New York Jets 2024 Season Preview With Ian Eagle of CBS Sports

nobody has better insights on the New York Jets than the man who called their preseason games Ian Eagle joins us to preview the 2024 season today on lock on Jets you are locked on Jets your daily New York Jets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome this is the locked on Jets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day it's Friday September 6th 2024 and I'm your host John B from ganggreennation.com thank you so much for making the show your first listener first watch every day subscribe to the show for free on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast so you'll get new episodes as soon as they're posted if you enjoy the show and you're listening on a podcast for us please give it a festar revieww if you're watching on YouTube and enjoy the show give this episode a big thumbs up it helps us out and helps other Jets fans find the podcast today's episode of Locked on Jets is brought to you by priz piix go to prize.com lockon NFL and use code all lowercase lockon NFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5 well for the next two days we're going to be joined by a very special guest it's Ian Eagle uh we're gonna have an episode today and then a special Saturday episode tomorrow Ian's going to help us preview the New York Jets 2024 season if you're new to the show Ian stops by this time every year to help us preview the season he is the Jets preseason play-by-play voice on WCBS 2 locally in New York and he'll call games through the season because he's a play-by-play guy uh for CBS calling NFL games throughout the regular season and into the playoffs so let's jump into part one of our two-part discussion with Ian Eagle joining us as he does before the start of every NFL season a man who in addition to a few other things was at one time the voice of the NBA copyright warning and you know you probably know him for calling the Jets games and on preseason games on WCBS locally and throughout the season on uh on CBS Ian Eagle welcome back to the show John great to be with you normally sports fans anyone connected to sports cataloges things in life based on how many years they've done something or they remember a specific moment because they were there and then they put it into context what was happening in their life at the time I hate to say this but I think it's a good sign I don't know how many years we've been doing this I don't know how many consecutive years I've joined you before the season well it's always a pleasure to have you um did you have a good summer I know you know things are gearing up this year with the NFL season starting I know we've got the NBA um not that long after how was your summer yeah thanks for asking summer was great I've gotten to a good place on a personal level of separating and taking legitimate time off took me a while to to finally get there but yeah it's been it's been super but with that said I'm really excited about the football season ahead I'm not one of those that gets back into the grind and dreads the idea of flying going to the airport and uh crossing the country left and right it's exciting and this is stuff that I always dreamed of doing so I I still I still have joy doing it I hope that comes across when I'm on the air because it's real and it's genuine and it's organic and I'm I'm doing all the the things I I fantasized about doing as a broadcaster it's it's been such a fun ride well I think Jets fans are also very excited about this season and we did this last time we did this it was a year ago we were very excited how didn't get to that season and then about four plays in that excitement broke I can't I can't really say that because the Jets did win a thriller uh that night but obviously Aaron roders went down um much like a year ago High optimism around the team big expectations but I'm interested I know you were around the team in training camp how would you compare the vibe around the team this year versus what things were like a year ago I think this year there's more of a quiet confidence last year there was so much buildup there was so much hype there were so much buzz and it was for a number of reasons a Aaron Rogers joined the team so Super Bowl winning quarterback a fourth-time MVP one of the alltime greats at the position and B Hard Knocks it was such a dominant force in training camp and shaping the way that this team was viewed publicly so I just remember being around the facility last year and there was so much juice and energy and I don't know if it was man-made contrived I'm not sure I can't put my finger on it exactly one year later I actually think their roster is better than it was a year ago and I think there's a bit of the muted optimism from the fan base there are certainly Jets enthusiasts that look at the team and say well why not this defense is top like it was a year ago kept them in games somehow won seven games with the quarterback situation that they had offensively the big if as we know is at the QB position and Aaron Rogers staying healthy but proved offensive line also ifs Tyron Smith who has dealt with injuries since basically 2016 they need him to be the Hall of Famer that he is they need John Simpson to be everything that they thought they saw in training camp as someone that was going to be a major contributor they need Elijah Vera Tucker to be healthy they need Morgan Moses to be the guy that he was on the first in with the Jets they need Mike Williams to emerge healthy and a factor as a deep threat and a dynamic possibility for Aaron roders they need Alan Lazard to to be a productive wide receiver not even breaking it down into numbers but be a productive part of the offense obviously Garrett Wilson Breece Hall these are are players that they're expecting