The New York Jets are gearing up to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, seeking redemption after a disheartening 30-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills last week. Quinnen Williams, former All-Pro and team captain, told reporters the team would fight back. The best part of this year’s performance? His unapologetic, cocky claim that they would never be that bad again.
Rich Cimini has covered the New York Jets for more than 30 years. After joining ESPN in 2010, he focused on the team’s deep dedication to strengthen and better serve its audience. Williams emphasized the importance of their upcoming game, stating, “We all made a pact as a defense, player to player: That will never happen again.” No defense would look great when they’ve given up 64 points in their first two games. The struggles for the Jets have been particularly surprising.
During a spirited, last-minute, defensive meeting, summoned by Williams, he expressed the same collective determination of the defense. Outside of an unrelated instance of the players themselves not communicating to the coaches or even one another, McDaniels was right that this players-only meeting shouldn’t be a thing. As the Jets set their sights on the next task at hand, the attention has turned to cutting out those self-inflicted errors that have held them back.
Williams highlighted specific areas for improvement, saying, “When we stop making stupid mistakes on third down and when we stop making mental errors when it comes down to fundamentals and execution, we’re going to be a great defense.” That simple statement speaks volumes about the team’s recognition of its own shortcomings and accountability to work on them.
Steve Wilks, the Jets’ defensive coordinator, has chimed in on the debate as well. He said that he doesn’t think the problems the team is experiencing are schematic. Rather, he put an emphasis on the merits of execution and playing the game the right way.
As they take on a Buccaneers team with a disaster of an offensive line, the Jets have a great opportunity to make a huge statement. Williams made a strong case that producing their “DNA” was a better affirmative defense to produce. He challenged all to meet the bar established by coach Aaron Glenn.
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