The Laces In Podcast - 2017 Schedule Breakdown

the first time since. After the Jets go and play the Bills in Western New York, they'll come home, get in a week of practice, off to the West Coast where they'll face the Oakland Raiders. And I'm one of the most talented rosters and all football. You look at a guy like Derek Carr playing quarterback, and then on the defensive side of the ball, Khalil Mack of course. And then in week three, Ethan, the Jets will have

their home opener against the Miami Dolphins. So they all when Raiders, very talented team, as you mentioned before twelve and four a season ago. Now earlier today, Yeah, you sat down with Bob was Shusan An analyzed weeks one through seventeen. You are looking at the Jets two thousand seventeen schedule. The NFL officially just released it moments ago. We're here with the Voice of the Jets, Bob was Susan Your initial impressions as you've digested this pretty quickly, Um, interesting? Uh,

front loaded with a couple of road games. Three of the last four weeks on the road, so a tough start and a tough finish the middle of the schedule, though, You've got on eleven weeks stretch where they're on the road three times and all short trips trip to Ohio, two trips to Florida. So this is not a taxing schedule like last year. Remember when the schedule came, everybody was talking about the first six, first six games, I mean,

this is just a murderers row. Well, three of their first five games this year against teams that didn't make the playoffs last year, and then they play on a eleven week stretch where they've got seven home games on a bye and three games on the road, So who knows what they will still, if anything, be playing for that last month of the season. That's where it gets tough, and you look at you gotta go out west, you gotta go to Denver, Um, gotta finish the season against

the Patriots. A trip to New Orleans is not easy. So it's hard at the end, and obviously a west coast trip at the start of the season with Oakland as well. But if you are looking for a schedule where you could, potentially, if you got through the first couple of weeks, maybe split those first two, have a chance because you've got some home games. You're not gonna have your team on short rest. Is one night game, a lot of one o'clock games. Your team's in a routine.

I mean that this is not what last year's schedule was. Last year's schedule was taxing. This is not a taxing schedule. You mentioned the Patriots game in week seventeen. YEP. It's interesting the way the divisional contests layout in two thousand seventeen, because the Jets will be done with divisional play for the most part after that Thursday night game on November second, all the way until the end. That's right, So U five five divisional games relatively early in your finishing with

a lot of opponents. You just mentioned the Broncos well even and you can see in the last six weeks of the season they've got two NFC opponents. Normally, they try and backload the schedule with divisional games and conference games, knowing that those will carry greater implications because of a division title or tiebreakers, that type of thing. And you've got some of those out of conference games played either dead in the middle of schedule or at the beginning

where you're setting up whatever the consequences might be. Not so this year. And I haven't taken a look at everyone else's schedule in the league, so I'll be curious to see if that's a trend across the league. But just as far as the Jets are concerned, to play five of your six divisional games basically before you hit like the halfway point, or right at the halfway point, you're done with the majority of your divisional play until you get to your finale is is different. We're used

to opening at home at Mattlife Stadium. This year, the Jets start with the Bills in Week one and then then then a West Coast trip after that, the West Coast trip early, which if I'm the team my favorite, I'd rather get that out of the way early, and then he come home. Miami is your home opener a week three, file by a game with Jacksonville, and then you're in Cleveland in week five. So maybe you get split early or something like that on the road and

come back home and see where you're at. And no one is expecting this team to have a big season. I mean, if you look at every over under for the Jets, you approached the season, no one is thinking

the Jets are gonna be a playoff team. But if there was a schedule that would give the fans hope that at the start of the season they could make a little bit of noise pull off maybe one of those road wins to start off the year, and then you get three teams in a row at home that everyone is going to think, at least, are you know, our three teams the next three weeks that are beatable and maybe you could be above five hundred five six

weeks into the season. Well, any team that's above five hundred five or six weeks into the season is in it. You know, the NFL is different than any other sport psychologically. The impacts of what happens to you early in the season are greater in the NFL. Then, you know, if you play a hundred and sixty regular season games or eighty regular season games and you get off to a slow start. There's a mentality in the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, those marathon sports where we we got plenty

of time, We're gonna play plenty of games. We'll get ourselves out of this hole. In the NFL, you play sixteen of these games, every game is armageddon. So when you get off to the start they got off to last year, all of a sudden, the sky is falling. This year, maybe they get off to a decent start. You have a totally different mentality. So it'll be interesting

to see how those first few games play out. That would they then go into week five, six, and seven of the season with the competition obviously steps up a little bit. You're you get a three week stretch where you're playing the two teams that were in the Super Bowl in a three week stretch. After you get through the first five games, what is your record after those first five games? What's your mentality going into those games?

