Rex Ryan’s confidence is apparently contagious.
Wide receiver David Nelson has caught it, saying that for the first time he’s convinced the Jets will make the playoffs.
“For the first time in my career, I can say it with conviction and say it with belief: this is a playoff team,” Nelson said, via Seth Walder of the New York Daily News.
“Going 8-8 with the team that we had last year, the youth that we had, the inexperience. The way we finished the season last year showed us that we had potential. The teams that we beat showed us we were capable.”
Asked if that meant they were a Super Bowl team (pushy New York media), Nelson replied: “That’s the beautiful thing about the playoffs: Anything can happen. So I’ll answer that again in [November] when we hopefully clinch a playoff spot.”
Of course, that’s all easier to say than do. The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010.
Then again, they’re the Jets, so the saying is part of the charm, even if it takes them a few years to actually believe the words flying out of their mouths.