JetsFix Mailbag 2026: Part Two
It's time for the 2026 JetsFix Mailbag, which will run over a few parts over the next month. Remember, the idea is for everyone to ask one Jets/NFL question and one non-NFL question, a rule which many of you - as always - failed to adhere to. Here's part two:
levi
What's your prediction for AG's future with the Jets?
I want to believe but we've seen so many promising players, coaches and front office members sucked into the vortex of inescapable failure, that it's hard to imagine a world where he gets enough time to show what he can do.
The best I can offer is to compare it to is Robert Saleh, in terms of the players buying into what Glenn is putting in place much more than the previous coach. Maybe the fact that Breece Hall committed to stay long-term having clearly wanted to leave at one point is further positive evidence of this.
I feel more confident in predicting that Saleh will fail in Tennessee, but maybe he's learned from his biggest mistakes with the Jets and will do plenty of things differently this time.
I know you have a limited diet so what is your favorite meal?
I answered that in last year's mailbag!
Nothing has changed since then, although a recent ex showed me how to make pancakes (with substitutions for everything I can't tolerate). I'm not very good at cooking but what do you think?
R _ in _ CT
Who do you think may be a surprise cut in danger of not making the roster?
The one guy at real risk is probably Thomas Hennessy and the media will probably make a big deal over that but it is a reasonable move to replace him with a viable youngster at this stage of his career.
I only really see minor surprises happening elsewhere, and the Jets might even be in a position to trade some guys if there's a roster crunch somewhere.
The one guy I think who is widely considered a top contributor but I expect to be on his way out soon is Harrison Phillips. He won't get cut but he could be phased out during the second half of the season, especially if the Jets fall out of contention.
What movies are you planning on seeing this year in the theater? (So we can anticipate Jets news accordingly, lol) I'm looking forward to Spider-man, Dune 3, and Wildwood.
It's been a bumper year for movies as far as I'm concerned. Of the three you named, Spiderman bothers me because the plot of his last movie was so dumb and now they have to unravel that. Dune 3, I will of course see, but Wildwood isn't on my list right now so I'll have to research that a bit more.
This year, so far, I already saw:
- Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu
- Backrooms
- The Furious
- Project Hail Mary
- Masters of the Universe
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
- Disclosure Day
- Supergirl
And I am planning to see (other than those already mentioned):
- The Odyssey
- Coyote vs ACME
- Colony
- Avengers: Doomsday
And, of those, of course (OF COURSE!) I am most hyped for Coyote vs ACME which promises to be one of the best movies of all time. Can you believe they finished this and almost didn't release it?
Sacks are Friends, Not Food
Does the consensus around the league seem to be that AG is actually a good coach with the potential to be great, or is that overblown?
We can take all of the positive comments about how good he was going to be with a pinch of salt because every coach gets those and, when you think about it, if a writer is specifically sourcing comments about a coach, they're likely to get positive comments from those who want to talk on the record and radio silence from those who don't.
He seems to know what he's doing and I'm more impressed with his approach than Saleh's, which I'd describe as haphazard. But succeeding in New York comes with a higher degree of difficulty.
His players respect him though - and I haven't seen opposing coaches disrespecting him. In each case, you can't say the same for Saleh.
Any chance you might be able to give me directions as to how to successfully build a 6' x 6' indoor home bar?
Ironically, my old flatmate would be the perfect person to speak to here, but unfortunately we fell out years ago.
While I was at college writing 15,000-word dissertations, he was also at college. We didn't know each other at the time, but it was a much lower-level college than I went to, with lower entry requirements, so basically like a JUCO, I guess. And, his main final year project was to build a model of a bar.
He got a really good grade for this and it gave him this idea that he should be able to get any job because his grade was higher than mine - and yet I was finding it much easier to get offers. But I'm like, dude, you did a much easier course than I did and your main project wasn't even an academic project it was just you playing with a bunch of dolls house supplies. He didn't like that much. Jerk.
tl;dr - no, sorry.
the Other Tom B
As the Jets Fix insider, are you more hopeful for a turn around this year?
Well, I am certainly hopeful that inter-commenter relations will be better once the mid-terms are out of the way. And the disqus platform has been less glitchy in recent months so hopefully we can get that pageview count back up to where it was in the bob the dog era.
Since the world cup is in the USA, are you calling it football or soccer?
Yes.
One of my friends here LOSES HER MIND when anyone refers to it as soccer so I have to be careful to switch out of USA-mode when I'm with her. If she sees this I'll get a slap.
(NAJ)
If the Jets offensive line faced off against their defensive line in a game, which unit do you think would have the upper hand, and can you comment on what the biggest matchup issues would be?
Well...we get to see that in training camp every year and they typically cancel each other out. The pass rush has a bit of an advantage in that situation because every possible sack is blown dead and counted as a sack, whereas the reality would be that quarterbacks will often escape and extend plays in a real game.
