Everything was supposed to be different this year.

At least that’s the fiction the New York Jets tried to sell in the months leading up to the 2019 season. The roster was new, revamped with a handful of pricey newcomers. The head coach was new, as an edgy Adam Gase was brought in to replace the quiet Todd Bowles. They didn’t wait until the end of the offseason, but the Jets found a new general manager, too, parting with Mike Maccagnan and his poor draft choices in favor of the highly-touted Joe Douglas. Even the uniforms changed, a visually symbolic decision designed to show the world that a new era of Gang Green football was about to begin.

The message was clear: Altogether, these moves were going to change New York’s culture and performance for the better.

And yet, eight weeks into the season, nothing has fundamentally changed with this new-look team. These are the same old Jets.

The latest loss, a lifeless 29-15 defeat in Jacksonville, brought the Jets to 1-6, but this is not just about wins and losses. This is about a prevailing culture of failure and misfortune, one that somehow persists regardless of the personnel in place.

Start with what’s easy to see: the product on the field. It’s hard to believe given the players New York brought in over the offseason — C.J. Mosley, Le’Veon Bell, Jamison Crowder, Ryan Kalil and No. 3 pick Quinnen Williams, to name a few — but this team is somehow worse than the one that won just five games in Bowles’ final season. It’s actually incredible — in the same way that a car crash is.

Stunning beyond belief, the Jets don’t seem to have made any improvements. Sam Darnold, after his bout with mono, is still making the same mistakes he did in college and as a rookie. New York’s offensive line, one of the worst in football last year, has managed to regress despite multiple reinforcements. The defense, meanwhile, doesn’t have a reliable cornerback on the outside and rarely has reason to boast about its pass-rush. Key individuals such as Robby Anderson and Leonard Williams are not taking steps forward. Generally speaking, effort is a consistent issue throughout the team.

Which brings us to Gase and his staff, but mostly Gase.

After three pedestrian seasons in Miami, it’s been more of the same for the Jets’ first-year head coach. Week after week, his team’s play refutes the idea that he’s some sort of offensive genius or fiery motivator. He’s won just one of his last 10 games going back to his Dolphins days, and his offenses have scored a total of eight touchdowns in that span. Where exactly does his reputation come from again?

Additionally, Gase has made several questionable choices that have left the Jets physically hurting, like his decision to leave Avery Williamson in a preseason game or allowing Mosley to come back too soon from a groin injury. The coach’s press conference comments frequently make him look bad and it’s clear that he has no interest in winning over his growing number of detractors, even as they call for his job.

As for others on the staff, o-line coach Frank Pollack should be the first to go if Gase ever notices that his own seat is starting to burn up. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has seen mixed results with a defense decimated by injuries, but again, this is not someone who’s living up to his guru billing. Then there’s offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, whose only job seems to be following Gase around from stop to stop.

Things aren’t any better away from the field and sidelines, though.

Douglas and acting owner Christopher Johnson have been M.I.A. as the Jets endure a tailspin both on and off the field. Whether it be to address the quality of play, Gase’s job status, star safety Jamal Adams’ frustrations or even the embarrassing optics of Kelechi Osemele’s injury dispute — one that future free agents should surely consider — neither has spoken to the media this season. There’s been zero accountability from the two highest-ranking members of the organization.

Instead, they’ve watched quietly as their tire fire continues to burn.

But that’s par for the course. The Jets are always crashing, always burning. The flames never die, not with this franchise. No matter who is in place, the blaze — the bad culture, the dysfunction, the horrendous play — perseveres. Fans of the team can only hope that someone will someday change that. For now, though?

Don’t let the differences fool you. These are the same old Jets, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change in 2019.