he’s kind of looking at you, ‘What is’ Caddyshack ‘?’ You see some of the youthful innocence in him in the boardrooms. We all laugh about it.
“But in terms of his preparation and the way he manages his day, he’s not like a rookie. This is how you should act as a quarterback. ”
Wilson has answered every question he has been asked on the pitch so far. But, aside from the tragic death of quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp on the eve of training camp, he has yet to meet a moment of adversity on the pitch.
Wilson, fortunately, has not suffered an injury this summer. The starting position has been his since he was drafted, without any competition. He has yet to be sacked or even touched. Not a patch of grass on his uniform proves it. He did not return the ball in a pre-season game. And, he didn’t play against a first team defense.
“I guess that’s a little bit unknown,” LaFleur said of the smooth ride so far. “He’s faced adversity, but not yet in the NFL. [I’m] excited to see when it’s live and he’s out there, what he’s capable of doing. ”
The same goes for Wilson’s teammates in defense, a few of whom on Thursday praised the rookie quarterback and LaFleur.
“It’s very dynamic,” said safety Marcus Maye of the LaFleur system. “They do a lot of different things – different movements, changes, adjustments and looks.”
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said the LaFleur offense “is basically tailor-made for young quarterbacks because it relies so much on a running game.”
“I think for a young man this is the first time he’s tied up on a Sunday, it can be overwhelming,” Ulbrich added. “The fact that you can put it back 30, 35, maybe 40 times a game is a huge source of relief.”
Relief for the defense too.
“If you are not aligned and not communicating, it will be a long day [for opposing defenses]linebacker CJ Mosley said of the LaFleur system. “There are a lot of things that can distract your attention if you’re not careful, especially when they start the running game, gaining 4 or 5 yards per pop. This will open up the playing action for the deep ball. It’s going to be exciting to see our attack on the pitch. ”
The longer they are on the pitch, the less chance Darnold and Anderson have of embarrassing their former team by demanding the revenge that everyone knows they are dying to administer.
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