Bart Scott believes this season's New York Jets defense will be the best in franchise history. His teammate, Mike DeVito, won't go that far, but he's on the record with a prediction of his own.
The defensive lineman told WFAN-AM that this season's Gang Green D can be the finest of the Rex Ryan era, per The Star-Ledger. Ryan himself called the Jets a top-five unit -- and, yes, we're also drowning in the endless chatter and forecasts out of Florham Park.
As of today, they rank 24th in the NFL. That has a lot to do with building an early lead in their 48-28 massacre of the Buffalo Bills in the opener. The Jets stumbled down the stretch, giving up 21 points in the final 19:26 of that game and allowing 390 yards -- including 169 on the ground to C.J. Spiller alone.
Players like DeVito are programmed to think positively, so there's nothing surprising about his comments. Besides, the Jets have hovered near the top of the NFL defensively for three consecutive seasons.
If there's a reason to believe in this defense, it's because Ryan has successfully replaced aging, fade-away players with fresh legs. The youthful trio of Muhammad Wilkerson, Quinton Coples and Kenrick Ellis give the Jets a core group in front of the AFC's best pair of corners in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.
Predictions aside, they're going to cause problems for teams this season.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
