Bob Wischusen has been the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Jets for 18 years. Beginning this week and lasting all season, Bob will share thoughts pertaining to the Green & White in a weekly column - "Wischusen's Point of View".
1. How Winning Changes Everything
When we used to meet with Herm Edwards, when I first began as the Jets' radio play-by-play announcer, when the Jets would be going through a time of struggle and we'd ask him, 'What does this team need? What's most important? How are you keeping the locker room together?' Etc., etc., he would always respond with the same phrase, "Man, we just have to win a game, just win one game. Win a game in the NFL and everything is better. The food tastes better, you sleep better at night, everybody's happier, everybody's more pleasant. Just win a game." And there's no question that that's true. No matter what your record is, in this league, with the hours that get put into preparing for one of these games, finding a way to get a return on your investment, for just that week, makes an enormous difference in everyone. Not just the coaches and players, all the way throughout the organization. Everyone in an organization is positively affected by a win in a way that I'm not quite sure you would understand unless you were inside the building.
2. Sam Darnold and Chris Herndon
Over the final month of last season, when Sam Darnold played his best football by far, one of the main reasons was his chemistry with Chris Herndon. A young tight end and a young quarterback, forming a bond that looked like it could last a long long time, was one of the things coming into 2019 that seemed to be most promising. When the Jets get Herndon back, I have to think he is going to make a major impact on Darnold. You can already see, even without Herndon, the importance the Jets put on the tight end position. They always seem, even in third-down-and-long situations to have at least one tight end on the field. This past weekend all the points the Jets scored offensively went through the tight end, Ryan Griffin. Herndon is a legitimate stretch the field, stress the defense, dynamic passing-catching tight end prospect and the more these two play together at a young age, the better.
3. Leonard Williams as a Jet
Recapping Leonard William's career with the Jets is difficult because there were so many positive things that he did that would go largely unnoticed by the fans, unless you actually dug into the game tape. At the same time, the fans expected a higher impact player, and I certainly understand that. Williams played a position with the Jets that forced him to often times eat up double teams. The Jets were always a good team against the run, he had a lot to do with that. Other quarterbacks often threw the ball under duress and he had a lot to do with that. Other players in the Jets' front seven would often times have pass rushing opportunities because they got a one-on-one. Williams had a lot to do with that, because he was the player that normally was getting double teamed. It's a career that's difficult to analyze because there are things that he did that will go unappreciated to the naked eye.