You know, if you're one and four and now you're looking at the Falcons and the Patriots two out of three weeks. I mean, then the sky is falling. But if you can get through the first five games three and two, well, now a loss to one of those teams doesn't wreck your year. It doesn't bury you deeper in a hole you can't get out of. Now it's a loss you can deal with because hey, alright, we're three and three. Now we start fresh. We're in this thing.

So they have an opportunity with some of the teams they play early on to at least have a chance in September to maybe give the Fansom hope that they could have a season. So thirteen one o'clock games in two thousand and seventeen to four o'clock games and a four mentioned Thursday night games re rememb there are flex schemes as well. Maybe the Jets can be flex in sur primetime action down the line. But as always, Shooes,

we appreciate your instant analysis. As always, Big Game Bob, Bob was choosing the voice of the New York Jets with great analysis. Eric. One of the biggest points is the New York Jets played divisional opponents in five of the first nine weeks of the season, so let's take a look at the schedule here, start out in Buffalo and then you move on to Miami. As you mentioned the home opener in week three. Yeah, I mean in between week one in week nine, you're playing five of

your six divisional games. Actually, this season for the Jets will end week seventeen for the first time in franchise history. They'll close this season against the New England Patriots on the road as a road opponent in New England, of course, in week seventeen. But yeah, early on to the season, very divisional heavy. You got Buffalo in week one, you got the home opener with the Dolphins in week three.

That in week six, Ethan, you take on the New England Patriots at home, where the Jets have consistently played the Patriots tough. They fell in a tough ball game last year, very close, nip and tuck. Hopefully they'll be able to turn that around this season. On Week seven you go to Miami and then a week nine, it's Thursday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills for the third consecutive year, Ethan. And yes, it is our color rush game here it is fans. The Jets will be an

all green color rush Thursday, Week nine. When the good thing about that Week nine match up against the Bills, it's a short week for the Jets. They're not going anywhere. Week gate, you host the Atlanta Falcons, then you get a couple of days to prepare. You host the Bills color Rush game. A little unfortunate that the Jets won't wear the white face masks again. But and so here's

the little fun factory you see here. The Jets play the Dolphins week three in week seven in two thousand seventeen a season ago, the Jets and Dolphins didn't meet until Week nine of last season. So a reversal there for the divisional opponents. And before we move on, we want to take a Facebook question here. Jason d asks, what is the toughest month of the schedule. Well, that's that is a tough one, Jason based. Traditionally, I break the season down by quarters and not by months. You

look at October right here. You open up with Jacksonville home, and then you're at Cleveland in week five. And if Josh McCown is the Jets starting quarterback, hold no. A lot of familiar faces on the defensive side of the ball of Cleveland Browns. Of course, McCown was in Cleveland the past couple of seasons. But the thing that jumps out at me in October is Week six and then week eight. Week six against the New England Patriots, defending

Super Bowl champions. They dominated the division over the past fifteen years or so. And then we gave Matt Ryan and that high flying offense with Julio Jones and company will come to MetLife Stadium. So two of those three weeks right there in October, you're playing against both Super Bowl participants from last year Ethan and then you know,

so October jumps out at me. And then that closed that Bob was Shusen was just talking about as we took a look at the schedule that you you come out in December, you host a Kansas City team, a perennial playoff team on December three. Then you're gonna go out west and play the Denver Broncos and Von Miller and company that tenacious defense on December ten. Then you have another road game where you're gonna face Drew Brees

in the New Orleans Saints. John Morton, the new Jets offensive coordinator, will probably give some intel to the Jets defense that we can, he'll be pumped to go back to New Orleans and play at the Super Dome. Uh So those three games and that stretch in December stand out to me, and of course that close against New England. Uh defend the Super Bowl champions. Enough said right there. So here's a little nugget for October. In December, October and December. So here's a little fun fact for your

