15 Reasons to be positive ahead of the 2021 New York Jets season

The start of the new season is always a time for optimism, if you’re heading into a season without any optimism, what’s the point?

So with the curtain set to rise tomorrow on another season, I thought I’d counter all that negativity we’ve experienced over the last couple of years with a list of reasons why we, as jets fans, can be positive:

No more Adam Gase
Let’s hope that Colin Cowherd got a refund on those AFC Championship tickets he bought because the Jets went backwards under a head coach that looked out of his depth. Whether it’s calling mind-boggling plays, looking puzzled at media sessions or just genuinely looking as though he’d never coached a football game before, I don’t think anyone was sad to see Adam go.

All Gas, No Break - Saleh is here

It’s impossible to not get excited about Saleh, his personality is infectious and his presence is a reason for optimism. Will he be a good Head Coah? Who knows, but now is the time to be optimistic about a man who could motivate the laziest of players. Having worked under Pete Carroll and Kyle Shanahan, I’m backing Saleh to be here for a long time. We have no evidence to the contrary, be postive.

Zach Wilson

Just like Saleh, we don’t know if Wilson is going to make it in the pro’s, it’s impossible to tell. However he’s young, he looked good in the pre-season and he has all the intangibles. Why not be excited about that considering our history at QB, it won’t be easy but Wilson sure is going to be entertaining to watch. Wilson is coming off a season at BYU where he threw 33 TD’s and just 3 INT’s, now the NFL is a lot different, but his confidence will and should be high.

Mike LaFleur

I’m a bit Shanahan guy, so I’ve got a lot of time for anyone who comes from that tree. LaFleur will be in his first year calling plays, but he was with Shanahan in Clevelnand, Atlanta and San Francisco, so I’m thinking he’s picked up a few things. He’s young and apparently creative, the way the league is going. I can’t wait to see what he cooks up for this team.

Big Man Becton

Becton has a very good rookie season and he has his sights set on being even better this year. When you’ve got a young QB you want to protect him, and the Jets have a good one in Becton. He was ranked 13th in terms of left tackles last year according to PFF and that was with a big adjustment from a screen-heavy system at Louisville. He has the potential to be the best tackle in the league.

Quinnen Williams

7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in just 13 games for Williams last season and you know there is more in the tank for the 3rd year pro. He’s got a defensive coaching staff and system that will put him in a place to excel. It’s a shame that Lawson went down as teams would have had to pick their poison, but I’m still expecting a good year from Quinnen. Plus he’s just a really cool guy as well, what’s not to be excited about.

Elijah Moore

Moore has made play after play after play this pre-season, and the Jets got him in the 2nd round. Moore’s route-running ability is set to put a fair few defensive backs on notice this season and he’s already shown a good chemistry through camp with Wilson. What can be more exciting than two extremely talented offensive players growing together?

Improved Offensive Line

We probably didn’t do as much as we’d have liked on the offensive line, but we have got Becton and we did draft the best guard in the draft in AVT. We also went out and got Moses, and while he’s not as good as he was, he is an upgrade over Fant. When you consider this offensive system and blocking scheme suits the skill sets of Connor McGovern who’s coming off a disappointing year, the offensive line should be much better, lets just leave the depth for another day.

Receiver, Receiver, Receiver

Remember those good old days of having the likes of Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery? Well after a few years of some Stephen Hill’s we have a receiving threat that a rookie can really rely on. Not only do we have someone like Corey Davis, but we have realiable depth behind him with Keelan Cole, Elijah Moore, Denzel Mims, Jamison Crowder and Berrios. No excuses for Zach here.

C.J Mosley is Back!

C.J was one of the best linebackers in the league for a few years, then he joined the Jets, got injured and the rest is history. Well C.J is back, and who knows how good he’ll be after 2 years on the sidelines, but this is the time to be optimistic. C.J could return to that pro-bowl, all-pro form and create a solid partnership with the young-guns in the linebacker unit.

Marcus Maye is hungry

Maye didn’t get the contract that many were predicting, but he’s also done things the right way and not caused any distractions. Maye is quickly becoming one of the best safeties in the league and the Jets need his ability in a secondary which is set to be one of the youngest in the league. He’s on the franchise tag so he’ll be looking to show why he’s worth that big contract.

The Schedule

You look at the Jets schedule and it looks pretty decent. Yeah the divisional games will be tough and we have to plays the Super Bowl holders in the new year, but apart from that, it shouldn’t scare you. Broncos, Falcons, Bengals, Colts, Texans, Eagles, Saints, Jags...there are some wins to be had this year.

Young Secondary

I know, I know...why is this here? Surely this is a fear? For me, the unknown is a positive. Bless was let go and we know what he is and isn’t capable of. We could have signed a FA corner, we could have traded for one, instead we decided to draft some young bucks. Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich see these guys every single day, so lets trust their judgement over our own until proven otherwise. I’m looking at the positive, we have young guys who are going to play a lot of football this year. I’m looking forward to seeing Echols, Pinnock, Dunn and Carter!

Fans are back in the stands!

The fans play a huge part in creating a positive atmosphere for the home team and an intimidating one for the visiting team. Having the fans back at Metlife is absolutely a reason to be positive ahead of the 2021 season.

Finally, because we’re the damn Jets and if we can’t be positive when our record is 0-0, when can we be!