The Jets are less than a week away from their season opener at Buffalo. Football season is here and, despite the unusual circumstances, it’s right on time for the fans.
Head coach Adam Gase, by vote of his players, has named his team captains for the 2020 season.
Quarterback Sam Darnold and defensive lineman Steve McLendon were once again voted team captains. Also, on offense, new right tackle George Fant will wear the “C” for Gang Green. Defensively, McLendon is joined by safety Marcus Maye. Matthias Farley will take the lead on special teams.
Gase, in his second year as head coach of the Jets, will need Darnold to continue his growth on the field as a team leader.
“Where we’re at right now as far as our communication and things like that, we’re excited to get along, we’re excited to get this group headed in the right direction, finding ways to improve every week,” Gase said in his news conference.
“My expectations and Sam’s expectations are always going to be extremely high,” Gase continued. “That’s why we do this. And we might not talk about it publicly, but when we’re together, our expectations are probably going to be a lot higher than everybody else’s.”
George Fant signed with the Jets as an unrestricted free agent from Seattle in March. He’s a fifth-year man that can bring experience to a revamped offensive line.
Steve McLendon is heading into his 11th NFL season; his leadership on the defensive line is integral for this team.
“His reputation around the league is outstanding,” Gase said. “Everybody knows he is a worker, smart, tough, he’s a culture guy, but he’s a really good player. He doesn’t look his age to me, the way he practices, the way he plays in a game.”
For myself, the spotlight this season will be on Marcus Maye. Can he step up for the Jets?
The Jets parting ways with Jamal Adams dominated most of the offseason headlines. Maye will step into a vacated role as the anchor in the team’s secondary.
“Marcus brings a lot of versatility and he’s extremely smart, he’s able to help get guys lined up and make things look like one thing and get to something else,” Gase said about the fourth-year safety. “You know he’s one of those guys that there’s nothing that you can say that he doesn’t do well. If you ask him to go play guard, he probably would do it just because he he’ll do whatever he needs to do to help the team win. He’s one of those guys who says, “I can do it,” and he goes back there and practices it, just in case it comes up in a game.”
