Go ahead, dump on the offense. It was bad, there's no way to sugar-coat what happened Saturday night in NoTown -- as in, Eric Decker Jerseysno touchdowns for the New York Jets. But if you're looking for a positive takeaway, consider this:

Todd Bowles wasn't giving lip service when he promised competition. Darrelle Revis JerseysFor weeks -- no, months -- he had been trumpeting the "open" positional battles on offense. Coaches say stuff like that all the time, and they never actually follow through.

Bowles did. The personnel shuffling probably contributed to some of the sloppiness in the 16-6 loss to the Detroit Lions, but it sent a message to the team: He's not married to the status quo. For a team like the Jets, starting over with so many young players, it's the right approach.

Essentially, there were five new starters on offense -- quarterback Christian Hackenberg, Matt Forte Jerseysleft tackle Ben Ijalana, center Jonotthan Harrison, right tackle Brandon Shell and wide receiver Chris Harper.

For Bowles, Leonard Williams Jerseysthis was a significant departure from a year ago. In the second preseason game, Ryan Fitzpatrick and the regular cast on offense played into the second quarter.

This time, the Jets took an experimental approach to the game, Brandon Marshall Jerseyswith Hackenberg's presence in the lineup serving as the beacon. There are two ways to look at that:

Bowles is open minded, giving everyone a fair shot -- a true meritocracy. On the downside, the season opener is only three weeks away and they have so many question marks, reflecting a roster in transition.