One might get the feeling of going to a summer camp where soon after the kids arrive they are running the show. Adult supervision a little more than in observation mode where their plans are put aside in favor of kids getting away with murder.
Yep, that is how I view, from afar mind you, the New York Jets.
This team has drawn up gameplans and personnel moves for years that could have been better served with a roll of the dice. They have made more mistakes than a severely handicapped person with dyslexia grading spelling papers.
So now, in another attempt to right the ship, the Jets have brought in Davante Adams to rejoin his onetime great quarterback in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers. I was close to the Oakland Raiders when they went into full decline, and I observed the once highly astute Al Davis make moves not with the greatness of the Raiders in their future but to try and recapture the magic that was gone.
Adams and Rodgers are going to burst on the scene and reemerge as a premier passing combination?
I wouldn’t bet on it.
Adams is a truly gifted athlete and got a bum deal with the Raiders. He went there to play with his college quarterback, Derek Carr, but after a couple years of success the Silver and Black decided to cut Carr loose and go with journeyman backups in the starting role. It was totally unfair to Adams, who still has productive years left in his NFL career and didn’t want to spend them with inadequate throwers.
But, to think he is going to recapture the magic that he and Rodgers enjoyed during the last decade is faulty thinking. Hey, Davante, this is a 40-year-old quarterback who has the look of a player more interested in collecting his ridiculously high salary than building team unity.
Okay, some will disagree with me.
Time will tell.
But to lay points with the Jets on the road tonight in Pittsburgh is pure folly. If that is to work out, the Steelers must be a mess too.
Interestingly enough, they also have a set of problems that make them less than a sure thing. Head Coach Mike Tomlin, who has never orchestrated a losing season in his Hall of Fame coaching career, was going to start Russel Wilson tonight. He didn’t want that known for competitive reasons, but one of his players, George Pickens, thought it was his place to announce the change. Tonight, Russell Wilson will get the start, he replaces Justin Fields who was awarded the starting role not by virtue of winning the job but because Wilson was injured during the preseason.
Then Fields got some wins, he has the Steelers tied with the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North Division with a 4 and 2 won/loss record. Some thought Tomlin shouldn’t make a move based on those results, but Tomlin has not won 17 straight years in the NFL following others advice. He knows that the Steelers success is much more based on their stout defense than what Fields did from behind center.
The Steelers have also, on my charts, taken advantage of good situations, but have lost both times the edges weren’t in their favor.
Tonight, they get the edge of playing at home while getting points on the spread. Now, if I’m right about the Jets descending, Pittsburgh comes away with a victory tonight. If I’m wrong and Rodgers and his Jets excel, well that possibility is why I have no play on this primetime contest.