2013 New York Jets at the Bye Week: A Look Back at the First Half

Nov 3, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan before the game against the New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 New York Jets have had an interesting first nine games, wouldn’t you say? It certainly has been up and down, but yet, it has been far better than many of the “experts” thought it would be. Many felt we wouldn’t have five wins all year, much less five wins in the first nine games.

What have we learned so far? Let’s look back:

• The Jets have found a clutch QB: Whether or not Geno Smith is the quarterback of the future is probably debatable.  What isn’t debatable is that they have found a QB with the mental ability for the game.  He clearly has ice in his veins, already leading multiple, late comeback wins.  He also doesn’t sulk when underperforming as well.  He has the short memory needed to be able to be a quarterback in this league.
• Sack Exchange 2.0?: How good have the Jets been up front on defense?  Mo Wilkerson is leading the team with eight sacks, but this front group on a whole has been wreaking havoc on opposing offenses all season.  Not since the New York Sack Exchange have the Jets had a front line that can get to the quarterback at will.  They are young, and they are only going to get better.
• Marty Mornhinweg and his value: I think it was Ray Lucas that said that the most important signing by the Jets leading up to 2013 was Marty Mornhinweg.  He may be absolutely right.  The Jets finally, after all of these years with coach Ryan, have a legitimate offensive coordinator.  Here is a guy in Mornhinweg that understands how to take the talent he has and put it in position to succeed.  Aside from a couple of exceptions, Marty has done just that.  He formulates the game plan around Geno Smith, to run plays that he is comfortable with.  I couldn’t be happier that Marty is on our side.
• Rex Ryan is the man for this job: It’s time for the Jets to sign Rex Ryan.  Rex Ryan should be the man here in NY going forward.  Why?  Because this team has never quit on him, and they won’t start now.  He is a terrific motivator, you could see the team’s anger when they were getting killed by the Bengals.  They wanted to fix it, and nobody hung their heads in shame.  That is a credit to coach Ryan and this team, and frankly, should they improve, they should have more money this off-season.  The sky is the limit.
• Geno Smith needs all of his weapons: No doubt, Geno Smith has adapted well to who has been on the field.  David Nelson has helped a lot.  Zach Sudfeld came out with a couple of terrific catches last week.  He needs all of his weapons.  They need Kellen Winslow back from suspension.  They need Holmes back from  injury.  They need Jeff Cumberland back as well, as he was gaining especially good chemistry with Geno.  The offense has the potential to really take off if they can get their players healthy.