Who Will Be New York #Jets Quarterback In 2026? (BADLANDS MAILBAG)

Who Will Be New York #Jets Quarterback In 2026? (BADLANDS MAILBAG)

What’s up, war room? Welcome back. Joe and Connor, fresh off a nice long pod. I threw my glasses on because we have a gazillion questions to read on Discord. We’re going to get to as many as we can. CR, how we feeling? How we feel? Alive. Alive and well. Time to talk to the people. I feel bad I’m not in the Discord during the season as much as I am in the offseason cuz, oh, I feel like I’ve just been working every day and making content, which is more important. Um, but I, so that’s why I really enjoy the War Room Show, cuz it’s like a a true dedicated 30 to 40 minutes of just full discord interaction. Your, as I’ve said before, your quarterback takes and rankings this off season. I’m not going to lie, I’m I’m a little like it’s got me. It’s got the weight of the Discord, baby. Yeah, I’ve been I’ve been watching It helps a little bit that I work big 10 shifts now. I work every Saturday for college football on NBC, but this is the most quarterbacks I’ve watched week by week. Usually, I’d watch them before the year. Uh the f I’d catch up on them for like a big board update in November and then I do another rankings like updated from summer in December. This year, I’m not just moving players up and down a board every day, but I because of the variance of this quarterback class, I basically watch the main guys at least once every two games, which is like that’s that’s pretty wild like to see. And I’m talking not like watch the I watch the games obviously. I’m talking about the all 22 of everything they’re doing because it’s it’s a lot to sort through right now. Like this is this is jam tight. It’s a lot of fun. I never even like think about this stuff at this time of the year and even I am like I gotta watch these guys on Saturday and I got like you know Will’s on the tier. We’re watching him when we’re in London. I got Meeks about Simpson. I got like everyone’s like starting to get their guy and I’m like I’m not ready yet. I need like at least eight more weeks until I like pick my lanes on these quarterbacks. But the good news is it seems like there’s a lot of guys to be excited about and we have plenty of time to get into draft lands. All right, first question from Flip 077. If you could go back in time and change one of these jet moves, which would it be? Belcheck and Woody hash it out and Bill Stays, Fire Rex and Mike T together, draft Mahomes or Watson over Adams, McCarthy over Gase, keep Sam and Draft Chase, sign Carr over Rogers, definitely not going sign Carr. I so the Badlands origin story answer is always fire Rex and Mike T together because of the chain reaction of forcing them to hired flamed out which then forced it to hire McGen and here we are. I mean as much as he’s a joke right now and as much as I hate him I think sports hate sports hate I think obviously hashing things out with Bellich to carry on from Barcels probably results in the most success for the Jets. That’s fair. I think that’s a very fair take. But I’m very intrigued by Darnold and Chase. Yeah, that’s going to be the one now because Darnold’s he’s doing what he did last year to be fair. But yes, he’s good. I’m not changing my stance. I don’t think Sam would have ever figured it out here. I I don’t I don’t I really think people that have that revisionist history like have just totally lost the rails of where he was mentally when at the end here. It was It was bad. And it was so bad it didn’t he didn’t find it in Carolina. Yeah. He was like he needed like a long time. He needed the full red shirt Shanahan year. Yeah. The red shirt Shanahan year and then a nice landing with Kevin O’Connell from the Shan. And credit to Sam. This isn’t taking away anything from him because he’s playing really well. But I just I I don’t I don’t know. It’s just I guess you could argue that Chase would have been able to lift him to be a average quarterback and the Jets organization if they find an average quarterback man like we are swimming the statue baby swimming in gold. So that’s why I’m intrigued by it. But I don’t I don’t want to pretend like it would have fixed all of the issues with with Sam and the organization at the time. The answer has to be Bill and then you debate everything under that. Man, what a what a world that would have been. Alec, pretty odd, right? Alec Biker, maybe a business of badlands question. Do you prepare for best case, middle case, worst case scenario for the team, for content that you’re thinking about building before the season? As you said on the pod, will just be a lot of look ahead talk instead of the games at this point, but wondering if you guys think about weekly content before the season and say, “Okay, if it goes off the rails, we need to pivot to this or it really is not fly.” Really good question. Yep. I mean, the honest answer is in the beginning of the season, we map out our in-season schedule and we stick to it pretty like religiously, as I think you’ve seen through the first eight weeks. We have a pretty consistent flow of all the days here. Now, the topics on these episodes can be fluid. I do think we’re very used to starting to pivot to offseason talk in our core shows by this time of the year. So, it’s something that we’re pretty comfortable doing on the fly. I will say this year is a bit unique in that it’s happened so fast and we know we we know pretty much they’re going to draft a quarterback that we’re now able to probably plan a little further ahead than we normally would where how do we how do we really maximize that reality with our draft coverage and our offseason coverage. I think last year we knew we were going to do Streets of Fire because it was the end of a new regime and they were going to be doing a search. We wouldn’t do something like that this off seasonason. We’re going to do something I think that’s going to be more draft centric unless something really surprising happens and they do truly go one and done. So, it’s generally done on the fly. We honestly were dying to be able to be talking about meaningful week 15, 16, 17 