Jets head coach Rex Ryan started the 2013 season on the hot seat. New York was coming off a rough season and the in-depthteam’s draft had been panned for its inability to address the team’s lack of offensive skill position talent.

But a funny thing happened on Ryan’s way to the unemployment line. The Jets defense gelled and the team started finding ways to win games. The 8-8 finish wasn’t stellar, but it surpassed expectations for the season and bought the coach another year to continue moving the team forward.

Expectations are higher heading into 2014. Eric Decker was signed to shore up the wide receiver position and Michael Vick was added to push second-year signal caller Geno Smith. So once again, in New York, the future is now. So what will it take for Ryan to again earn another season? And how far is this Jets team from pushing the Patriots and Broncos for division and conference supremacy? David Wyatt, a writer and editor for Gang Green Nation, took some time to share his thoughts on the state of the New York Jets.

Zoneblitz: The Jets finished 8-8, one game out of the playoffs in a year when expectations were low. What is your overall assessment of the season?

Wyatt: At the start of the season I predicted we would go 5-11. So to finish the year at 8-8 was quite an achievement. I think Rex Ryan did a great job coaching this team in 2013. We have a relatively young roster with plenty of room for improvement. We saw some good things, like Sheldon Richardson winning the defensive player of the year, and we saw some bad things like Dee Milliner getting benched numerous times and Geno Smith struggling to adapt to the NFL speed at times. I think there is enough to be excited about for Jets fans and although the season ended without the play-offs for the third year in a row, we look to be moving in the right direction.

Zoneblitz: What did you think of the decision to keep Rex Ryan as head coach after the season and how hot is his seat heading into 2014?

Wyatt: I really do think the Jets made the right decision in keeping Rex Ryan. You can’t give a coach little to work with and expect him to work wonders. Rex did what he could with a team devoid of any offensive talent. He will always get the defense ready to play and he did that again in 2013. I think he’ll be on the hot-seat if we get off to a shaky start. Woody Johnson the Jets owner has already come out and said that we are in a “win now” mode. So Rex needs to ensure that we end the season with a winning record and a play-off place. If we don’t, then I do fear for his job. However it’s all circumstantial and will depend on exactly how we look

Zoneblitz: What did you think of John Idzik’s first year as general manager?

Wyatt: It’s really hard to judge John Idzik based on what he had to work with. He inherited a bad cap situation with a roster devoid of real offensive talent. However I thought he did what he could and he didn’t panic. He’s cleared a lot of cap space this year and although some fans have been impatient with his methodical approach. I happen to like what he is doing. He got Decker on a cap friendly contract, he’s let players walk who were maybe asking too much (Austin Howard) and he’s given some one year prove it deals to players with talent (Dimitri Patterson). Verdict is still out on his first draft class, but I like the direction we’re taking.

Zoneblitz: The Jets were roundly criticized by some at the draft last year for not acquiring offensive skill talent, but Sheldon Richardson won defensive rookie of the year and Dee Milliner started looking like a contributor. What were your thoughts on how that played out?

Wyatt: John’s philosophy seems to be, sign players in free agency to plug holes and draft the best talent available in the draft. We probably didn’t need Sheldon Richardson last year, but he turned into the defensive player of the year. If you rate players that highly, then you have to select them. We were all frustrated with the lack of any real offensive talent last year but I can’t imagine any fans were that upset with the Richardson pick now. Milliner developed and I’ve seen enough of Geno to think he’ll be a good QB if given some weapons. We’ve signed Decker and Ford and re-signed Cumberland and the talent in the 2014 draft is at the receiver position. So when the talent in the draft matches a team-need, it’s always a win-win situation. I think we’ll draft offensive talent in 2014 and put a much more competitive offence on the field. However I now think it was right to go in the direction we did for the draft in 2013.

Zoneblitz: The team did end up short of playmakers on offense. Eric Decker and Jacoby Ford signed. Some reportedly wanted the team to chase DeSean Jackson. How do you think the offense looks heading into the 2014 draft?