to do big things so I just think there's a different vibe around the team compared to a year ago and it might be a bit more conscious in the fact that they're going about their business maybe doing it a little bit under the radar and even just dealing with Robert Salah I I just sense the difference he's always a good guy in meetings he's always easy to talk to but he's been more vocal about prioritizing matters not getting caught up in small stuff not getting in the weeds with how the team is being perceived how he's being perceived and I think that's going to go a long way in uh getting this season and going in the right direction and probably fulfilling a lot of the expectations that they have as long as some of the question marks that I brought up are are handled and dealt with today's episode of Locked on Jets is brought to you by LinkedIn when you're hiring for your small business you want to find quality professionals who are right for the role that's why you got to check out LinkedIn jobs LinkedIn jobs has the tools to help you find the right Professionals for your team faster and for free we're talking with Ian about a lot of new additions to made this offseason well the Jets 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for hiring post your job for free at linkedin.com lockon NFL that's linkedin.com lockon NFL to post your job for free terms of conditions apply now I'm going to ask you a question it's a bit of a nuanced question I I think we all know that jets are expecting to be good this year but do you have a sense do they think they're at like the top of the AFC do they think that they are ready to that they're right there with Kansas City Baltimore Buffalo those types of teams or do they think maybe they're a step below and you know you get into the playoffs anything can happen do you have a sense on where they think they they are in the pecking order yeah it's nothing that was verbalized in any of our production meetings or any of my conversations with people behind the scenes but you do do get a a certain sense when you're around the team and when you're preparing for these games they believe they're good there there is definitely not a lack of confidence but I don't think they're doing it in a blatant way and I think it is a sense of prove it and they want to go out and prove it week one right out of the gate you're gon to get a a feel for who they are and what they're all about first and foremost you just want to see a healthy Aaron roders run the offense utilize the weapons that he has Tyler Conlan is someone that I think has answered a bunch of questions this season on what this offense can be and his role in it he recognizes that he is someone that could absolutely benefit greatly from the fact that there's Garrett Wilson and there's Mike Williams and there's Alan Lazard and there's Breeze Hall and maybe one of these younger running backs steps forward and and carves out a nice role for themselves and there's Aaron roders the the guy that most of these players grew up watching and dreamed of one day maybe lining up with and it just happens to be a a 40 year-old virgin who turns 41 during the season but for what the Jets need at this moment and for he can provide all of the leadership and all of The Moxy that the team will feed off offensively they have it defensively we we've seen it it's it's not something that we we have to try to visualize it's real that's a real thing defensively uh there's tape there are stats there's data everything points to what they are defensively the questions are on the offensive end and I think if you hook these players up to a lie detector test and ask them are you in the top tier in the AFC they would answer yes and they would pass the test so you know speaking of Rogers obviously coming back from the Achilles injury I'm wondering where the expectations are with him and again it's it's kind of the same line of questioning I had with where the team is in General Rogers is 40 years old he is coming off this injury I I feel like his Mobility probably is not going to be what it used to be and I feel like his Mobility was kind of on in maybe one of the few areas of decline near the end of his tenuring Green Bay uh but still a guy I'm expecting to be a very effective quarterback um how good do you think do you think that they their their view is that they're getting vintage Aaron roders or maybe an Aaron Rogers a little below that and for me I I don't think it's that big of a deal if there is some sign some subtle signs of erosion because I do think that the Personnel around him is good enough to kind of help compensate for that so what's your sense on that I don't think they are expecting vintage Aaron roders and I don't think they believe they need vintage Aaron Rogers they need someone to lead this offense to bring a command to what they do confidence is never going to be an issue with him it just isn't there's a presence with him if you talk to him even in production meetings you're you're Blown Away by the PHD level of how he thinks about football and I do think his whole demeanor and comportment challenges those around him the the little videos that we saw with Garrett Wilson yeah we live in an age where you look at a video like that and someone can draw a conclusions and form an opinion but the reality is that Garrett Wilson will tell you to your face I want that that's what I want I want that kind of dynamic and relationship going back and forth with the QB being honest being direct about what he needs what I need and to me that was a really good sign it's just funny how the same piece of video can be viewed One Way by one faction and then viewed a completely different way by a different faction uh to me it it's obviously a really good thing that they're having those kinds of conversations