By Bear Heiser
After spending four seasons with the Denver Broncos, wide receiver Eric Decker finally is in a position to stand out as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL.
In Denver, catching passes from Peyton Manning, who loves to distribute the ball all over the field, Decker often was lost in the discussion the NFL’s top receivers. That all has changed now that Decker is a member of the New York Jets. The pass-catcher agreed to a five-year deal in the offseason to play under head coach — and the king of guarantees — Rex Ryan.
While Decker isn’t willing to guarantee anything, he does think the Jets have all the pieces needed to make a push toward the postseason. The new Jet is focused on taking it one game at a time, with the hope of stacking up wins so the team has a chance to play games after the new year.
“As a player, if you don’t have expectations or you don’t set your goals to be a playoff team, why are you playing the game?” Decker told the New York Post. “I’m not playing the game to be a 2-14 team. I’m trying to be a playoff-contending, Super Bowl team. I really feel like the pieces are there. Every team’s different. You’ve seen teams that have high expectations fail. You’ve seen teams that are underdogs succeed. It’s about finding your identity.”
With training getting underway, the search for an identity is about to begin for Decker and the youthful Jets.
“Obviously, we’re younger in spots,” Decker said. “We lack some experience. But [with] young players you see a tenacity, you see the want-to. I think with the great coaching staff we have, they’re going to put them in the right position. They just have to make plays.”
Making plays is something Decker made a habit of during his Denver days, too, as the receiver recorded 172 catches for 2,352 yards and 24 touchdowns over the past two seasons. So if there’s a guy who can help the Jets’ offense go, it’s Decker.