week sixteen. The Los Angeles Chargers still getting used to saying that, but they played the New York Jets at home since the first time since nineteen sixty was at the Polo Grounds, so that'll be an interesting matchup. Nonetheless, we'll take one more and seth f ask. Is the schedule easier or harder than last year? It's tough to say. You know what we do in April is everybody analyzes the schedule and says, okay, here's a win here, here's a loss here, and we try to go through each

game and have a complete breakdown. The bottom line is last year, Ethan, when we looked at the schedule, the first thing that jumped out at you were the Jets for six or seven games, And he said, wow, that's good enough be there could be a tough goal if you don't get out of the blocks early because you had a lot of playoff teams on your schedule, and the Jets did indeed stumble out of the gate. This year,

it's a little bit different. You don't take away anything about from the opposition, but when you look at the opponents this year, I would say focus in on weeks one through five. Can you come out of that in good shape? You go to Buffalo, you go to Oakland, like Shoes and I were talking about, maybe you get split there, maybe win a pair of games, who knows. Then you host the Miami Dolphins at home, your first home game, Jacksonville comes here. I know a lot of

people have um high expectations for Jacksonville this year. They got a new coach and Doug Moron, Tom Coughlin coming back to MetLife stating. And then Week five and the Cleveland Browns, So you know, can the Let's do some damage early in the season. This first five weeks stand out to me because then it really toughens off. I think week six you got the Patriots, then a road date with the Dolphins in Atlanta comes to town and then the second half and we'll get into this more later.

This final stretch could be awfully difficult for anything. So not only did e a catch up with Bob was using, he also caught up with NFL Networks Brian Baldinger. We just received the jets two thousand seventeen schedule and we're

now joined by NFL Network's Brian Baldinger. Baldi, what pops out at you when you look at what the Jets have ahead of themselves in two thousand seventeen, Well, I mean, anytime, you know, you look at the schedule and the first thing you see is two road games to start to schedule, you always go kind of whoa, because that's not happening

in very many places. So, you know, for them to go to a division opponent Buffalo, you know, week one on September ten, and have to turn around and take that long flight to Oakland the very next week, and we all know the type of problems that the Jets have had playing Oakland over the years. That's a tough start to any schedule being on the road, especially taking on that that Oakland team that looks like they got a whole lot of firepower and offense, what about that

first five game stretch. You mentioned that the two roads to start, but then the Jets opened up at home in Week three against the Miami Dolphins, and week four they stay at home play Jacksonville. A lot of people have high hopes for this year, and then a week five they go to Cleveland. So in that first five game mix pall the three of those teams non playoff UH participants last year. Yeah, I mean, look at it

does get a little bit better. I mean, you know, look, the Miami Dolphins started turning things around last year, had a winning record, made the playoffs. Adam Gates looks like, you know, they've they've done a good job filling out that roster right now. But the Jets certainly, no, it won't be at all intimidator or out talented, I don't think by the Mammi Dolphins. So look, you get a

game against Jacksonville here. I mean, it's a new coach Coughland coming back into you know, that stadium that is so familiar with and Doug Marone, who certainly knows, you know, the Jets from being an offensive line coach there. To me, it's a it's a real winnable game and you go to Cleveland. So look, there's some wins there in the first five games where you can kind of really build

them some things. Well, this bald Between September when the Jets host the Dolphins at home and December three, when the Jets host the Kansas City Chiefs, they will play ten games, seven of those at home at Mattlife Stadium. Yeah, and in that stretch that you're talking about, Eric, on October twenty night, they play the Falcons, which obviously is

gonna be a tough game against that offense. But you stay home on a Thursday night game to play the Bills, so you don't have to travel that week at all, so you get you know, I mean, it's always a tough stretch when you're playing on a Sunday Thursday, but at least there's no travel involved. You're right there. Most teams that played Thursday night games, there's travel involved, whether you're going to that Thursday game or coming back on the Sunday prior to it. So I think that's a

