Cause for Optimism?

Considering the way last season ended and all the turmoil that went into this offseason, it is not easy for Jets fans to be optimistic going into this season. However, Bill Barnwell of Grantland released a piece today that suggests the defense despite their struggles last season was still effective. Using a metric called DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), the Jets were ranked 2nd in the league.

Furthermore, teams who allowed more points than their DVOA rank improved the following season.

"In looking at teams whose points-allowed rank was 15 spots or more worse than their DVOA rank, the trend was pretty clear. The difference between those two statistics disappears the following year, as the average gap between PA and DVOA fell from 15 or more down to 2.4 spots. And, excitingly for Jets fans, the defense usually improves. The average team in this group improved their points-allowed ranking by an average of nearly nine spots. The 2007 Ravens, who were the last such team to have this sort of difference, could serve as a nice blueprint for the Jets' bounce-back. They were ranked fifth in DVOA on defense that year, but were 22nd in points allowed. A year later, they were second in DVOA … and third in points allowed."

One can only hope this trend continues.

Wilkerson Suffered Minor Injuries

Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com is reporting that Muhammad Wilkerson was treated for minor injuries sustained when his car overturned after hitting another vehicle on the Garden State Expressway on Saturday morning.