The day after didn’t really feel any higher than the day earlier than.
The Jets stayed in Arizona on Sunday night time following their 31-6 loss to the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Their plan all alongside was to fly residence Monday afternoon so the gamers may get a correct night time’s relaxation fairly than a fitful red-eye aircraft experience proper after the sport.
When the Jets gamers and coaches awakened Monday morning in Arizona, they confronted the sobering actuality that they’re 3-7 and successfully out of any likelihood at a playoff berth and the truth that they don’t do something notably nicely.
Of their time of most want, the Jets don’t have anything on which to rely. No unit, no participant, nothing.
They don’t rating sufficient factors on offense.
Their 40-year-old quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, seems to be extra his age with every passing sport.
Rodgers, we now know, isn’t the savior the franchise banked on him being once they acquired him final 12 months.
He not makes the gamers round him higher, as has been a trademark of his sensible profession. He now wants gamers round him to assist make him higher.
Their talent place gamers, receivers Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams and working again Breece Corridor, regarded as among the many greatest group within the league, aren’t maintaining any defensive coordinators up at night time.
Their protection can’t sort out and, subsequently, can’t get the opposing offenses off the sphere. Living proof: The Cardinals scored on every of their first 5 possessions on Sunday and didn’t punt till the fourth quarter.
Their interim head coach, Jeff Ulbrich, is overwhelmed, burdened with an excessive amount of to do as he’s stretched too skinny making an attempt to supervise the complete staff and run the protection on the similar time.
Because of Robert Saleh being fired after 5 video games, the protection has suffered.
“Clearly, everyone seems to be pissed,’’ Ulbrich mentioned Monday. “There’s collective anger, frustration, all these issues I’ve not felt. I don’t really feel like anybody is wavering or leaping ship in any respect. I believe the character on this locker room is powerful. They’re nonetheless dedicated to being collectively and getting this completed collectively.
“I’ve felt a gaggle that’s all-in each day. That elevates the extent of frustration and anger and disappointment that we’re all feeling.’’
Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood on Monday talked about placing these first 10 video games behind them, most notably Sunday’s humiliating defeat.
“The sport’s behind us now, so it’s about going ahead and making an attempt to enhance every thing that we weren’t good at [Sunday],’’ Sherwood mentioned Monday. “My mindset is simply to complete sturdy, it doesn’t matter what that file seems to be like, it doesn’t matter what the scoreboard seems to be like.
“You display your love for the person subsequent to you by the best way you end. No person would [have] thought that the season would have went this fashion after we began this season. So, that’s very upsetting.
“We’ve nonetheless acquired seven video games left. I don’t know the way something’s gonna work out in the long run, but when we proceed to pressure and present our effort and repair all these issues that we’ve been having, who is aware of what it seems to be like on the finish of the 12 months?’’
There are a variety of issues to repair if that is going to get higher.
The punter, Thomas Morstead, can’t proceed to be the staff’s most dependable, constant participant. This isn’t a recipe for achievement.
The Jets had six takeaways within the 5 video games with Saleh at head coach and have just one within the 5 video games since Ulbrich was given the interim head teaching duties. They’ve solely two INTs this season, each by cornerback Brandin Echols, and so they each got here when Saleh was nonetheless the pinnacle coach.
Worst of all, the Jets can’t even perform one among most simple tenets of protection: Tackling.
They amassed 20 missed tackles towards the Cardinals, in line with the NFL’s Subsequent Gen Stats.
“An egregious, legal quantity of missed tackles,’’ Ulbrich mentioned Monday. “Not ok. We have to discover methods to drill it higher.’’
Ulbrich mentioned he and his coaches “took a deep dive within the waning hours [Sunday] night time, actually hyperfocused on tackling and the way we will enhance it.’’
“The primary a part of tackling is figuring out what you’re doing unsuitable,’’ he mentioned. “Is it leverage? Is it not taking an additional step? Is it not committing to the wrap? Is it not getting your physique on him? Is it leaving my toes?
“No matter it’s, after which for every group, figuring out what they should actually hyperfocus on after which simply being tremendous diligent and on the gamers so far as our staff observe reps of leverage and taking the additional step, and doing all of the issues we will do with out taking a man to the bottom.
“I nonetheless assume inside the season, you may enhance it as a tackling protection, and we’ll.’’
Though it’s too late to make a distinction for a playoff run, it’s by no means too late.
