The saying goes that history tends to repeat itself. The Jets played out that idiom to a tee in their latest clash with the team that they share Met Life with.
The Jets have always had dominant defensive teams, and offenses that were not up to par. Ever since Joe Namath eked out that improbable Super Bowl win more than 40 years ago, the team has been in search for a franchise quarterback that could emulate the success of Broadway Joe. And while Namath is by no means one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, he is a Hall of Famer, something that cannot be said for any Jets quarterback since. And without a star quarterback, the Jets have had to build around and rely on their defense to steady the course.
Case in point, in the third preseason game against the Giants, the Jets first-team offense looked mild, only functional and never popping. In five offensive series, the Jets starters had to punt four times and only gained 90 yards. Although Marshall sat out with a sore hip, this is no excuse for the tepid performance of Fitzpatrick. He missed open targets and fumbled in the red zone, which proved to be costly. The fact that so much of last season's success for Fitz hinged on Marshall being a reliable target is worrisome in the case Marshall misses an extended period of time to injury. With such high hopes for improvement in what proved to be an historic year for Brandon Marshall and Ryan Fitzpatrick, Saturday reminded us all that cautious optimism is usually the best route to take for a Jets fan.
It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Jets offense though. The debut of Matt Forte provided an early jolt in the game, with Forte rushing for 2-yards on the first play. Forte ended the game with 10 carries for 28 yards, and two catches for 9 yards. While these stats are by no means impressive, they provided a sense of hope that the Jets running game, bolstered behind Forte and Powell, can cover up for the loss of Chris Ivory. Until then though, we will have to see if the Jets can quell the murmurs of an offensive regression in 2016.
The defense tried its best to calm the situation though, and did it in its typical overwhelming fashion. Making his first appearance with the team since his Week 17 injury, Wilkerson showed no signs of rust and immediately got himself involved in the game with a tackle on Rashad Jennings on the first play from scrimmage for the Giants. On the hot corners, Revis and Buster Skrine played well, with Revis particularly shining against star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The two studs must have had a mutual appreciation, considering they swapped jerseys after the game. Perhaps both players were wondering if they could borrow some of each other's defensive and offensive capabilities.
Now some might say it is only the preseason and that there is time to work out the kinks before the regular season goes underway. This may be true, but it felt unnerving how Saturday's game felt like a microcosm of the 60-year history of the Jets. With more roster cuts to come, it will be interesting to see if Todd Bowles acts upon the need for more offensive firepower and retains as many receivers as he can. Furthermore, with another par performance from Geno and a statement performance from Hackenberg, it will be a tough call for Bowles to winnow down his four quarterback dilemma to a much more sensible three.
Until that decision is made, the Jets will have to continue to work on their offensive synchronization and try to mirror the success of last year, avoiding a sophomore slump. Hopefully when Marshall returns, all this concern will be for not, and the offensive can match the intensity and tenacity of their defensive brothers and break the perpetual cycle of the Jets' team history.
