Jets finally have a coaching hire they can brag about and Week 14 proved it

The New York Jets and greatness don't often belong in the same sentence. Having the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports will do that to you.

But one area where the Jets have been consistently good has been in special teams. Legendary coach Mike Westoff was the standard-bearer. Later on, Brant Boyer would survive three different regimes, with the only blemishes on his tenure being personnel-related (Kaare Vedvik, anyone?).

Aaron Glenn's hiring brought the Boyer era to an end, with the long-time Jets coach heading off to San Francisco alongside Robert Saleh to work under Kyle Shanahan.

With that, Chris Banjo was brought into the fold as the special teams coordinator, and after just two years of NFL coaching experience as a special teams assistant with the Denver Broncos, no one knew what to expect.

Chris Banjo has finally given the Jets a coaching rockstar as the special teams unit marches toward history

Early on in the season, the Jets' special teams unit was one that was on the rise, buoyed by the performance of Austin McNamara, who has alleviated any concerns related to the departure of Thomas Morestead, as the rookie has elevated into the conversation as one of the game's elite punters.

McNamara ranks third in punts downed inside the 20 with 24, and fourth in net average yards per punt at 43.5. He's also worked with the coverage team to force the third-most fair catches with 19.

McNamara isn't the only specialist showing out. While it's not really a surprise, Nick Folk has been nearly automatic this season, connecting on 23 of 24 field goal attempts, with his only miss being a 55-yarder against the Atlanta Falcons. He'd redeem himself in that game with a game-winning 56-yard kick, and he's been a perfect 19-for-19 on extra points.

Entering Week 14's matchup against the Miami Dolphins, the Jets' special teams unit was on pace for the third-best performance by DVOA in NFL history. The performance brought them to an 11.3% mark, which was within striking distance of the 2002 New Orleans Saints' record of 11.8%.

That was before the stunning performance from the unit in what was an otherwise abysmal showing against Miami. In that game, we saw a 78-yard punt return touchdown from Isaiah Williams, his second of the season, and a thrilling fake punt speed option, in which Isaiah Davis was able to pick up a first down.

Austin McNamara had two punts downed inside the 20, and nearly missed pinning the Dolphins inside their own five-yard line when Arian Smith forgot to re-establish position after stepping on the goal line. Either way, the unit was the only one that came to play in the 34-10 drubbing.

The man at the center of it all has been Banjo. His blocking schemes on kick and punt returns have led to Williams and Kene Nwangwu consistently showing out. Nwangwu leads the league with a 35.1-yard kick return average and a 99-yard touchdown on his ledger.

Williams, in addition to showing out as a punt returner, is eighth in kick return average at 29.7 yards, and had a huge 83-yard return against Atlanta.

The players deserve credit, of course, but Banjo has been the one who has made it all happen. You can be unsure about Aaron Glenn, disappointed in Steve Wilks, in wait-and-see mode with Tanner Engstrand, but there is no debate that Chris Banjo has been a coaching rockstar.