good stretch right there. And then of course you played that Thursday and then you got ten days to get ready to go to it to Tampa on that November twelve. So that's not a bad stretching there as far as you know, being home, getting some rest, uh and getting ready in ten days to go on the road to

play Tampa. I'll tell you a what to Baldy. This team is going to know where it stands in the division quite early this year because up until that home game against the Buffalo Bills that Thursday night or on November two, that will conclude a portion of their schedule where they play five divisional games, and then that back half between November second when they host the Bills and they will not play another divisional game until December thirty one,

when they conclude the season against the New England Patriots. You might know a whole lot better, Eric, but I can't remember the last time the Jets finished the season with the Patriots, especially in Foxborough, so they you know,

they played the playoff games that finished the season. But yeah, that's uh, they've got a tough stretcher after the Pie week November nine, they do get two tough teams in Carolina Kansas City at home, and then they got you know, two tough road games at Denver in that New Orleans. So but they'll have a bye week to get ready, to get healthy and all those kind of things. I think nobody wants that early season by to get a bye I think you know right around uh, you know

that that goes up to almost Thanksgiving a week. That's that's not a bad time to get that. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to help us break down in two thousand seventeens that schedule, My pleasure. That's luck to you man, good talking to you. That was NFL Networks, Brian Baalzinger And if you're just joining us now, Ethan Greenberg, Eric Allen breaking down here, it is the two thousand and seventeen regular seasons schedule.

We're on Facebook, we're live. Please comment with your questions. We'll try to get to as many as we can. And Eric, the biggest point that I took of from Baldy was that the starting in Week three, the New York Jets seven out of ten at home at MetLife Stadium, no doubt about it. You open up on the road, two games swing against Buffalo and then Oakland. Then you come home. You'll be at the friendly confines of MetLife Stadium.

MetLife Stadium for seven out of ten games and then you have your buy in there and the Jets are not gonna go too far even when they do move away from MetLife Stadium, because you're going to You're going to Cleveland here, Miami and Tampa. That's it. So that's

why I point to early in the season. If you can make some headway here, then you can set yourself up for possibly to be in good position around week eleven when or week fourteen when you start hitting the road for three of four road dates to close the season. That's what the thing that jumped out at me. The first thing I saw on the schedule is you open up two on the road and then you finish three or four on the road. So that means the bulk of the middle of your schedule is going to be

at home. And wouldn't it be something be terrific for to Bowls and company if they get some home field advantage this year by starting off on the right foot against the Miami Dolphins at home September, feel good about yourselves a little bit. Then Jacksonville comes to town the next week, and then those next two home games are

gonna be tough ones. New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons. So you talked about this before thirteen one o'clock games, the majority of them in that time span where the Jets will be at home, great time to come out. And you talked about the week eleven by, second season in a row that the Jets have had a week eleven by and ironically, Phil ms, is that a goodbye or a bad bye? Well, it depends, Phil, how are the Jets are gonna play? What from weeks one through week ten?

Because you know, you ask any team throughout the year, and we're in a locker room throughout the season, and most guys will tell you it's always a good time for the boy if you're riding high. Though heading into an off week, most people say, hey, listen, I'd rather stay and keep on playing because we got some more months.

I'm going. But the bottom line is, I don't look too much into it, but it gives you a chance to rest up when guys potentially are banged up after going through ten games, and then you get a six week stretch to the end of the season. So I mean, you can look at it on both sides of the coin. I like a bye probably pretty much right in the middle of the season. And the Jets get it here

in week eleven. So you talked about before we answered the Facebook question again Facebook Live, please comment your questions. We talked about the most difficult month. Do you think that there's a particular stretch in and throughout the season that you see as particularly favorable or a little a little challenge well favorable. You know you're analyzing it here and you always look to see it. Where are some

opportunities where you do have extended time at home? So weeks three, weeks four you're at home against the Miami Dolphins and then Jacksonville, and then week five you play at Cleveland, a team who was also building Hugh Jackson, a fantastic coach. It's gonna be interesting to see if they take Miles Garrett number one overall and if he'll

be facing Josh McCown in that matchup in Cleveland. But you look at that three games stretch and that's gonna be pivotal, pivotal I think for the Jets early in the season to do some damage here this three game stretch because that will set them up nicely. As the schedule toughens up a little bit, you go and host New England, as I keep on in Atlanta, weeke eight and these teams all down in the line here on this half of the slate. Tough ball clubs Tampa, Jamis, Winston,

