At 1-6, the Jets will be 'playing for pride'
Le'Veon Bell of the New York Jets during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on October 27, 2019 in Jacksonville. Credit: Getty Images/Julio Aguilar
We haven’t heard the three dreaded words yet, but trust me, they’re coming.
Barring an unexpected turn of events for a Jets team whose season is essentially over less than halfway through, the three words that are the NFL’s version of waving the white flag of surrender will soon be repeated.
Playing for pride.
That is the lamentation of players who no longer have hope of playing into January and dreaming of winning a championship. With no meaningful chance of doing anything other than showing up and doing the best they can in a given week, playing for pride is all that is left.
The Jets are 1-6, their first-year coach has no answers, their second-year quarterback is coming off the worst two-game stretch of his entire life, the offensive line is in shambles, and the defense is a mess. Even more so after the Leonard Williams trade to the Giants on Monday afternoon. There is no longer the built-in excuse of Sam Darnold’s mononucleosis as the driver of their failure, nor is the fact that Adam Gase is in his first year on the job.
It’s his fourth year as a head coach, and he is the author of one of the most brutal starts since the nightmare that was the Rich Kotite era. Jets fans were all too eager to see Todd Bowles ousted at the conclusion of his four-year run in 2018, but at least Bowles’ teams were competitive through most of his tenure.
Gase’s Jets have been hopelessly overmatched in humiliating back-to-back losses to the Patriots and Jaguars, and only once has this team done enough to win. But that 24-22 victory over the Cowboys a little more than two weeks ago was the outlier. Whether his quarterback is Darnold or Luke Falk, Gase has failed miserably to get something – anything – out of his team.
Playing for pride.
It’s almost that time.
What makes this situation even more treacherous is the possibility that the handful of players who could be part of the answer moving forward might soon be checking out emotionally. Start with Le’Veon Bell, who has so far been the consummate leader in both words and actions. Despite the losses, Bell kept trying to lift up his teammates and provided plenty of examples on the field of a player willing to do whatever it took. He has played hard despite limited success and poor blocking. And he has urged his teammates not to give up hope.
But you could sense a turn for the worse in Sunday’s 29-15 loss to the Jaguars.
Late in the game, Bell stood on the sidelines, head lowered and helmet in hand. He walked to the outermost portion of where the players were permitted to go and stood there. Afterward, Bell dressed quickly and was not available when reporters entered the locker room, despite a requirement that all players be in position to speak with the media after games.
His absence was clearly noteworthy, especially after such a disquieting loss. He had just nine carries for 23 yards and three catches for 12 yards. A complete non-factor, something Bell has not been used to throughout his career.
Bell couldn’t wait to get going this year after missing the entire 2018 season in a contract dispute with the Steelers, but at age 27, he is now faced with the harsh reality of being in his physical prime but playing on a woeful team. How he conducts himself will be a major concern moving forward, and if there are signs he has emotionally checked out, then there could be a ripple effect on other players.
Another player to watch: Jamal Adams.
The third-year safety has been the emotional heartbeat of his team since being drafted in the first round in 2017. Adams has been a willing face of the franchise and a never-say-die leader whose enthusiasm has been a huge part of this team.
But if Adams begins to lose hope and loses the edge that makes him such an integral piece of this team, it’s further evidence that the damage may not simply be contained to a poor record.
The deconstruction of the roster continued with the trade of Williams, a widely anticipated move albeit surprising that the Giants would be buyers here. GM Joe Douglas may also deal wide receiver Robby Anderson, and there will be plenty of additional moves in the months ahead as Douglas tries to build a competitive team.
There is much work to be done for a team whose only remaining motivation this year is playing for pride.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
