New York Jets Season Preview: Enjoy the Youth, with Eyes to Next Year

It seems the question with the New York Jets is always about the next season, but this year, that is exactly where the fans should be focused.

If the Jets even double their win total from last season, it will still likely mean no playoffs for the franchise. But there are things to like about what the Jets are doing, and more specifically, what they have been doing in the draft.

Forget the Manning-to-New-York talk for now, although it is certainly tempting to start imagining. The Jets had a stellar draft and still have a slew of young players who can make this season fun to watch. Expecting a massive leap, though, might be a bridge too far with a journeyman quarterback leading the way and a defense that has plenty to prove.

Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and company certainly provide plenty of excitement. There is no shortage of players on this roster who can make big plays, and Jets fans should get plenty of opportunities to see some of that young talent develop.

The bigger question is whether they have the right man to lead them. And no, I'm not talking about Geno Smith ... for now.

Aaron Glenn has not done much so far to make Jets fans feel better about that question.

Glenn is a defensive-minded coach, and somehow, his first season in New York produced a defense that made history. Unfortunately for Jets fans, it was the kind of history you don't want your team making.

The Jets failed to record a single interception all season. That hadn't happened in the NFL since 1933, and it had never happened during a 16- or 17-game season.

That's remarkable.

They also finished last in the league in recovering fumbles, which only adds to the problem. This is a league where you simply can't expect to win consistently if you can't force mistakes or capitalize when your opponent makes them.

That has to change.

Glenn doesn't have to turn the Jets into a playoff team overnight. In fact, expecting that would be unrealistic. But he does have to show progress. The defense needs to create turnovers, the team needs to play with the intensity Glenn has preached about, and the young players need to start looking like the foundation of something bigger.

That is really what this season should be about.

Jets fans have spent years looking for the next big thing, and now they may finally have a roster that gives them a reason to focus on development instead of desperation.

The Jets don't need to win 10 games this season to make this a successful year. They need to show that the young players can become legitimate building blocks and that the coaching staff can develop them.

The draft has given this team some real hope for the future.

Now Glenn and the Jets have to prove they can turn that potential into something.

And if they can, maybe next season really will be the one Jets fans have been waiting for.