The Jets are currently on a three-game losing streak.
Former New York Daily News football writer Gary Myers often asked coaches at times like this, “Is the season slipping away?”
If the Jets lose to Cleveland on Sunday and fall to 1-4, perhaps that question will be apt.
These are the times that try football teams’ souls, to paraphrase Thomas Paine.
This is a week when the Jets need not just big-time leadership from their head coach and his staff, but also from their player leaders.
“Your player council has to turn the heat up on everybody,” said former Jets QB Boomer Esiason on WFAN.
One of the men on that council is linebacker Demario Davis.
Known as one of the NFL’s best player leaders, he needs to be at the tip of the leadership spear this week to help fix the issues that have led to this three-game malaise.
How good a leader is Davis?
Did you see that Atlanta blowout of New Orleans on Monday Night Football?
You think the Saints’ defense misses Davis a little?
Their defense looked totally out of sorts.
Just like the Jets’ defense the last couple of weeks.
In the spring, Davis said, “The first thing for a good defense, foundationally, is you have to stop the run.”
Well, the last two weeks, the Jets gave up 131 yards to Detroit, and then 232 to Chicago.
To call the Jets’ run defense “atrocious” the last two weeks might be an understatement.
So Davis needs to advise the powers that be on how to fix this.
Also, as a true alpha, he needs to help lead the Jets out of their current funk, with leadership ability that Rex Ryan once compared to Ray Lewis.
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