Demario Davis proves the Jets' culture has shifted after Packers loss

There's no such thing as a good loss. But what matters more in a letdown isn't the failure itself, but how you respond to it. Over the past decade-plus, the New York Jets have handled failure terribly. The fish rots from the head down, and that goes for franchises too. The leadership internally, from ownership to the front office to the locker room itself, has been poor.

But those days appear to be a thing of the past.

Whether it be Adam Gase's cagey lack-of-direction post-game, Zach Wilson's trademark excuse-making, Woody Johnson's spectacular nuking of the 2024 Jets after a couple of bad weeks, or Aaron Glenn's rookie coaching defensive posture after losses, the collective bad response to hard times has been a tradition inside the walls of One Jets Drive for a long time now.

But the 2026 Jets are not the same Jets they've been. There's a purpose now. That comes from an influx of veteran leadership that Darren Mougey shrewdly added this past offseason. After Sunday's disappointing loss to Green Bay, that veteran leadership was on full display. More so than ever.

Geno Smith is a New York Jets captain for a reason

Geno Smith was drafted by the organization in 2013 before his unceremonious exit in 2016. Demario Davis was selected in the third round in 2012, spending four seasons in New York before returning to the Jets in 2017 for another run, and then returning this season for round three.

Both men, at varying levels, have overcome odds to reach the heights they're at today. They're hardened, well-traveled veteran leaders whose only incentive is to lead this group to wins.

While both men appear to be the firm leaders of the offense and defense, respectively, and they're generally in sync on all accounts, their post-game messages on Sunday varied greatly.

Both outlined a path forward after this loss and a guide for the younger guys to follow as they manage the volatile week-to-week emotions of an NFL season. But those paths came in different forms.

Geno Smith offered a responsibly stone-cold view of Sunday's ultimate result. Were there reasons to offer positivity? Sure, some. But that's not the business the Jets are in. They're in the winning business.

"I don't really believe in moral victories. We didn't win the game and that's all that matters to me."

Geno Smith

He doubled down on that sentiment when he was prompted to acknowledge what it felt like to run on the field as a Jet for the first time in nearly a decade. He could have basked in the glow a bit, but he didn't. He basically apologized to the fans instead, stating that all he cared about was getting a "win at home for our fans" and concluding, "We didn't get it done."

That's the kind of no-nonsense mindset that plenty of young guys, especially those who may have performed well individually, can stand to learn from. There's no resting on laurels when the result on the sheet was a red "L." And there's no patting yourself on the back when the team didn't achieve the ultimate goal.

Demario Davis keeps it positive after New York Jets loss to Packers

That said, you don't want a group getting so down on itself to the point where it isn't warranted. There shouldn't be smiles and hugs in the locker room after a result like Sunday's. But there are reasons to keep your head up as you move forward. Demario Davis made this abundantly clear.

"I think it should put a lot of confidence in the culture and the organization as to where we are, and how fast we're accelerating."

Demario Davis

You have to recognize as a group when your collective vehicle is still behind others in a race. But that doesn't mean the car has stopped altogether. You need a healthy understanding of where you are, where you're not, where you should be, and where you want to get to. That's exactly what Davis summarized with his "acceleration" analogy.

And he even added a little additional motivation by stating that the Jets "don't plan on slowing down."

These two competing messages from Smith and Davis contradict each other while also complementing each other. For the young guys who need to be reminded that no loss is a good loss, Smith covered that. For the young guys who need a reminder to stay positive moving forward, Davis covered that.

Which is why I'm not as down as I maybe should be after Sunday. There's plenty to clean up. But there's plenty of small successes to recognize as well. And based on how the veteran mouthpieces are handling the loss, the locker room is in a great place heading into Week three.

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