Ex-NFL star urges Jets’ coaches to give the players some freedom
Former NFL star Santonio Holmes has urged the New York Jets’ coaches to give the players the chance to express themselves this season.
The 2008 Super Bowl winner split the bulk of his career between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jets, and is eager to see his former teams do well.
The Jets’ fans have not had much to cheer about in recent years, with the team failing to progress to the play-offs since the 2010 season.
They were narrowly beaten by the Steelers in the AFC Championship game that year and things have gone rapidly downhill since then.
The Jets have finished bottom of AFC East in six of the last 11 seasons and look set for another tough campaign this time around.
The New York outfit have won just one of their opening three games this term, and Holmes is eager to see the team improve over the coming weeks.
“First and foremost, the New York Jets have to stay healthy,” he said. “We have to keep our main core guys healthy. Whatever that takes.
“Whether it’s getting down, whether it’s throwing the ball out of bounds early, whether it’s avoiding the next hit, tackling the right way, keeping your head up, whatever it takes. Playing with professionalism in mind will allow you to have a productive season.
“With the culture, just allowing those guys to go out and have fun. Let them be free, let them put points on the board. Let’s light the city up. Let’s get everybody excited. Let it all just come out at the beginning of the season and keep it rolling, because I love to see some wings fly high in MetLife.”
One of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of a Jets resurgence is the strength of the opposition in AFC East.
The Jets have not won the division since 2002, with the Tom Brady-fuelled New England Patriots largely dominating proceedings.
The Buffalo Bills have taken over from the Patriots over the past couple of years and have been widely tipped to win the Super Bowl this season.
With the Miami Dolphins kicking off their campaign with three successive victories, the Jets’ hopes of progressing to the play-offs look fairly remote.
The Jets’ deficiencies were brutally exposed last weekend, as the Cincinnati Bengals powered to a comprehensive 27-12 victory.
Their October schedule looks extremely tough and starts with a difficult trip to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Sunday.
Subsequent games against the Dolphins (H), Green Bay Packers (A), Denver Broncos (A) and the Patriots (H) make for a tricky-looking fixture list.
Holmes admits that the strength of AFC East makes it difficult for the Jets to be competitive, but he hopes they can emerge from the shadows.
“It’s tough when you’re dealing with Buffalo and New England,” he added. “Buffalo is up and coming, New England is becoming re-established, and you’ve also got a hard-nosed Miami team that can win with the best of them.
“So, as far as the Jets making it to the play-offs this year, man, very slim chance. But I’m always going to root for the New York Jets, and I hope that they do make it.”