and that Aaron holds his people accountable and vice versa you know that's it's not a it's not a one-way Street I think Aaron has very high standards and there are high expectations of the crew around him that he's going to make them better last year look John I know you you still watch the games you still pay attention you still are engaged in the action it isn't that hard to look back and and see what was missing from this team they had a lot of boxes checked but the one box that they just couldn't get right couldn't get consistent was the QB if Aaron Rodgers is anywhere close to the player that he had been in Green Bay this offense is going to be topnotch I think there there is another big issue with the offense last year and that was the offensive line and you know they obviously dealt with a lot of injuries I think they had 13 players uh play at least 80 but you know I actually feel like the Rogers injury I want I want to be very diplomatic about this I want to say this carefully but I feel like there were some decision makers with the Jets who maybe got off easy last year for some of the decisions they made on the offensive line because this time last year they were going into the season with Dwayne Brown who had a phenomenal career no disrespect intended to Dwayne Brown but was 38 and coming off you know pretty serious injury and then Makai beckon who had not played in two years and that going into the season I know they suffered injuries but their plan a had a lot of uh pitfalls to it and you know this year I I think that the you you alluded to the fact that the roster is better right now and I agree with you and the offensive line is one of the places that I look to because they have Tyron Smith who you mentioned future Hall of Famer now the questions with him are around injury they brought back Morgan Moses who look I I can't say anything because it's total hindsight I did not criticize them when they let him go but in hindsight with all the injuries they've suffered the last couple of years a guy as durable as Morgan Moses who does a professional job would have been a huge asset for the team so you know I have a few concerns about Smith injury-- wise I think on paper this offensive line looks so much better than it did this I have so much more confidence in this offensive line than I did this time a year ago yeah all of their deepest fears were realized last year and it hit him right in the face in in the first quarter on the Jets opening drive uh that's all she wrote that that's all you needed to know now obviously you had to go and play the rest of the schedule 16 more games and Zach Wilson was running around for his life and the fact that Trevor Simeon eventually got a chance and Tim Bole got his opportunity that was not a recipe for Success the offensive line set up coupled with the quarterbacks that they had on the roster it it was not uh a positive situation for the team take it a step further this year in addition to the offensive line that that you just mentioned let's also bring up Olu fashu who they went up and got in the first round with the idea that they could develop this guy swing tackle this year but someone that's going to be a big part of the future great attitude wants to learn has basically said Tyron Smith is the guy that he started watching when he decided maybe offensive line was for me so this ends up being the perfect setup for him to learn from someone who is incredibly audious and takes copious notes on the guys he goes against the moves that he has seen in his career and now this is an outlet in which fashion can can learn and the hope is is he doesn't have to play this year and it is a red shirt year for him but if he has to play they they believe that physically he can step in and and do the job but the the second part of the equation is the obvious one and it's something that popped up a lot in our meetings in the preseason and that is the Comfort level that they have at backup quarterback with Tyrod Taylor that they think he can come in and win games if he's forced into duty that he does have a calm way about him he does have the respect of players in that lock room he does have a ton of experience in the NFL he's no spring chicken himself he's 34 years old but that's a huge difference from one year ago where they were still thinking that Zach Wilson was the future at quarterback here we are a year later Aaron roders is back Zack Wilson is not and they've accepted defeat they've accepted that that pick was never going to work out for them and they made the prop prop ER adjustment with uh a season backup that would have the confidence of his teammates that they could go out and still perform and be productive and not let down the defense every week today's episode of lockdown Jets is brought to you by prize pick prize pick is America's number one daily fantasy sports app with over five million active members prize pick is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports unlike other apps on prize pick is just you against the numbers all you do is pick more or less than on two to six player stat projections and watch the winnings roll in prize picks is the best way to get in the action on Sports in most States including California Texas and Georgia you can now win up to 100 times your money on price picks with as little as four correct picks and prize picks puts their Members First so all withdrawals are fast safe and secure when your picks hit you can get your money as quickly as 15 minutes download the prize picks app today and use code lock on NFL and get 50 instantly when you play $5 that's code locked on NFL it's one word with no space l o c k d o n NFL on prize picks to get $50 instantly when you play Five Doll you don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus it's guaranteed