Jets' Week 1 odds hinge on beating up on former Gang Green standouts

The New York Jets' Week 1 matchup against old head coach Robert Saleh and the Tennessee Titans comes with a great deal of personal revenge at stake, as both sides are littered with players and coaches who want to chalk up a win against a team that got rid of them.

The Titans' defensive line consists of one of the best defensive tackles in the league in Jeffery Simmons, and three different ex-Jets from the Saleh years. Jermaine Johnson II and Jacob Martin are on the edge, while John Franklin-Myers reunited with Saleh on a big free-agent contract after his trade to the Denver Broncos.

This trio will have their minds set on getting one over against their old squad, while the Jets will see how their much-ballyhooed offensive line holds up against a quality opponent. If the Jets can prove their might against their old teammates, that could swing a fairly even matchup in their favor.

Ex-New York Jets players on Titans could be X-factor in Week 1 matchup

Saleh may not have been a very good head coach, but he has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to designing quality defensive schemes. However, his scheme is very specific and requires specialists all along the front seven, so much so that one of the first things Saleh did in Tennessee was trade an ascending nose tackle in T'Vondre Sweat to acquire Johnson.

When his lines were in a groove, they caused havoc. Johnson was a Pro Bowl-level disruptor before his Achilles injury; unheralded players like Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff reached cult hero status in the fanbase, and Quinnen Williams went from good to great under his watch. However, as Jets fans know, Saleh's defense is far from perfect.

His aggressive defensive line philosophy often led to them getting gashed in the running game against superior opponents. When paired with the frustrating frequency with which he rotated his top defensive linemen, Saleh's decisions often left fans wondering why he was so rigid in how his scheme was constructed.

Still, a defense with JFM and Johnson at the edge spots has proven to be successful before, and the Jets know that.

Will the New York Jets' offensive line overwhelm the Titans' defensive line?

The Jets are not going to be a very good team this season (sorry to leak the script), but one area where even big haters must bend the knee is the offensive line. This game is a genuine strength-on-strength matchup, as Armand Membou, Olu Fashanu, and the recently extended Joe Tippmann will lead a unit that may be this team's biggest individual strength.

While Saleh tries to rub the Jets' proverbial noses in the dirt during their Week 1 duel, Sweat and Jarvis Brownlee will be trying to do the same to their old Columbia blue-clad employers in Nashville.

If the offensive line can hold up against Saleh's aggressive front, that could neutralize what may be Tennessee's biggest advantage and get some sweet revenge for those ex-Titans additions.

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