NY Jets: Signs Of Light In A Dark Season

This season has been beyond a disappointment. Even for the most pessimistic fan, it is not a fun thing to see your team fail at every level on a consistent basis. I refuse, however, to succumb to the darkness. The reality is that the season is over, but there are some sparks of light that have shown on the season.

Quincy Enunwa

I've been high on this man all year and he's done an excellent job filling in the #2 WR spot with Eric Decker out. After succumbing to the 'dropsies' multiple times last year, it seems a clear effort was made by Q to limit those this year. He made an excellent catch this past week against the Patriots, but that has only been a growing trend on what I would say is a very nice season thus far for him. At the moment Q leads the Jets in receiving TDs and is only less than 100 yards behind Jets receiving yards leader Brandon Marshall. I firmly believe Quincy should get re-signed now before his price skyrockets.

Bilal Powell

We all know the saying of the backup quarterback being the fan's favorite player, well this year I think it can be applied to the RB position for our Jets. Coming into this season after being newly re-signed, and deservedly so, Powell has been the back many pundits believed Forte would be for the Jets. Although his usage has been in serious question (and rightfully so), Powell is still averaging an absurd 6.8 yards per rush, and has more receptions and receiving yards than Matt Forte. It seems as if every game he is going all in, and it's easy to see by the way he runs with the ball. It's something I have definitely noticed, and enjoy seeing effort like that no matter the circumstance.

Brian Winters

Truth be told, if you said that I would be writing positive things about Winters I probably would have laughed at you. But alas, here I am. After being partly responsible for a pathetic right side of our offensive line, Winters has improved tremendously in his contract year and seemingly has solidified our Guard position opposite of Carpenter. He's been opening up holes in the run game and has been a solid pass protector throughout the year. With Nick Mangold dealing with injuries and our tackles playing poorly, it's nice to see our other Guard pick up the slack.

Darron Lee

The Jets 2016 1st round pick has had his ups and downs this year, but I can already see why the Jets selected him. After starting the season in primarily 3rd down packages, Lee has now planted himself as the #2 ILB, and with some good reason. Lee has shown good instincts when tracking the ball/carrier, and has some pretty superb coverage for a rookie. In a league that is leaning more towards speed than ever before, Lee's skillset and ability have helped us improve dramatically on defense, whether it is seen or not. There are no longer wheel routes going for 60 yard touchdowns, or sweeps going for massive plays. He does need to take better angles, but I believe with time to polish he will become a great linebacker and selection for the Jets.

Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams

Despite the reports of Shelly and Wilk missing meetings, I still put Sheldon in here based on his play alone. These two men (minus Wilk) should be the true future of the Jets D-Line. Most of the year Todd Bowles has/had played Shelly out of position at OLB and he is still producing well. The sacks are not here for these two, but if you do not see the constant effort being made by these men I'm not sure we are watching the same games. After penetrating the line on a play going to the opposite side, these two names are called more often than not for making the tackle. They are the primary reason for the Jets having a top 5 run defense, and premiere focuses from opposing coaches. Although many speculate the future of the Jets is without Richardson, he and Leo have been good players on a bad team, and are rare talents.

Overall, yes, the season is over. Just end it, as they used to say. I'd rather evaluate our talent and look towards the light and the future. Enjoy the week and stay safe Jet Fans