Are the New York Jets checked out?
One of their star players raised that question after their latest loss.
Speaking during his media availability, cornerback Sauce Gardner addressed the loss and the idea that New York could be checked out at this point of the season.
“Embarrassing? I don’t even know if that’s the word, because what was the score for the first time we played them? It was 23-20, and you are telling me now it’s 40 to nothing? If you ask me, that means it’s the end of the season, we’re not going to playoffs, and some people might be checked out,” said Gardner.
“We beat them before and last year too. They had a similar roster, and we enhanced our roster in all areas. So that just tells me we aren’t playing as a team. We are probably just playing as individuals.”
The cornerback also spoke about how he can help change the issues surrounding the Jets’ culture.
“Be more of a voice. Just be better in everything that it is that I do on and off the field. A lot of people look to see how I respond to certain stuff. Everything I do is under a magnifying glass, no matter what it is. I just always have to be the best leader that I can be. There are a lot of ways that I’m just not going to speak about. But I definitely want to be part of changing it, and we’ll just see what happens.”
Fellow cornerback D.J. Reed also spoke about the blowout loss in the locker room.
“The frustration just creeped in because even though we have a bad record, we still gotta go out there and put stuff on tape that’s good, and the fact that we’re not is very frustrating. Going out like that is unacceptable. To be down 40-0, that s— is embarrassing. Point blank, period.”
Reed added that he “won’t speak on” if members of the Jets have quit on the team, despite the fact that there are games left in the season.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson chimed in on the energy level discussion, saying that the team’s vibe always “feels right,” but then they “get their ass kicked.” He also spoke about getting through the losses that the Jets have experienced.
“I’ve realized that I have to be better and play a part in winning. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to keep getting better. It’s frustrating, but it’s going to make those good times down the road that much more enjoyable because we went through things like this.”
Unsurprisingly, players on the Jets seem to be going through various emotions. From frustration to disbelief and acceptance, the roster has long known that a season with playoff expectations will end much sooner than hoped.
It will be interesting to see how certain players react once the season is officially over. However, New York still has one more game to get through before those questions can start to be answered.
