Here we are again, second in a week and the final installment of the preview series, looking at the final team in our division the New York Jets. So far we have seen the Bills and The Patriots both have the Bills as divisional favorites and the Jets stuck languishing at the bottom, so its time we let them stick up for themselves.

With the moves within the division, it is easy to understand why the division seems so easy to predict this year. The Patriots have some underwhelming player names and coaches in less familiar roles. We have made some splash moves whilst the Tua slander persists within certain outlets and the Bills were strong last year and have added to that. It’s easy to see why people think they know exactly how things are going to play out. And so often that leaves the Jets as the fourth team from four in the general NFL consensus.

So, of course, I went back to Olivia, (@UKNYJets) who we hooked up with last season, to see if we were all missing something where the Jets are concerned and if there were reasons to worry about them, that we all seemed to bypass…

Hello mate, obviously my first port of call for all things Jets, it’s great to speak to you again, hope you have had a great off-season. But for those new readers and followers, give us a re-introduction.

No problem JMR, I’m Olivia, I am a New York Jets fan and currently help maintain the @UKNYJets fan account! Enjoyed the last couple of these pieces and am glad to be working with you again. Looking forward to what should undoubtedly be a fascinating and crazy season ahead!

Likewise mate, always a pleasure and with twice a year match ups, there should be more opportunities to come. So when previewing the crazy season ahead, as you put it, let’s start at the end of last season. A disappointing one I imagine? What was the mood and thoughts of the fanbase when that all came to an end?

I don’t know if disappointing is the right phrase, as Saleh said himself, last season was always going to be a rollercoaster season. Undoubtedly it was more down than up, but maybe surprisingly for non-Jets fans the end of last season was optimistic. We had terrible luck with injuries, and certainly had some growing pains. But with Zach Wilson starting to look more comfortable and our younger players looking like bright spots, Jets fans were ready to kick on with the 2022 season as soon as possible. Zach’s pre-season injury may put a halt on those developments but it isn’t season ending and the team should kick on a few games within the season.

Oh wow ok. I mean I know we all like to be optimistic about our teams, but I would have thought that injury to Zach would have hit you harder. Obviously, that is a blow. But there was some optimism there then, that things would get better from that point and that there were signs to support that theory. Ok then, so did the offseason help that? How about free agency specifically? Did you add any players that you feel will come in and make an impact?

Absolutely, I think our free agency has been somewhat underrated. The Jets have made some necessary splashes in FA! Laken Tomlinson is a huge upgrade at Guard and should be a part of a formidable o-line this season if all goes to plan. Our tight end room undoubtedly got the biggest upgrade, with CJ Uzomah and Tyler Conklin signing to give us some much-needed depth and attacking prowess where we very much lacked last year. Our defense, which was not very good last season to say the least, got some huge upgrades with D.J Reed hopefully becoming part of the answer to troubling cornerback play from last year. Equally, former Super Bowl Champion safety Jordan Whitehead should be an excellent presence in the secondary. Shoutout to the re-signing of WR/Kick returner Braxton Berrios, who may not be the most notable of signings but demonstrated some excellent chemistry with Zach Wilson last season, so some continuity is vital.

Of course, Tomlinson! I was beating the drum for him to end up a Dolphin. It seemed all lined up perfectly with the McDaniel link and our desperate need at O-Line. To see him land in the division but elsewhere was a bit of a sting. Reed and Whitehead to are solid pickups, and in a division with Diggs and now Tyreek Hill, I guess they were a necessary addition as you say.

So was it all up from there? Or have you lost anyone within that Free Agency period? Did the moves or departures leave any holes on the roster that concern you?

Maybe we should have signed a backup tackle before the enforced signing of Duane Brown, due to Becton’s second season-ending injury. Other fans may have seen this FA as an opportunity to upgrade center as well, although I don’t think it was a huge need compared to other positions that needed to be filled. Although happy we got Whitehead, some more safety depth would have made me feel more comfortable about that position. Overall some niggling holes, but nothing on paper at least, massively concerning.

