Consistency has consistently evaded the Jets over the last couple of years. New York was seldom able to string together wins under Adam Gase, making it impossible for the team to find its rhythm throughout the course of a season.
Fortunately for Robert Saleh, the Jets have been granted some built-in consistency entering 2021 — and it could make his task of leading New York out of the AFC East cellar a little bit easier.
Thirteen of the Jets’ 17 regular-season games are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. EST. That was far from the case in 2020, as New York played multiple primetime games and made three trips to the west coast, resulting in late afternoon start times after lengthy travel.
While the start time of a game might not seem like a big deal on the surface, it could make all the difference for the Jets this season. Athletes are creatures of habit and football players are no different. New York will be able to develop a relatively consistent game day routine knowing it is kicking off at the same time most weeks, simplifying things for its players — especially Zach Wilson as he looks to develop healthy habits at the professional level — and Saleh in his first year as a head coach.
Being able to stick to the same game day routine on an almost weekly basis could be just what the doctor ordered for the Jets. It’s unlikely the start time of last year’s games played much of a role in New York’s downfall considering its many shortcomings, but there is something to be said about the negative effect that playing in a different time slot almost every weekend could have on a team that never got in any sort of groove.
The Jets need all the help they can get to get back on track in 2021. Many upgrades to the roster have been made this offseason and Saleh has been a breath of fresh air in his brief tenure with New York, but there is still plenty of work to be done before the Jets can return to respectability.
Consistent start times could only help their odds of doing that next season.
