2018 JetsFix Mailbag

Welcome to the JetsFix Mailbag! Remember, everyone was supposed to ask one Jets/NFL question and one non-NFL question. Questions are in italics with the responses in normal text.

Thanks for all the great questions. Here comes part one - let's get to it!

BenNevis •

I know McCown exceeded expectations, but how many games would you say McCown lost for us last year, or was at least partially responsible for losing?

Strictly speaking, all of them, because even in those games where he played well it's not like he was absolutely perfect.

That's unrealistic though. The Jets lost eight games that McCown started, included the one where he got injured late in the third quarter. In four of those games he actually posted a QB rating of over 100, although one of those four was the Miami game which sticks in the mind as the game for which he was MOST responsible for the loss due to his late interception with the Jets down by three.

Let's call that one so far and now consider the other four games. In the Broncos, Bills and Bucs games, the Jets scored 0, 12 and 10 points. Gotta give the quarterback at least partial blame for that.

The other one was the Pats game where he played okay and his stats would have been a lot better if the booth didn't steal a perfectly good touchdown from him. So, I was going to give him a pass on that one ... but then I remembered that he failed to see a WIDE OPEN Travaris Cadet in the closing seconds with the Jets still within a score so I can't let him off the hook.

Let's call it 4.5 games.

Non-NFL question: which is the best British tea, which is the most popular, & where does PG Tips rank in all of this?

Funnily enough I am not a tea drinker (I'VE BROUGHT SHAME ON MY COUNTRY) so I have no idea. Tetley's, Twinings, Typhoo and Yorkshire Tea are all well-known brands. Coffee is gaining in popularity though to the point where tea might become virtually obsolete soon.

They still sell PG Tips but it's most remembered for the commercials they ran in the 80's starring chimpanzees.

JetsJerk •

Jets/NFL related question: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THE PASS RUSHER?

Trade for one maybe? Some young guy is going to step up somewhere and make a veteran expendable and then we can swap that veteran for Kikaha or Shaq Barrett or something.

Or - more likely - they throw a combination of guys out there who probably combine for like five and a half sacks between them, then enter next year with the same group, while talking about how high on all of them they are.

non-NFL question: CAN ANY TEAM MAKE IT TO POST SEASON WITHOUT A PASS RUSHER?

Sure, baseball, basketball and hockey teams can make it to the postseason without a pass rusher. Good non-NFL question.

Probably not in the CFL though. And if this wasn't a non-NFL question I'd point out that the 2009 and 2010 Jets basically made the playoffs without a good one. No Jet had 30+ pressures in 2009 - Leonard Williams just had 46 in a down year.

McGeorge •

Jets question: Why is Macc dicking around with trying to get Darnold to give up offsets? If Darnold is so bad that he's cut after 2-3 years (highly unlikely) then Macc will be fired. And if Darnold is good then it starts the relationship off on a bad footing.

I don't think he is. Ignoring the fact that he delegates contract stuff to Jacqueline Davidson anyway, the number three pick is usually pretty cut and dried and typically gets full offsets. There's not much else to negotiate other than timing of payments which nobody cares that deeply about.

I figure the Jets like to announce the signing of their first rounder as camp is about to open to start on a positive note and that's what I expect to happen here. Rookies report two days earlier than the veterans, so they have a nice window to take the pictures of him signing his deal.

Non Jets question:When will Hoodie retire? (aka Darth Hoodus, the Great Satan, Dr. Doom)

He has six years to go to become the oldest coach in NFL history, but you figure he stops about when Brady does (maybe staying for one more season if there is animosity on departure) and there might not be enough steroids in the entire country of Germany to keep Brady going that much longer.

Remember when he was planning to retire after the 2008 season? SHEESH.

Lou Piccone •

Who will get the biggest ovation when they have the 50th reunion at the Stadium. Namath, Maynard or someone else?

Yes.

What is the second question I should ask?

You should definitely ask me about "Twin Peaks: The Return" and how it's possible that the best season of TV of the last decade with the two best acting performances in recent memory only received nine Emmy nominations, most of which were in technical categories and why nobody is talking about this.

The answer would be that I don't know, though.

BleedsGreen&White •

Jets Question: Who do you think the Jets should target for 2019 free agency at edge? (Lawrence? I honestly cant think of another question).

Grady Jarrett. He's not an edge, I know, but that's the guy I want and I don't care about anyone else. And now we have his BFF Neville Hewitt under contract in a sneaky move that could pay huge dividends. Get Grady and the rest will take care of itself.

(I'm gonna be devastated if Jarrett signs an extension with the Falcons).

Inevitably the Jets are certain to target Lawrence, though - hopefully in addition to Jarrett. As we know, they'd have been all over him if he'd hit the market this year.

Non Jets Question: Mosquito, Spitfire, or Lancaster? Which one and why?!

I'm no kind of expert on these although I once went to an air show when I was a small child. All I can remember is that I've never felt so hungry in all my life but there was no food available though.

I'd like to vote for Lancaster solely because when I was a kid I lived in Lancaster Close for a few years. However, I definitely had a toy Spitfire when I was a kid and I think it looks cooler. Honestly, I'm not sure I can tell the difference between a Spitfire and a Mosquito. They seem pretty similar from my cursory image search.

a57se •

NFL/Jets question: How many Jets does it take to change a lightbulb?

None, because like their fans, the Jets prefer to remain perpetually in the dark.

(Biting satire there; hope you liked it).

Non-Jets/NFL Question: Why do you bother posting mailbag rules when no one reads them or follows them?

If I stopped posting things nobody was reading JetsFix would be a blank page every day.

Enumerated_Powers •

Jets question: Will the Jets make better half-time and in-game adjustments this season?

I don't see why we should expect anything different on defense, but maybe they will on offense. It seems John Morton's departure was brought about by his stubbornness so hopefully the likes of Jeremy Bates and Rick Dennison will have some decent Plan B's up their sleeves.

Second question: Did England celebrate too much after their goal against Croatia in the 2018 World cup semi-finals?

Hell no - they didn't celebrate enough. They should still be celebrating now!

We'll probably never take the lead in a World Cup semi-final ever again so it was disappointing to see them instead get back into the game and naively try to run out the clock with 85 minutes remaining.

They should have celebrated as elaborately as possible until all 11 players had been booked twice so they had to abandon the rest of the game. Maybe FIFA would have ruled that as a 1-0 win for England. There was more chance of that happening than them not blowing the lead and going on to lose in extra time.

Coming up in Part II - Star Wars, cricket and Game of Thrones...plus some Jets stuff!