Let’s not go into upgrading the Centre position, not with me, this article could shoot off in a tangent and leave you with little room to speak. Biggest bug bear of my Dolphins fandom during this whole rebuild. Although saying a back up tackle as the biggest issue, must mean you are confident with the other areas of this roster. I’m sure a lot of people will be as surprised as I that you feel this content.

Does the draft class feed into that at all? It has to surely? You guys picked up some exciting names, so the reaction and optimism have to have increased from there right?

It’s fair to say the fanbase are hyped after the draft. To leave the draft with three first-rounders, all of which were in the Jets’ top 10 on the draft board, was impressive. Initially, the reaction to drafting Sauce Gardner was fairly mixed, but the ability to address all three of CB, WR and DE in one round was certainly reassuring. To round the draft off, selecting Breece Hall was super exciting for Jets fans, and adds another layer of explosiveness to our offense, and picking New York native TE Jeremy Ruckett was a nice moment. Michael Clemons and Max Mitchell were late round wildcard picks, but on paper at least it was a very smart and nice draft by the Jets.

Yeah I can’t even lie, I watched those names announced one after the next after the next, while we sat there waiting for over 100 picks to go by and felt a bit jealous in how many top prospects were taking that green cap. I mean, we got Tyreek Hill for those picks, so I wasn’t THAT jealous haha, but there’s something special and exciting about drafting these players and your front office did a good job this time around.

But rivalry aside, what’s been the Jets fanbase’s position of how we are getting on? Any noise from your side with our offseason moves? Obviously, I saw the fan wars in and around the Tyreek Hill move with both franchises linked to him and taking shots at each other. But beyond that, Terron Armstead, the new Head Coach, what have you guys made of us?

New coach Mike McDaniel was certainly hot property this offseason and comes from the same coaching tree as coach Saleh, so it will be very interesting to see their styles come head to head next season. Evidently, this season for the Dolphins must be the season they know if Tua is their QB or not, especially with the quality of next year’s class. It’s clear they are trying to put as much as they can around him, and it is certainly now or never. The Tyreek Hill pickup was a deep financial commitment, but certainly a worthy one. If there’s any WR who can help Tua out, its him. The Dolphins’ offense could look very scary next year but may have to put up with understandable rookie HC/OC growing pains. Their o-line will still need to convince me, but the signing of Armstead was smart if not a vital necessity. The Dolphins have made it clear they want to at least to try and keep up with the rest of a stacked AFC.

I have never had a more accurate comment in one of these articles as “signing of Armstead was a vital necessity” haha. Our line stunk up the NFL last season, but Armstead and Conor Williams could be part of the solution in that regard. I am still slightly skeptical mind, Armstead doesn’t do fully healthy years all that often, and once he or Williams go down, we’re not that different from last year in that unit. Although we can’t overlook a completely new scheme and an offensive staff that has a lot of experience coaching Offensive Lines. So I live in hope at this stage could have a

So with our newly tooled QB and his arsenal of WRs, and your shiny new rookie and his free agency friends in your secondary, how do you see the matchups going between our two teams? Are these games going to be closer or may we see one team blow out the other?

The Dolphins/Jets games this season in different ways will be crucial for both teams in examining where each team stands. For the Jets, you have to have minimum expectations of finally beating the Dolphins at least once this season to show some sign of progress. In these games, it’ll certainly be a battle of the QBs that will determine the outcome of these games. I think each game will be close, but it is almost impossible to determine how it will go, considering the massive number of changes that have occurred within both teams. I will say that it should at the very minimum be closer than recent seasons and should be a higher quality of play. On paper, the Dolphins still have the stronger squad, especially with the addition of Tyreek Hill, but it’s really still all up in the air.

I think you are right that on paper, we should be considered the favorites. You have some impressive rookies, but they remain rookies and will be going up against some seasoned pros in Howard, Ogbah, Wilkins, Hill, Armstead, etc. So I think it is right for us to be considered favorites at this early stage. That said, there is so much unknown about the Jets this year.

