New York Jets guard Willie Colon will be a good analyst when his playing days are over (which could be very soon) because he offers unvarnished opinions and insightful observations. Making the rounds on radio row at Super Bowl 50, Colon gave his take on what the Jets have to do to become a championship-caliber team.
Basically, he said they'll make Super Bowl LI if they create more balance on offense, even if it means less Brandon Marshall.
"We have to take the leap where it's not all about Brandon, putting so much weight on Brandon," Colon said Wednesday to Bob Papa and Shannon Sharpe on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I know he may want it all on him, but I think we have more weapons to offer. I think if we get the tight ends involved and guys like Jeremy Kerley to The Show, we'll have more of a complete offense.
"We didn't do well on third-and-short, which hurt us," he continued. "We have to have more of a consistent running game so Fitz (Ryan Fitzpatrick) doesn't have to make those Tom Brady-esque throws. [We need] more of a complete offense, like you see what Cam [Newton] is doing right now. If we're able to do that, we'll be at The Show next year."
Interesting comments by Colon.
I agree, they need to be more consistent in the running game. As for his comment about Marshall, I think what he meant is they need to develop a No. 3 option in the passing game. Marshall and Eric Decker were targeted on 50 percent of the team's pass attempts, and there was a huge dropoff after them. This was an ongoing issue throughout the season. Running back Bilal Powell helped out when he was healthy, but what they need is a downfield threat -- a vertical at wide receiver (Devin Smith?) or a tight end who can penetrate a deep seam (Jace Amaro?).
No one really stepped into the No. 3 role last season, which explains why Fitzpatrick was force-feeding Marshall and Decker. If you ask Marshall, I'm sure he was quite pleased with the ball distribution.
