Relationships that Must Emerge for the New York Jets During OTAs and Training Camp- Part II

May 10, 2013; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan addresses the media during New York Jets rookie minicamp at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

We began talking about this yesterday, and have debated it amonst all of our friends. The debate being that who needs to emerge in front of everyone else, in order to lead this football team and take it forward as a winner for years to come.

So, how do the Jets evolve into that type of football team?  Well, it’s a complex situation you see, because you of course need players.  You have to make the starting lineup into you finest group of players, so therefore, there must competition at all of their positions.

But again, as we began discussing yesterday, it’s more than being about players getting better.   Its about units of a team that must learn to execute on the same level every damn time.  The players must know what they have to do, as well as their teammates.

Here is another group that must emerge for the Jets to successful in 2023:

WIDE RECEIVERS AND THE OFFENSIVE LINE

We talked yesterday about important the offensive line is for the Jets ground game.   They must understand how they will interact with oe another.  For example, someone just might become concerned enough  to double one receiver, leaving others wide open to earn the positions.  Despite the return of Braylon Edwards, this group may appear with many differences that the current team.

As Phil Simms notes time and time again, if your offensive line has problems, it will spill over into the rest of your team, and that is what happened to the Jets over the last couple of years.  There will be 2-3 New Jets’ players to come on both sides of the ball, so things are still taking shape.  So the first important part here was, as of yesterday, that the offensive line gets itself together and fast.

The wide receivers must establish that chemistry with themselves, and the quarterback, whomever that might be.  It is essential for THIS team to win, and it is just essential to be successful in the West Coast offense.  Chemistry.  Our teachers told us we would use chemistry in our lives, who knew?

The receivers have to become comfortable with working the football field over with each other.  What kind of spacing does each player need?  Does the guy to my right make hard snap-counts?  Does the guy in the slot make sharp routes?  Can anyone make the tough catch over the middle.  The receivers have to start getting to work NOW, in order to be ready to go.

Don’t shortchange the idea of competition between the receivers and the QB as well.  What kind of ball does he throw?  Is it an even one, whether a lab is necessary or not?  Can he fit it in with traffic?  All of these questions and more will have to be answered by Mark, Geno, or whomever wins the job as the Jets quarterback.  The idea of timing is the most important skill set in the West Coast offense.  Remember we talked about all of the receivers running horizontal routes?  It puts the burden on timing, and YAC.

We must see these, and many other relationships emerge with the Jets in order for them to have a chance on Sunday.