prize picks run your game now the Jets draft this year was heavily focused on the offense especially in the early going and you know you just mentioned U fashanu the firstr pick uh Jets also traded up for Malachi Corley uh drafted brillan Allen two running backs on day three brillan Allen and Isaiah Davis um how big how big of an impact you think this rookie class is going to make on this offense this year well the the 2022 class was a gold standard for the Jets and it really in in many ways could set up Joe Douglas for his career if these guys continue to do what we think they're capable of doing that's going to go down as as one of the great drafts in franchise history 2024 in what some would would look at as such a pivotal year in the win now mentality it's now it's not 2025 it's not 2026 but you can't pretend that those years don't matter Joe Douglas is trying to get to the Finish Line with this team and get some wins under his belt Robert Salah same deal they need to win the owner has basically said that without saying uh that jobs will be will be on the line there is a sense that the expectation is to win now the draft this year you mentioned it heavily favored towards the offense with fashanu and Allen and Davis and Malachi Corley I don't know how much they're actually going to contribute this year in a perfect world I don't think those guys necessarily have big roles the question with brayan Allen is this going to be pass protection he has the physical profile he is a bowling ball of a running back he came into the meeting room and having done this job now for so many years you you've seen impressive people walk in I was impressed that that was not necessarily what I expected he is a big bruising dude and great to talk to really smart really thoughtful but when you're a rookie running back in the NFL you have to prove that you can pass protect and to me that's going to be the one area the other part which is always interesting and and I fall into this trap with preseason play byplay for many many years we would focus in on the 53 man roster and a lot of the story lines were based on all right who's going to make spot number 51 52 53 this is when there were less players on the practice squad and there just was a a different approach I think at that point now I just realized that that became a little bit fruitless first of all those players that do make the team barely often don't play and often are not factors in the regular season and while it's good fod to me it doesn't necessarily make for interesting broadcasts but with that said you're GNA tell me the preseason didn't mean something to Izzy aananda he made the team based on training camp in the preseason in a spot that was absolutely on the line because they had drafted both Allen and Davis he looked excellent when he got an opportunity so I just wouldn't count him out completely if he's going to bring something a little different to the table I don't know how it's going to break down on Sundays when they they have to activate their players for the game but it's not a foregone conclusion that the other two guys will end up being in front of him if things go a certain way on game day as far as Corley similar to what I was saying earlier I I don't know how much of a role he's gonna have on this team this year they like him we did talk to Joe Douglas in a production meeting on the week of the Giants game and he went on and on about how physical Corley is and he's so much fun when he's got the ball in his hands nickname is the Yak King from college that's all great but in a perfect world I don't know that those guys are contributing at at the level that some other teams might be expecting from a first round pick and from a third round pick and a fourth round pick and a fifth round pick the Jets roster is deep enough that they don't necessarily need those guys to be huge contributors in year one now somebody I know they are counting on to be a huge contributor is Mike Williams who's coming back from pretty serious injury what can you tell us about where Mike Williams is physically and the team's confidence and his ability to to get back to where he's been as a player yeah met with him that same week of the Giants game great attitude asked him about the physical part he said all the right things feeling good actually ahead of schedule Joe Douglas echoed that in our meeting with him that thought it was very similar to Bree Hall from a year ago where they did not go into the season opener expecting Bree Hall to be a part of it and then when he showed physically in training camp that he was rare in the go I don't know if you remember that video from last year it was like the first video of Bree Hall returning to practice and I think Robert Salah was miked up I don't know if he was talking to Joe Douglas or if he was talking uh to possibly Nathaniel hackit but he basically said like oh I forgot how fast he was there's like a different level of speed in person and I do think with Mike Williams you tend to forget what he brings to the table deep speed big Target Red Zone Target lanky 5050 balls acrobatic that's exactly what they need and to PA them with Garrett Wilson who to me is so driven and so motivated and we've had the chance to talk to him every year that he's been in the league including his first production meeting as a rookie and I was impressed with him then and I'm even more impressed with him now his laser focus his professionalism and and how great he wants to be and I know that the perception from the outside with great athlet is oh doesn't everybody want to be the best yes but some say it some voice it others do it and there is just something about the work ethic and how he conducts himself that it opens eyes around the team there's a very healthy respect level for for Garrett Wilson