Jets linebacker DeMario Davis appeared with Jim “Mills” Miller and Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, and had some powerful words on whether the Jets are the NFL’s best defense, as one teammate proclaimed.
“The way I feel about it is: Can we be? Yes, of course, everybody knows that, everybody believes that, people have seen that. What it seems like too many people are saying we can be the best defense or we are the best defense but the work has to show it.
“As far as me seeing it, have we been putting in the work to be the best defense? I would say no. In the first couple weeks we’ve got to work a lot harder. Guys gotta put more individual time in, you’ve got to watch a lot more film, you’ve got to stay on the field a lot longer, you’ve got to come out a lot earlier.
“It’s not just what is mandatory. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to do more. Being the best doesn’t just happen. So I’ve seen a lot of people saying that. I’ve said it myself but personally I don’t feel like we’re putting in the work right now to be the best. We have a long way to go and right now we’re not on pace to be the best. We’ve got to start fast this year. We can’t afford to try to catch fire late in the season. We’ve got to start fast.
“You can preach all day but actions is what it is really going to take. Every man has to have that inside of himself. It’s not somebody saying, ‘You’ve got to do this.’ Guys just have to understand that role and know that it’s not just going to happen on Sundays. Everybody knows that if you don‘t prepare you’re not going to be ready when you go on the field. That’s part of being a pro. Shouldn’t nobody have to tell you that. If coach says something in the meeting you’ve got to write it down and bring it to the field.”
