The final time the Jets made the playoffs, the person in cost was so wanting to let you know the way good he thought his staff was — and the way good he thought its coach was — that he’d journey you if he didn’t suppose you’d crammed your pocket book or your tape recorder with sufficient solid-gold quotes elaborating on each.
Sure. These have been the times. Rex Ryan would step onto a podium and it actually didn’t matter if the Jets had received or in the event that they’d misplaced, Ryan would lead together with his chin, and together with his mouth. More often than not it was entertaining as hell. Towards the top it acquired somewhat unbearable. However you all the time walked away with one thing.
Robert Saleh won't ever be confused with ol’ Rex, regardless that their shared pedigree is the defensive facet of the ball. He isn’t fairly as flamboyant in his confidence. Nevertheless it’s positive there. We noticed that immediately, together with his “receipts” remark that may sit eternally in a distinguished place of the Jets’ institutional reminiscence. We’ve heard loads of snippets.
Sunday, we acquired one thing else.
Sunday, the Jets misplaced to the Payments at Orchard Park’s Highmark Stadium 20-12, a second straight loss at a time of the season when the Jets can unwell afford a dropping streak. They performed with coronary heart they usually performed with resilience, however when it got here to the small particulars that differentiate good groups and higher groups the Payments blew the Jets out.
Nonetheless, Saleh was unbowed.
“We’re gonna see these guys once more,” Saleh stated.
And there you've it. It could have been jarring to listen to however there's little room for interpretation what he meant. And later Saleh would certainly verify that he’s not speaking concerning the fall of 2023 and past.
If the Jets do meet the Payments once more, it will likely be within the playoffs. Will probably be in Winter 2023. Will probably be in January.
“I believe our staff is sweet sufficient,” Saleh stated, proudly owning the thought. “We've a great soccer staff. Nothing’s assured. I simply place confidence in the fellows within the locker room, religion within the teaching workers, religion in everybody related to this staff.”
Saleh, for one, is assured. Nonetheless.
“Who would he be,” receiver Elijah Moore stated, “if he wasn’t?”
Now, after all, the stakes connected to the enterprise at hand start to develop. Possibly the Jets are previous the “harmless climb” portion of this season, however the place they’ve arrived is a much more essential — and tenuous — place.
The Jets are 7-6. They're nonetheless very a lot within the playoff dialog. They might simply have solidified their standing in the event that they’d completed final week’s comeback in downtown Minneapolis, or in the event that they’d performed about 25 p.c higher, throughout the board, Sunday within the Buffalo suburbs. However they didn’t. Now there are 4 video games left, and successful three appears an absolute should.
The primary half of that problem will are available two video games throughout the house of 5 days, and for weeks this was checked out because the mushy underbelly of the Jets’ remaining schedule — at MetLife Stadium in opposition to the Lions Sunday, again at MetLife Thursday in opposition to the Jaguars. However each Detroit and Jacksonville received Sunday. Each are taking part in a lot, significantly better.
The Jets ought to nonetheless win these video games.
However now the Jets should win these video games if the season’s ultimate highway swing — at Seattle on New 12 months’s Day, at Miami every week later — goes to be significant. If the Jets are going to satisfy their coach’s prophesy, 10-7 is naked minimal.
“Not a man in that locker room doesn’t suppose we’re not able to a lot extra,” Saleh stated.
We’ll see. The Payments have been there for the taking however the Jets’ consideration to element was missing all day, beginning with C.J. Mosely getting deked into an encroachment penalty on fourth down late within the second quarter (main on to Buffalo’s ice-breaking first TD) to Michael Carter’s crippling fumble after a blocked punt and a security had given the Jets fourth-quarter life.
They'd extra penalties than the Payments. They'd two giveaways to the Payments’ none. These aren’t issues that may occur in a playoff push, and that doesn’t start to issue within the accidents that erased Quinnen Williams from the ultimate 2 ½ quarters and despatched quarterback Mike White to the hospital after the sport with busted-up ribs.
“We’ve acquired to lock in on small particulars,” middle Connor McGovern stated. “At this level it comes all the way down to probably the most minute particulars on either side.”
Mentioned working again Bam Knight: “We’ve acquired 4 video games to make this factor occur.”
Saleh believes it'll. The gamers appear equally sure. That’s nicely, and that’s good, particularly the place the Jets have been projected in preseason. However that was then. That is now: They should discover three wins in these 4 video games to again their coach up. Again within the day, an outdated group of Jets did that a couple of instances for Ryan. Can this group do the identical for Saleh?
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