Demario Davis receives high praise from long-time Jets rival

It's not every day that NY Jets fans can listen to former New England Patriots' legends talk about Gang Green without getting sick. The Jets have been a doormat for New England for over two decades now. Typically, when they talk, Jets fans do their best not to listen.

But this time, we can all nod our heads in agreement with our most bitter enemy, and even maybe crack a smile too. Devin McCourty spent the better part of a decade and a half winning Super Bowls and beating the Jets. But now, he's in the business of praising the Jets, apparently. At least, the good ones, that is.

Not to be negative, but there are only so many "good ones" on the Jets roster. This is a work in progress. But one player who is unquestionably "good" is Demario Davis. In fact, the three-time Jet isn't just good, he's great. He's back with the franchise, hopefully to reinstate some much-needed culture while stabilizing the linebacker position on the field. And according to McCourty, the Jets may have finally done something right here.

Everyone agrees that Demario Davis is just what the doctor ordered

Slice it however you'd like – the Jets defense was horrendous last season. Pick any metric you want. Pro Football Focus assigns five categories of grades to every team: coverage, pass rush, tackling, run defense, and overall defense. In four out of the five categories, the Jets finished lower than 26th overall, with an overall defensive grade of 56.8, good for 26th in the NFL.

The defense finished 31st in points allowed and 25th in yards allowed. And once Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner were dealt at the trade deadline, a bad defense became a really bad defense, and any internal identity from that unit was stripped bare. Darren Mougey and co. moved off almost every valuable piece on the defensive depth chart, clearly making way for future reconstruction.

And as the offseason wraps up, we have a good snapshot of what that reconstruction will look like. After one offseason of the teardown, the defense looks very different. The flurry of additions was highlighted by first-year DB D'Angelo Ponds and veteran Nahshon Wright at corner, 2nd overall pick David Bailey upfront on the outside, and Minkah Fitzpatrick up the middle at free safety. But the most impactful move? It was probably none of those.

The Jets brought back Demario Davis for round 3 with the green and white. Davis kicked off his career with four solid seasons after being selected 77th overall by New York in 2012. He returned in 2017, after a brief stint in Cleveland, and a career-high 97 solo tackles, which also led the league that season. But he would spend the next eight seasons in New Orleans, where he made four all-pro teams and carved out a likely spot in Canton for himself one day.

Now back with the Jets, he's here to head up the defense. This is a guy who has made a career of owning the middle of the defense, and despite his advanced age (37), he finished last season with 143 combined tackles, an 88.9 PFF run defense grade, and led a unit that finished in the top-10 in football.

But what the Jets hope he brings to the defense is so much more than tackles. The Jets are hoping he can take a group of young guys and teach them how to be professionals. Davis has a pristine and stellar reputation in the league, especially among fellow players. On a recent episode of the Badlands podcast, Devin McCourty didn't pull any punches when detailing his thoughts on the 14-year vet.

It's clear that Davis is viewed as a consummate leader by his peers. McCourty spoke about the dynamic of an NFL locker room, full of brash "alpha males." But those who naturally rise to the top of the group are the real alpha males. Or as Devin McCourty put it, "alpha of alphas."

"I think Demario is one of those, like, alpha of alphas.... When I got to the NFL, Vince Wilfork was like the alpha of all alphas, and Jerrod Mayo... I think Demario Davis is that kind of guy."

Devin McCourty

He went on to say Geno Smith can be the Demario Davis of the offense, and that this young group will need veteran leaders on both sides of the ball. You would have to search pretty far and pretty wide to find a leader even close to Davis' caliber. That is why he's here. It's not just the on-the-field stuff – it's far more encompassing than that.

If this core is ever to succeed, whether in two years or ten, they'll likely have Demario Davis to thank for a lot of their personal development. There was no Demario Davis in the locker room last season, which is something that could have steadied the ship when things hit their rockiest point.

That won't be a concern this season. Because this year, the Jets defense has the "alpha of alphas."

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