Jets ‘cocky’ about AFC East, per coach

The AFC East could end up being an absolutely brutal competition this season.

The three-time defending division champ Buffalo Bills will have to fend off Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets as well as the retooled New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

In New Jersey, the Jets have been making a lot of noise all offseason thanks to their acquisition of Rodgers and the microscopic lens on them during Hard Knocks.

Head coach Robert Saleh told reports recently that his team doesn’t just see this as a situation where they have to compete with the other teams, but that the other teams need to be ready to deal with them.

“Yes, we are in a really tough division,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said Wednesday, “but they all have to play us too, so the mindset is always about us, it’s about what we can bring and it’s about whether they can stack up with us. Sounds cocky, I get it, but you can’t think of it any other way. It’s not about the opponent, it’s about what you do every day to be the best version of yourself.”

Saleh knows the road ahead is tough but he thinks that the Jets are primed to compete for an AFC East crown and beyond.

“We talk about owning the East, and you have to win your division games, and the easiest path to the playoffs is to win the division,” Saleh said. “You want to perform well in the division. Last year, we wanted to show that we can win a game, I think we were on a 300-game losing streak or whatever it was in the division, and we won a couple. And this year we want to win a couple more and just continue to build on the momentum that we’ve gained, but yeah, the division is always a big deal.”

[NY Post]