matchups. It’s something we’ve never really had the opportunity to do. And it’s why if you go back and listen to our 2022 pods when people were like grumbling while they were still winning games, it drove us insane because we were so excited to be talking about a 5-2 team and a seven and four team because it was such foreign territory to us. Overall, we generally thrive in the mud though when they’re bad. This is like what our core competency is. So, we’re always ready for it. I mean, what are what are what are you thinking of all that in a season where the Jets are 0 and seven and staring at the reality of the first overall pick? It’s a really good question because I thought of this this week when we’re going to kind of hit a a point here where and I’ll pull the audience, but I think I know the answer. Like, what would you rather see as a fan right now, Joe? Me just scraping the bottom of the barrel to do film rooms with these games or start breaking down tape of the quarterback class? It’s a quarterback class. It’s not even close. Immediately. It’s not even close. So, I think that obviously if like the Jets beat the Bengals and it depends. We try to do every other week where Max, Paul, and Dan do their film room series and then on off weeks if if there’s something for me to do then I do. So, we have a film content almost every week on the feed which is bonus content like it’s it’s but it’s a nice thing to have. Man, if this if things go the way it’s gone for this team, I I don’t know why people would really want to watch. I could highlight some bad stuff, but eventually you’re just like, “Okay, I’ve had my fill.” Yeah. I don’t need to go back over that road. Yeah. No. So that that’s a that’s an answer of how to audible on the fly is that I’ll do some college stuff because I think like you’ve said many times the longer like the way the Jets keep losing and they’re not going to be good enough to change this no matter if they win a few the it’s just going to be a constant combo around Dante Moore, Fernando Mendoza and Tai Simpson. Yeah, we should get ready for that world and be excited to live in it at this point because, you know, they’re going to be uh probably like one and 12 getting ready to play the Saints and Right. I think there’s only so much you can say about that. All right, JP Waxer, not a question of comment. I proudly wore my Jets hat yesterday around town just saying, “Hell yeah, you wear your gear, man. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. I wear my Badland [ __ ] around all the time and I think most people could generally sense it’s uh jet ski and I have some Jets gear. I still wear it, too. Come on now. We’re not We’ve been through worse than this. I know it seems like we haven’t, but we’ve been through worse than this. Big Pedro, after this 0 and7 start, what lessons do you think AG has learned from this unexpected beginning? My guess is that um he will be more mindful of how he positions his roster and how he positions himself with the media in terms of expectation setting. I think he is learning certain roster management and game management things. I think it’s taken a bit longer, but the me and my guys can fix anybody. I think he hopefully has picked up that that’s not the case. That Tony Adams is just bad. You could put him in any system. He’s just bad. So, just don’t start him and like start Malachi Moore who you drafted and you’re excited about and like that’s an easy win to that. So, well, I mean, we’ll see over the next 10 games, right? Can he like get game management, a good rhythm? Can he stay in a good flow with the press? Can he make a consistent quarterback decision that makes sense? Uh, I hope he improves. He can improve. People do get better and learn on the job. Dan Campbell was I don’t want to do the Detroit thing, but he was bad year one and he got he got better. And you know, it happens sometimes. I just he came in so hot over the summer. And you know, this team, man, like they were up 2617. They seem to be headed to like a double digit win. And then Quincy Williams gets that personal foul and everything kind of goes to [ __ ] And I just wonder I it shouldn’t work this way, but I just wonder if they win that game and get that confidence boost where they are right now. I think the fact that they lost that game the way they did reignited the mope, especially when they got their [ __ ] kicked in by Buffalo, right? And they’re like, well, here we are again. And like they haven’t gotten out of that funk yet. So, not an excuse, but what what do you what do you think AG is thinking about now seven games in besides Holy [ __ ] I thought the Miami game really sparked that because they should have beat the Steelers, but you didn’t. And it’s there’s no way around it. They were the better team that day, but they made too many mistakes that they gave it away. You said it. You were like, I think they’re going to beat the Steelers, and then I think they’re going to get pummeled by Buffalo. The take is is 99% correct. Like they outplayed the Steelers in so many ways and just handed the game the game on a platter and then they got their teeth kicked in by Buffalo. Yep. I the Jets in my opinion weren’t good enough to beat the Bucks and almost stole one off of an insane play. But Miami was one where that drive I was like, “Oh, Miami has quit and the Jets are the better, more physical team.” And once they punch this in, I think Miami is just going to lay over and die. That fumble to end that drive by Brilland Allen, you just sit there and you’re like, how did like how could this happen again? That’s when I thought the ultimate mope set in where it was like, yeah, we’re the Jets and nothing goes right for us and nothing’s ever going to change. And since that game, it’s because like to be fair, we even when they lost to Buffalo as bad as they did, we kind of sat here like, yeah, the Jets didn’t have an answer for Buffalo’s game plan and Buffalo’s really good and the Jets aren’t going to be really good this year. And the there’s these games happen to new regimes. They just do. you get embarrassed sometimes, but the fact that they just they kind of tail