Wyatt: It’s better than it was, but there is still work to do. I think we need another receiver to complement Decker and Jeremy Kerley, I’m not sure Ford will be that guy. I think there are still questions on the offensive line and at the tight end and receiver positions. Personally I loved the signing of Decker, it was a cap friendly deal for a productive receiver.  A lot of people wanted us to chase Jackson, myself included but he’s a very “me-first” type person and maybe it was a good idea to avoid bringing someone into the organization with that philosophy. It could impact Geno and the rest of the locker-room. We are reportedly chasing Chris Johnson, and he would make a great one-two punch with Chris Ivory. So going into the draft, if we walk away with one of the top tight ends and a starting receiver, we’ll put points on the board this year.

Zoneblitz: It’s no surprise that Mark Sanchez is gone, but recently the Jets signed Michael Vick to mentor and/or compete with Geno Smith. How would you analyze the QB position heading into 2014 and does Vick’s presence help, hurt or not affect Smith?

Wyatt: It’s been a long time since we have a QB capable of pushing our starter.  So it’s fantastic to be in that position again. I think Michael Vick brings veteran leadership with enough left in the tank to really push Geno. I think this is exactly what we needed to do with Mark, but never did. Now with Geno we have the chance to learn from our mistake. I think this signing is good for Vick because it gives him a chance to start and it’s good for Geno because he needs to up his game to start and it’s good for the Jets, because competition breeds success.

Zoneblitz: The offense was 29th in points and 25th in yards. What has to happen to change that?

Wyatt: We need to get better players on the field. I think it is as simple as that. Last year we were really scraping the barrel in terms of offensive talent.  I think one week we had Clyde Gates and David Nelson as our starting receivers. No offense to them as they have their place, but you’re not going to put many points on the board with a rookie QB and  fourth- and fifth-string receivers.

Zoneblitz: In addition to Sanchez, Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes are gone. Will the team miss them?

Wyatt: Mark Sanchez the team won’t miss at all and I think the same for Holmes. Although he was never as bad as advertised, his inability to stay healthy and on the field was a problem. You can’t miss a player who was barely on the field. However I do think we will miss Cromartie. He was terrible last year, one of the worst corners in the league. However he was playing hurt and our depth at corner especially on the outside is very poor. I think we’ll draft corner early, but I think he could do really well playing out in Arizona, and we could miss him when push comes to shove.

Zoneblitz: What were your thoughts on the Darrelle Revis trade to Tampa and what were your thoughts on how his unexpected free agent status played out this offseason? Were you hoping to get him back?

Wyatt: I was very much in favor of trading Revis. He was money oriented, it didn’t seem feasible for us to commit $16 million a year to a corner and he seemed to really want that.  He was a fantastic corner and one of the best if not the best in the league. With him coming off a serious injury and wanting to be paid, it was the right time to trade him. Especially as he held out three times on the Jets, one of which was as a rookie. This tells you everything about what’s important to the man. It was a constant distraction. I think we are building a long-term contender, so while it would have been nice to have his talent, I understand why we didn’t pursue.

Zoneblitz: The defense was ranked 19th for points allowed and 11th for yards allowed. How does that unit improve?

Wyatt: It’s a young defense and it gets better naturally with experience. We have one of the best if not the best starting defensive line in the league. Wilkerson will be as dominant as ever, Richardson is in his second season starting, same with Harrison. DeMario Davis is only in his second year of starting, same with Milliner at corner and Quinton Coples at the outside linebacker position. We do need to address the secondary as we have Milliner and Wilson in the slot, but we don’t have a number two starting corner. I think if we can find that and maybe get a brand new shiny outside linebacker, this unit will go to the next level. We need to create more turnovers too, that was something we didn’t do well last year.

Zoneblitz: How far is this Jets team from competing for a division championship and/or Super Bowl run?

Wyatt: Not as far as some people would have you believe. We need to improve on offense, but if we bring in Chris Johnson, draft a starter at corner and a game-changer at receiver and Geno takes the next step, I wouldn’t sleep on the Jets in 2014. If we continue this development plan we’ll be competing in 2015 and beyond.

Zoneblitz: What else would you like to see New York do in free agency and then in the draft?

Wyatt: I would like us to bring in Chris Johnson. Then in the draft we need to target a top receiver and a corner to play opposite Dee Milliner. We have 12 selections in the 2014 NFL draft and we have three fourth-round selections. This gives us flexibility to move up or down the draft and with the depth of this draft, having the plethora of selections will only mean more talent.

Follow David Wyatt on Twitter at: @D_wyatt13
Follow Gang Green Nation on Twitter at: @GangGreenNation
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