Why Jets Need Minkah Fitzpatrick and Veteran to Turn Season Around

When Minkah Fitzpatrick made the comment he did after the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New York Jets last Sunday, it seemed like it could cause locker-room trouble. However, it was later suggested that Fitzpatrick didn't say what many believed he said, and that he was simply noting that the Jets were still the Jets.

Fitzpatrick has been around this game for a long time, and while his comment might not have been right either way, he's not someone who's going to come out and make a ridiculous statement just for the sake of it. It's clear that he's been very frustrated with everything that's gone on over the past couple of weeks, and in a sense, it's tough to blame him. 

Fitzpatrick has won a lot throughout his career, especially with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As for how things are going to improve with the Jets, it doesn't sound like those comments caused any problems within the locker room. 

Fitzpatrick spoke to reporters and said it didn't cause any problems. He added that he knows what he said, and so do other guys in the locker room.

“It hasn’t really caused any stir within this locker room,’’ Fitzpatrick said, per the New York Post. “That’s the most important thing. Everyone in this locker room knew what I was talking about. If you look at the context of what I said, if you look at what I’ve been saying all season, we’ve been addressing ‘Jets not beating Jets’ or ‘Jets beating Jets.’ Everyone in this locker room knows exactly what I said, what I was trying to communicate, and in my opinion, that’s all that matters.”

“I know what I said," Fitzpatrick said. “It doesn’t matter. We’re playing Kansas City this week. … This locker room needs to focus on winning right now -- and not something that I might have not said or something I might have done. Our focus and objective now is to win and not focus on should’ve, would’ve, could’ve.”

This is another opportunity for the Jets to bounce back and play some good football in Week 9. New York will take on a very good Kansas City Chiefs team, and while it doesn't look like it's going to come away with a win, some of the veteran talent in the locker room, like Fitzpatrick, could be the reason New York comes away with one. 

Whether it be how well those guys play, how they communicate with the team, or anything else, we really need these veterans to start acting like it.