It's late July, and that means it won't be all that long until meaningful football starts taking place. One of the biggest storylines coming into 2024 is Aaron Rodgers' second season with the New York Jets, which is really his first because his main contribution last year was carrying an American flag during opening night introductions.
From diehard Jets fans to casual observers, all inquiring minds want to know how good Gang Green will be this season. And for that they turn to experts in the sports media world.
Where there's a little something for everyone. A place where all event horizons are open.
For instance, Dan Orlovsky, one of ESPN's most trusted NFL observers, appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday afternoon and painted a rosy picture for the Jets while exercising his right to bare arms. He foresees Rodgers coming back and playing at the high level he played at two years ago, even if a 41st birthday is looming on the calendar in December. Throw that in with what's expected to be a solid defense and Orlovsky believes the Jets will have a chance to win every game they're in if they can only reach 17 points.
"I think Aaron Rodgers is gonna play at an awesome level this season..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 23, 2024
If the Jets score seventeen points a game with that defense they're gonna have a chance to win every game they're in" ~ @danorlovsky7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/U19OTS1ljw
This came just a few minutes after Colin Cowherd took a chainsaw to the widespread enthusiasm that this year will be better than the last. He thinks the Jets are going to be closer to an eight-win team than a Super Bowl winner, with plenty of supporting evidence.
"This idea that the Jets are a Super Bowl team... This is an 8 win team."
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 23, 2024
— @ColinCowherd on Haason Reddick not reporting to camp pic.twitter.com/VLVDrVSBwC
It's not surprising to hear divergent takes on what's going to happen in the future. There's a little something for everyone to agree with or scoff off, depending on how they are reading the tea leaves. But it is worth pointing out that average consumer really has no idea what to think or who to trust on this type of stuff.
Consider how many opinions and forecasts and predictions Cowherd and Orlovsky dole out in the ramp-up to a year. Some are going to be spot-on and others destined for Old Takes Exposed. In this specific instance I think Cowherd is going to be vindicated by 17 regular season games but wouldn't bet a single cent against the Jets doing something special because they have a solid defense and Rodgers could be really special.
Perhaps that makes them the perfect team for the take-o-sphere. Especially now when it's impossible for anyone to be wrong about anything they say for at least three months. It'll be a long time until we know if the Jets are going to have a good season or not. If you think that's going to stop the deluge of confident predictions, well, congrats on cutting down to a sensible sports media diet.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The New York Jets Are the Perfect Team for the NFL Offseason.
