Ferguson likes make-up of team

Ferguson likes make-up of team
Photo by Ed Yourdon

“We were hoping we would have another season with Rex to kind of show this wasn’t representative of who we really are,” said offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. He made this comment after the final game of the regular National Football League schedule.

The tackle on the New York Jets was speaking after the 37-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins to unfortunately end the season with a disappointing and miserable 4-12 record that nobody expected at the end of the exhibition season and heading into the league portion of the season.

“All the players love Rex (Ryan),” he went on.

Rex is the head coach of the New York Jets, who cleared out his locker a day before the final game of the year thus knowing what the outcome of his future was going to be. On the morning after the final game, owner Woody Johnson fired Ryan along with General Manager John Idzik and will probably start from scratch.

“We’ve been competitive,” Ferguson added. “We’ve been to AFC (American Football Conference) championship games. And we’ve been trying to get back to that.”

The National Football League is divided into two Conferences — the American, of which the Jets are a member, and the National Football Conference, in which the Giants are a member. Both teams share MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“Four wins were not enough in this league,” he went on.

D’Brickashaw Ferguson is the son of Ed Ferguson, a native of Nassau, Bahamas. The family moved to Freeport, Long Island, when the football standout to be blossomed out as a youth. He did so at Freeport High School and then at the University of Virginia.

“We didn’t do what was necessary to win the games this year,” added Ferguson. “That’s one of the reasons why we’re in the position we’re in now. It’s about maximizing and execution. And some players just didn’t execute.”

Ferguson and the rest of the offensive players, including the linemen, did what they could to try for the wins, but for the most part didn’t come about as many times that they wished.

The nine-year veteran speaks highly of the young players, including the new faces and especially the offensive ones who he has to help make those plays — running and receiving.

Ferguson felt very disappointed the way that most of the players performed. But he did what he could do to help quarterback Geno Smith, who completed his second year with the team. Smith completed a tremendous 20 of 25 passes for 358 yards.

“He worked so hard to be a good quarterback,” Ferguson said.

He was also high on the way Chris Ivory saw action during the whole season, but the latter had to miss some time with an injury. And what a game Ferguson and Smith turned out along with the rest of their teammates did during the last contest of the season.

Ferguson is awaiting the naming of a new coach by owner Johnson.

“Our goal is to continue to improve… and take it game by game… (when the season opens again),” Ferguson added. “We know that we can be a team.”