The more interesting interpretation of this question is what if they literally played against each other in a game? (WHAT THEN?!?!) In that case, you would not only need all of the backup linemen to fill out all the non-linemen roles, but then you'd also need every offensive lineman to also play defense and vice versa.
So, you might see the offensive lineman team running a lot of heavy-set, tush push types of plays, while the defensive lineman team might be able to run horizontal or get downfield more readily because nobody on the offensive line team would be able to run with guys like Will McDonald and David Bailey.
For a serious answer, we can hope for the tackles to hold their own against the edges better than most teams, and the current defensive interior doesn't have many pass rush specialists so the offense would probably have the edge. As perhaps the top pass rushing defensive tackle on the team, Jowon Briggs would play a key role, and how he fared against Josh Myers or Dylan Parham could be pivotal.
What are your thoughts on Andy Burnham as the next UK Prime Minister?
Sigh, there's always one.
Lam Jones (Relegated)
Which player do you think will be the biggest beneficiary of Reich as OC? I would ask which players might be less productive but so few were last year anyway...
Despite the fact that the Jets drafted another tight end in the first round, it could be Mason Taylor who gets more opportunities. More multiple tight end sets could lead to more downfield routes and Reich often looks for his tight ends in the red zone, so he could make more of an impact on the scoreboard too.
Is calling someone a wanker really all that bad?
When Alexi Lalas said this on TV recently, it was apparently aimed at James Corden, so it is completely appropriate.
In terms of how bad it is, I'd say it was definitely more of a bad word here in the UK than in America. Like you wouldn't see someone saying it on TV before 9pm and if a kid said it in class they'd get detention. But it's probably on a par with the s-word and well below the f-word.
QuantumEraser
one non-NFL question - During Grants Vicksburg Campaign, if Pemberton was a better commander, could he have stopped Grant at Port Gibson, or Jackson. Maybe causing him to use up a lot of ammunition and need a resupply?
I have no idea what you're talking about but I must register my complete disgust at Grants Vicks' antisemitic rookie of the year commercial campaign.
...and now you have no idea what I am talking about.
Football question - Now that Pat Mahomes has set the QB market, how badly will Lamar Jackson gauge the Ravens and how long will they be able to pay him and field a team? Do you think their window is shot? Or will shut in 1 year? 2 years?
I assume you mean gouge?
The Ravens are super-interesting because of the Harbaugh move. Are they a fading team propped up by their experienced coach or a talented team that was competitive even though the game has passed him by?
Lamar might raise his game a notch with the new coaching staff and if he does, then he'll have plenty of leverage to ask for whatever he wants (probably ending up at 90 percent of what Mahomes got or something like that). If he struggles, then, for the reasons you stated, they might be compelled to start over, (with the Jets perhaps being a possible suitor?)
Clearly the aspect of how Harbaugh gets on with the Giants is just as interesting and the two will likely become clear around the same time.
I guess whatever happens this year Jackson just needs to gauge the market.
Sunset Boulevard
Are there any schematic defensive wrinkles you noticed when Glenn coordinated the Lions defense that he might bring forward to the Jets now that he's taking a more active role on defense?
The most interesting aspect is probably the fact that in 2024, they added a big defensive tackle (DJ Reader) and lined him up in the A-gap a lot more than they had with anyone in the previous two years. Even so, Reader was in the A-gap on less than half his snaps, so any expectation of the Jets moving to a full-time 3-4 base in light of the T'Vondre Sweat trade are likely wrong, but they will definitely do more of this.
What is your favorite rap song in the non General Gist category?
Does Sabotage count? Because if Sabotage counts, then it's Sabotage. But I suspect you'll rule that Sabotage doesn't count because it's a rock song by a band that raps rather than a rap song.
Probably my favorite hip-hop song of all time is "What's Up Doc? (Can We Rock?)" by the Fu-Schnickens feat. Shaquille O'Neal despite the fact the title includes parentheses which is a personal bugbear of mine. But I like this because it's hilarious and nostalgic, not because it's the best artistically. It's a banger though and Chip-Fu's verse is amazing. Shaq's verse is also hilarious because it sounds like he's rapping in slow motion compared to the rest of the band.
I'd love to name something cooler or more recent but I don't really listen to hip-hop any more. I was going to mention Handlebars by Flobots, but - to my horror - that was apparently released over 20 years ago.
As for General Gist, my former hip-hop alter-ego remains on the shelf despite an outcry from my formidable fanbase to mark the 30th anniversary of the "You get the Gist" album or the 25th anniversary of the "Gist! In my pants" tour.
Still to come: Another movie pitch perhaps (?) plus maybe even some Jets stuff! Part three will be up within the next week or so...
If you missed your chance to submit your questions, please feel free to do so in the comments and we'll pick these up in part three.