and and for how he does his job and how he goes about his business I'm going to put you on the spot here who do you think is going to be the third option in the passing game behind uh Garrick Wilson and Mike Williams will it be Alan Lazard will Xavier Gibson take the next step will be Conklin will be Bree Hall who who do you think is the number three Target for this team I think Conlin ends up being that guy statistically when you look at the numbers at the end of the year I believe he will have the the third most passes thrown his way but I do think they're going to give Lazard an opportunity to get back on track a Aaron Rogers being there the built-in chemistry that they had in Green Bay and B Trip on a shoulder which I think he's always had you know we forget alen Lazard was was not a Sure Fire Star coming out of college he was a practice squad guy he was on the practice squad in Jacksonville he was on the prac Squad in Green Bay Rogers believed in him and he put up good numbers with Green Bay because of that relationship with Rogers the Jets sign him to the big contract four years $44 million last year really turned out to be a lost year couldn't find any common ground with the quarterbacks after Rogers and then the other parts of his game suffered too what we've seen in training camp of the pre season with Lazard obviously not the games because nobody plays anymore is a willing blocker and someone who's doing the things once again that got him to this place so I think he's going to get a lot of at bats they're gonna give him an opportunity Gibson's been a little bit of a forgotten man injury in training camp but you know with this new Dynamic kickoff that certainly is going to play a role potentially with Gibson I'm still not sure what the Jets are going to do Robert Salah has been very honest with us saying that he actually likes the idea that they're going on Monday night and they get to see how everybody in the league is handling this Dynamic kickoff in week one it's gonna be really intriguing for fans for broadcasters and for teams because it is new and different and nobody showed a whole lot in the preseason I think there'll be a bunch of teams that just kick it through the back of the end zone and accept that the team that they're playing against is going to start at the 30 yard line and to be honest the Jets very well could be one of those teams when they're kicking off because they trust their defense and you take a chance if you let someone touch the ball with this new format a new angles and uh everyone trying to figure it out on the Fly I I'd be surprised if if the Jets start messing around with trying to put it into the landing Zone and and force someone into a bad decision we were talking about the offensive line a little bit earlier and I I think that clearly there are two players who kind of stand out as injury risk for this line and I think if the line if the line's healthy it stands to be very good but you mentioned Tyron Smith I don't think he's played a full season without missing a game since 2015 and Elijah Bar Tucker who's been outstanding the last two seasons but unfortunately both years both in October a game in Denver he suffered a season ending injury how how confident do you think the Jets are that these guys can stay healthy and I guess the the second question uh would be is Vera Tucker back 100% to start the season I don't know the answer to the second part I'm I'm not sure you know injuries are are such an interesting storyline in the regular season because they do have to designate and let you know where a player stands that's part of the rule in the NFL in the preseason they do not so you can ask you can poke around but you're not necessarily getting a straight answer on any of the injuries in the preseason Vera Tucker is really important to what they're doing obviously they picked up the fifth your option they believe in the guy when he's been healthy he has been outstanding he's been versatile they've asked him to do things that I'm not even sure they expected him to ever have to do for the team swinging out and and playing right tackle and uh playing left guard and just moving them around the first part of the question maybe the the easiest thing is don't play him against Denver because that appears to been an issue for him and I'm sure it's in the back of his mind I don't think that's going to change for week four they're they're going to trot out their first team and and he's going to be a part of it maybe the fact that it's not in Denver is enough for him to to not get any PTSD in regards to the injury the Smith part yeah everything you said is accurate now it's just a matter of whether or not his 33y old body can go out and and piece together an extended run and if they do have to go to to Fashion or Max Mitchell or Carter Warren that they have enough confidence that they can do the job and protect Aaron Rogers it's it's a slippery slope and while they did address it it doesn't mean that it's foolproof and Surefire there there's still going to be challenges along the way for them on that front that's all for today's episode but we're not finished with I and we we are going to conclude our 2024 Jets season preview with Ian Eagle tomorrow on a special Saturday episode of Locked on Jets but for now that's all this has been the locked on Jets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day is our motto if you enjoyed the show hit the Subscribe button where you're watching or listening so you'll never miss an episode if you enjoy the show and you're watching on YouTube give this episode a big thumbs up it helps us out helps other Jets fans find the podcast talk to you tomorrow for our special Saturday edition of lock on Jets we will conclude our 2024 Jets season preview with special guest Ian eagle