But you touched on something else earlier, the McDaniel v Saleh factor. Two guys who used to go up against each other in practice every day, who will be familiar with each other and each others preferences and decision making. That could bring more of a chess match approach, especially with boy HCs having a say in coaching plays. It could get to trying to out-coach each other, rather than players out playing each other in certain times. That in itself will be an interesting narrative going into these games.

What about the other two teams in the AFC East? How do the New York faithful view those Pats and Bills?

The Bills are still the Bills and will undoubtedly win the division again in my eyes. They haven’t really been weakened, and will surely be looking to become Super Bowl champions. The Patriots however are a bit more of a grey area. In my opinion, they had a pretty average draft and free agency, and people are still raising questions about Mac Jones. I don’t think the Patriots will make the playoffs again, and will likely finish 3rd in the division, however, I know better than to write of BB and the Patriots!

Haha, yeah the Bills fanbase representative also hinted at the Patriots propping up the division but it was the Big Bad Bill factor that scared him off when he put you guys there. You say people are questioning Mac Jones, but speaking as a fan of Tua, Mac’s time in the league has been a breeze in regards to media questions and comparables. They have a lot of faith in him.

So you think you will likely finish third in the division? How do you think that will play out against expectations and reality?

A realistic goal for this year would be playing meaningful games in November/December. A playoff run may seem out of the picture due to the strength of the AFC but that has got to be the aim for the Jets. Realistically, Zach Wilson should make a jump at QB and demonstrate a bit more quality now he has NFL experience. I would be quite happy not making playoffs if we know at the end of the year that Zach Wilson should be our QB for the foreseeable future. We must show quality on both sides of the ball, and our second-year players should hopefully step up to make the difference. This will come from the adversity of his injury that luckily should only see him miss a limited amount of time, so hopefully, it won’t derail his development.

So that third place, if achieved in the right way and with the right developments, could represent success or at least further cause for optimism? Ok, I see that, we were in a similar spot not so long ago when bridging from Fitzpatrick to Tua so I understand that perspective. Although for us now I’d hope we can kick on and challenge that AFC level. There are a lot of good teams at this conference, but they have to play each other and they can’t all win every week. Some good teams will lose games and I hope we can capitalize on that when they do.

So what does New York expect of Miami? How do you view us going into this season and how do you expect our season to pan out?

I imagine they will be wanting to push for playoffs, most realistically as a wildcard behind the Bills in the division. There are still some questions around Tua, so for the Dolphins that certainly needs to be decided one way or another. So whilst it may not be stated publicly, I think that will be the priority for the Dolphins this year, and they have tried their best to put him in a position to succeed this year. I think the Dolphins will be strong but not strong enough, again more of a comment on the insane conference around them.

Oh don’t be like that, we’re all friends here haha. But I do understand that from the outside and after all the noise and nonsense surrounding Tua over his time in the NFL so far, people outside the fanbase would be skeptical. But I’m telling you, he looks a different animal this year, his personality, his freedom, and demeanor, there’s so much more to Tua that we are finally seeing, and I’m excited to see it translate to games.

So what’s the final prediction, Olivia? How do you see the division playing out? How will it finish up?

My heart says: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots.

My head says: Bills, Patriots, Dolphins, and Jets.

I think the Bills are the only team in the AFC East to make the playoffs, whilst the AFC wildcard positions will go to teams from the AFC West and AFC North.

And with that, I close this little mini-series of AFC East rivals and their season predictions. I have to say, I was a bit surprised at the optimism demonstrated by the Jets, but on reflection, my surprise and initial perception of them was based on what WE have done and how WE have improved without really considering their moves and developments. Without a doubt, they have gotten better on paper, and I can’t and won’t deny that.

That said, like them, I have full faith in my franchise. I love the moves we have made, and when these AFC East teams line up, I expect us to come out on top against all bar the Bills.

Our test will be on how much we can close the gap between us and the Bills because without doing that, we could get stuck in wildcard fights until we do. And after years of being stuck behind Bill and his Patriots, I don’t want a new era of dominance to open up for a different AFC East franchise. I think we maintain our gap over the Jets, I think we increase it over the Patriots, and I hope we can close the gap on the Bills.

Not long now until we can see whether any of that is true…

Fins Up!