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A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. Up, up and away? What the defense did last season was historic. It slashed its points per game by 11.0 from the previous season, the second-largest turnaround in the NFL in the past 45 years. In terms of rankings, it went from 32nd to fourth.
Now the Jets want to climb three more spots.
“The goal is to be the No. 1 defense in the NFL,” defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said on the first day of training camp.
“Why not?” linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “We put in the work. So why not go for the best? Why not try to be the best?”
With nine returning starters out of 12 spots (counting nickelback Michael Carter II), and with two first-team All-Pros in Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner, the Jets certainly have the talent and continuity to build on last season’s dramatic turnaround. It’s the same coaching staff and same system too.
But it won’t be easy. History tells us that giant leaps are followed by a step back — a few steps, in some cases.
Look at the five biggest one-year turnarounds since 1978 (based on points per game), per Elias Sports Bureau. The 2001 St. Louis Rams, the 2002 Indianapolis Colts, the 1986 Atlanta Falcons and the 1981 New York Giants all responded by giving up more points the following season.
In Atlanta’s case, it was a major regression — an increase of 9.8 PPG. For the Giants, it was just a hiccup (1.6 increase) in a…
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