spin from there and, you know, the Panthers game was just so lifeless, man. It was so lifeless. Like the the defense is fighting, but the offense just, you know, just can’t do anything from a talent perspective. It’s Yeah, it’s it’s tough, man. Like it’s it’s really really tricky where you hope that they could turn it around but right now it is what you have to call it a tail spin. I mean you do until you see otherwise. Just want to see I’ll win. It would be nice to see I’ll win. All right. How about some points? Points would be nice. Touchdowns, interceptions, all that good stuff. Zoo pals 21. If this season continues on this path, zero to two wins, AG being combative with media and looking outmatched in game, would you consider Mike McCarthy as a number one option for head coach? I’m not his biggest fan, but the idea of an experienced head coach, a good old line, Garrett Wilson and a top three pick at QB actually sets up nice for him. And I’ve heard this in a few other places where could McCarthy be the Jets tips, right? How do we learn from the Knicks? The Knicks who were an even bigger disaster than the Jets. They got a floor razor with Tibs. He got him to a certain point. Now they’ve made a change where they’re, you know, Eastern Conference favorites. We’ll see if that plays out. I don’t know if it’s a perfect onetoone comparison from a personality perspective, but you know, we we’ve kind of laughed and scoffed at guys a little bit like McCarthy in the past, but the reality is I do think in the scenario where the Jets fire Aaron Glenn, which I think is 25% or less, that probably is the kind of guy they could and should hire at because it’s also not going to be the most coveted job in the NFL. I could tell you that. I don’t I don’t I’d love to tell you guys that John Harbaugh is coming here if it goes to [ __ ] with the Ravens, but he’s probably not. Um, it’s not the craziest thought. I don’t think it’s gonna happen. But the the thinking behind it and the long-standing thing that I feel like your dad probably says a lot, my uncle always says a lot. Could they just hire an experienced head coach? Can they just hire a guy? Can they just hire a guy who’s been a head coach before? And there there is probably something to the floor razor theory, right? You’re this bad where can you just get to eight and nine or nine and eight and break the playoff drought and then figure it out from there. So reading it back, usually I kind of read the McCarthy questions and I’m like, nah. But I’m kind of like, yeah, I I see what you’re saying. I feel it at 0 and 7. What do you think? I mean, there’s no way for me to sit here and just poo poo it, right? I I wasn’t really high on him as the option. Now, I didn’t want Adam Gay, so let’s make this very clear. I wanted I we wanted a Todd Bunkin. Like, we don’t have to go back to that. There there’s audio exists wherever you can find it. I don’t really care at this point. Um, but I’ll definitely say I was I didn’t think McCarthy had anything left and he clearly did. I know he’s unfortunately remembered by the playoff losses with Dallas, but Dallas was wagging throughout those regular seasons. 12 13 wins like every year I feel like right. it. We’re gonna learn a lot about the Jets self-awareness and obviously I I think Woody doesn’t always have that, but there is such thing to me as a a bridge coach. You never say that and you never go in fully thinking it because you hope that their ceilings higher, but like Tibs is a bridge coach, right? I’m not saying the Knicks choice after him is guaranteed to hit, but the Knicks moved on from him because they thought they plateaued and he kind of has that reputation. Interestingly enough, I feel like the Rangers kind of went through this now with a a firsttime NHL head coach, but when the Rangers went through their, you know, quote unquote rebuild, they had David Quinn. And David Quinn is not remembered fondly. He’s ironically back on the Rangers staff, which is just hilarious. But he’s not remembered fondly by Rangers fans because they weren’t really great when he was the coach. And but he did they got better over the years with him. He built the structure of their power play. He helped develop some players and then they felt like they plateaued with him. They hired Gerard Galant and the Rangers went to the conference finals that first year, but they were still using David Quinn’s power play and some of the players that he developed and some of the things that he did. He just he wasn’t a good enough coach to take them where they needed to go and they went to two conference finals two of the three years after his tenure ended that like you can look I think and I understand why fans struggle to do this. I know I’ve struggled too, but there are examples of of bridge coaches where you go just cuz he didn’t win a championship with the guy doesn’t mean that it was the bad move in the moment. I think if you want to find the argument for McCarthy, I don’t think anybody thinks the Jets are going to win a Super Bowl with Mike McCarthy, but I think the Jets are in a bad enough place right now that they need to dig out of it and like try to find nine and eight at some point in the next two to two three years. I mean, seriously. Yeah. And if McCarthy builds a professional atmosphere and a professional offense for a 21-year-old quarterback, that to me, Joe, that that’s almost the bar. I know that’s sounds really bad, but if the Jets hire somebody and in two years the quarterback’s confidence is in a good place, he’s an average quarterback after two years in the league and he’s going into his age 23 season and it all of a sudden is really attractive. Like that’s almost a success. So I think if you are arguing for McCarthy, that’s what your campaign would stand on. It’s it’s not illogical, especially knowing you’re likely to draft a quarterback.

Joe and Connor answer all of your Discord questions on alternate Jets histories, how they cover the team on a losing streak, Mike McCarthy, trading for a veteran quarterback and if they think Aaron Glenn has learned anything through 7 games….

FULL episode at www.patreon.com/BadlandsTOJ