NFC South. They could be the favorites there. Carolina, they were in a Super Bowl two years ago. Cam Newton a tremendous defense. I love their interior linebackers, Thomas Davis, Luke Kickley, Andy Reid has the Kansas City Chiefs winning ten games are more each and every year, and usually they're peeking by this time. Denver von Miller and company. Ferocious defense, and they love to play there at mile High,

so you gotta adjusted to the altitude. And then New Orleans got a future Hall of Fame quarterback and Drew Brees and company. So um, you know, I look at that early stretch weeks three through five, and you can even include the Bills in there weeks one through weeks five, and say, hey, can we get off on the right foot here. Jets are a young team, They've made a lot of changes. It'd be great to go onto Buffalo

like they did last season a week two. Totally different our roster right now for the Jets and for the Buffalo Bells and they have a new head coach and Sean McDermott. That's gonna be a tough matchup, but you know you're going to Buffalo, gets the momentum, take your swing there against the Raiders in Oakland. But I'm looking at weeks one through weeks five because what happened last year, as we talked about with Bob was schusing, is the Jets got off on the wrong foot and they never

could recover kay snowball effect. Kinda Well, you can turn that thing around, and Uh, for me, what the schedule vindicates is we're getting close to the football season and next week very important for this team as we go forward because it's the NFL Draft. So the Jets play the a f C West the NFC South. You mentioned it, two very difficult divisions. You wanted to look at these five questions these five weeks. Excuse me, and Kyle ash asked of these weeks, what is the most what's the

biggest measuring stick for this Jets team. Oh, you gotta look at the Oakland Raiders right early in the season. Uh, you gotta look at the Raiders because this is a team that potentially could challenge the New England Patriots for a FC supremacy. Derek Carr, Khalil Mack the black hole. This is could be potentially the last time the Jets will ever play the Raiders in Oakland. We know the Raiders are moving to Las Vegas, so I know a

lot of folks love that old AFL matchup. Um, the Jets go out there, uh, and they're really gonna get tested by a Raiders team because they have a lot of firepower on offense and like I said, Khalil Mack is one of the best defenders in the National Football League. The Raiders were primed to go on a playoff run, of course, before Derek Carr went down with an injury

and focusing on the Raiders again, we're Facebook Live. Please comment with your questions and Gary Kay, based on this Raiders matchup, wants to know the battle in the trend just the Jets clearly have a good defensive line. The Raiders have a great offensive line. Who's gonna win the battle in the trench. I don't know. You're gonna give me some time there, but defensive line. You just said it. When you're facing a Raiders team, it's like an old old L. Davis team right now because they can throw

the long ball and they can pound it. Yeah yeah, run those toss sweeps and their offensive line. Those guys are monstrous mammoth. But the Jets have high hopes for Mohammed Wokerson this year coming back. He's got a year under his feet after suffering that injury. Tought it out last year, got it out, That's what Todd Bowle said. Uh. Leonard Williams continues to come into his own. Ethan just made the Pro Bowl and I have high hopes for him in year three. Still got Sheldon Richardson here, Steve

mcclennan did some nice things for this team. And then you have some depth there as well, with guys like Dion Simon and company. So to me, it's that match up up front. It's gonna be fascinating because what you gotta do with a guy like car is you have to get after him at what do quarterbacks, Hey, they don't want any pressure up the middle, So potentially maybe the Jets can get some pressure up the middle and

the gate that run game and take their chances. But that's a hull of the ball club they'll be facing and It'll be interesting, uh, to see how the Jets fair. But right now you gotta focus on Week one. That's the Buffalo Bills, and the Jets swept the Bills last year. There you have a Jets fans, the two thousand and seventeen regular season schedule, Week one at Buffalo, wrapping up Week seventeen in New England for the first time in Jets franchise history. Again, thanks so much for tuning in.

Ethan Greenberg, Eric Allen. This show has been brought to you by Jet Blue, and again this is the schedule. If you want more of our coverage, please check out New York Jets dot com