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Jets linebacker Quincy Williams was asked about the Jets season. The team currently stands at 6-10 with one game to play.
“We’ve been on a roller coaster this whole season, but there’s still like silver linings that we see through our practice and throughout the week and things like that,” Williams said. “And then there’s looking forward to next season and knowing that going into this offseason, we have a smaller list of things that we have to work on to be that Super Bowl-type team or be that playoff-type team.”
“You are what your record says it is.” – Bill Parcells.
There are no silver linings.
Don’t view this as an attack on Williams. He’s a hard-working, hard-hitting player who has a great motor. He gives it everything he’s got every Sunday.
But this is another example of why the culture needs to be fixed.
In the standings, there are wins, losses and ties. There is no category for silver linings.
They can tweet how well individuals do, and talk about PFF grades, or push Pro Bowl votes for certain players, but that doesn’t make the team better.
And football is the ultimate team sport.
They have now missed the second season for the 13th straight season, a current high in all professional sports. That is the bottom line. There are no silver linings.
Once again, this isn’t Williams’ fault that he’s talking this way. It’s a cultural issue that needs to be fixed. It’s a mindset that needs to change in the culture.
Aaron Rodgers said as much in December on ESPN.
“I think it’s about the culture,” Rodgers said. “The culture can win championships, chemistry wins championships. So we obviously need to fine tune things. Just tighten a couple of things up.”
And this concept they are close to turning things around can be debated.
Not if the X’s and O’s don’t improve.
In recent losses to Miami and Cleveland, the Jets got dominated in the chess game, and football is “chess on grass” as one long-time NFL executive likes to put it.
How many Browns receivers were wide-open for big plays? Browns head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin Stefanski seemed to be a few moves ahead in the chess match, especially in the first half.
We talk about the struggles of the run defense over and over, and that continued in Cleveland – bad gap control, bad tackling and so forth.
One problem with the Jets’ run defense is not just X’s and O’s, but overhyping players in the front seven, pushing them for the Pro Bowl, no matter how much some of these individuals get engulfed against the run, don’t set edges property, or shoot up plays being too aggressive and open up big rushing lanes.
If you are going to overhype certain front-seven players, talk about how Pro Bowl-worthy they are, but in essence, they have a ton to improve, that is bad for the culture. There is no way around it.
So no, there are no silver linings.
You are what your record says it is.
I’m to being a hater, just dealing with reality.
Actually, you could argue I’m trying to be helpful.
Things need to change.
January 2, 2024
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