Jets season destined for ‘what if’

Do you have any regrets?

Nonsense.

The Jets need to get their share from the 2022 season, which ended too soon.

On Monday, Jets players packed their locker belongings into plastic trash bags and left the team’s Florham Park facility for the offseason. They thought about the moment they slipped after their 7-4 start was teased into believing they were in the first game of the playoffs. 12 seasons of time.

Until they play again, the Jets will wonder what happened…

— At halftime if defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers hadn’t been called out for trolling Patriots quarterback Mac Jones’ passers and throwing a pick six to cornerback Michael Carter II. New England won 22-17 after the game ended when the Jets should have led 17-3.

— A 10-3 loss when he disallowed a touchdown punt return to Patriots return player Marcus Jones in the final seconds of the second game against New England.

— Stopping the Lions 4-1 without exposing the tight end Block Wright makes the game-winning catch-and-run touchdown for 51 yards to clinch a 20-17 Detroit win with 1:49 remaining. I got it.

What if Franklin Myers wasn’t flagged for trolling a passerby and Carter’s Pick 6 stood?

What if the Jets’ punt coverage team wasn’t set on fire in the final seconds of that second New England game?

What if the safe Jordan Whitehead was supposed to cover the lights?

The Jets would have won at least two of those three games. And instead of 7-10, it’s 9-8 to prepare for his game in the playoffs this week.

Do you have any regrets?

Nonsense.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t reflect on those things. Look back, what if?” Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins told the Post. “It’s a shame to have to endure a moment like that because I feel like this team was pretty special and if they made it to the postseason they could have really pushed.

“But don’t get bogged down in ‘what ifs.’ Learn from it, find ways to build on it, and never find yourself in that situation again.

The Jets ended the season with much regret after a disastrous 11-6 loss in Miami on Sunday.

Like… what happened to their quarterback room?

No team in the NFL has had a worse quarterback than the Jets, who produced four touchdowns in their last six games, including their last three.

Like… what happened to their offensive line that seemed finally fixed by general manager Joe Douglas after several attempts in recent seasons? He ran just 305 yards in the game.

Of course, the injury eventually ravaged the Jets’ O-line. Their most explosive running back, Brees Hall, and their best offensive lineman, Alijah Vera-Tucker, lost in Game 7 was killer.

what’s next?

Finding a capable quarterback to complement a defense that appears playoff ready is task one. You’ll hear and read a lot about Jimmy Garoppolo, David Carr, and maybe even Lamar Jackson this offseason. Fixing his line offensively (again) is his second closest thing on Douglas’ agenda.

As frustrating as the offense’s late-season skid may be, offensive coordinator Mike Lafleur is an easy target, and it’s understandable given the rotten offensive performance of the past six weeks.

But sometimes it’s better to rely on some continuity. Especially if the team’s stated plans to continue developing quarterback Zach Wilson into a third season are true.

Continuity is something Jets owner Woody Johnson has preached in the past as a way to run his franchise, but he’s also struggled to live up to that mantra because he’s allowed outside forces to influence him. I have.

Is this really LaFleur’s fault, or is it the fact that the team hasn’t had a starting-caliber NFL quarterback in the last two years?

It’s hard to argue that the Jets aren’t in a better place than they were before they were hired two years ago with head coach Robert Saleh, so the idea that Saleh’s job is in jeopardy is silly.

Times and circumstances are different, but remember when the Jets waived Pete Carroll after just one season (1994) when his team went from 6-5 to 6-10 in the playoffs? ?

Of course, Carroll has gone on to have a pretty successful career, and what about his successor, Rich Cotite?

Well, no need to get into that now, right?

The point is, be careful what you want…or you might end up regretting it.