Jets' Demario Davis brings leadership, professionalism and lessons to a defense that struggled last season

Demario Davis is set to begin his 15th NFL season on Sunday in Tennessee and hasn’t lost any of his love or passion for the game. He brings that energy and fire to the Jets every day and is providing the leadership that was so glaringly absent last season.

The Jets had no one who could calm everyone when things got rough — which happened often — or consistently diagnose a play pre-snap. That caused coach Aaron Glenn to reach into his and the Jets’ past and sign the 37-year-old linebacker to fill a gaping hole on this team.

Davis is leading the Jets with his actions, professionalism and words, and has brought a noticeable change that’s felt on and off the field.

“He is the spark that we needed,” second-year cornerback Azareye’h Thomas said on Monday. “He has a word, a little motto of the day every day. He checks in on me. He checks in on every one of our teammates. When you have a guy like that, it’s just a plus to add to your locker room.”

Originally a third-round pick of the Jets in 2012, Davis is with the organization for the third time. He spent the prior eight years with New Orleans, where Glenn was a position coach for three of those seasons.

Glenn is calling the defense this season. Having someone he trusts in the center of it who knows exactly what his coach wants and can relay it to the players is one of the reasons Glenn seems more at ease heading into his second year at the helm.

“Do you have a player on the team that can keep that energy going and keep guys going at a high level? I think he does a hell of a job of that,” Glenn said. “I think he does a hell of a job in the meeting rooms of [saying], ‘This is what coach wants. This is what he's looking for.’ Because he's been with me, he understands what I'm looking for.

“Him doing that, his ability to pull guys to the side and have one-on-one conversations, his ability to pull the whole defense to the side and have conversations, his ability to pull the whole team together and have conversations — it’s all those things.”

It’s easy to follow someone with Davis’ pedigree. He’s played at a high level for so long and has missed only one game in his career. Davis hasn’t slowed down much either. He’s had nine straight years of at least 100 tackles, including a career-high 143 last season.

Davis is an extremely vocal and deeply spiritual person, also. He talks to everyone, not only about football, but about life, about their families. Defensive end Joseph Ossai said Davis is always “listening” and “willing to learn about his teammates,” and the way he builds relationship “allows him to then go motivate guys so fiercely.”

It was no surprise that Davis was voted a captain by his teammates. Even players on the offensive side of the football can see and feel the impact he has made on the defense.

“I see how the defense plays differently now,” said receiver/returner Isaiah Williams, who also was voted a captain. “I see how much energy, how much passion they play with, and a lot of that is his leadership.

It’s an understatement to say the Jets needed a player like Davis after what happened last season.

They allowed at least 30 points eight times and 35 or more in five games. The Jets were outscored by 134 points over their final five games. They became the first team in NFL history to lose by at least 23 points in five consecutive games.

Davis has embraced the challenge of making sure nothing like that happens again this season.

“I know who I am, and I know what I bring to a locker room,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in playing the game at an elite level. Every year I step on the field, I'm trying to be better than the prior year. I take a lot of pride and passion in helping elevate a defense.”

The message Davis had for the defense on the first game week Monday of the season was something he was stressing to them two weeks ago.

“Relentless effort and relentless execution,” Thomas said. “He said, ‘Today is not no regular day, it's a day to get better.’ I feel like we got some great work in today.”

Defensive tackle David Onyemata was Davis’ teammate in New Orleans. He described Davis as “fiery” and said “he comes with that intensity” every day and is the same person every day.

“He’s him,” Onyemata said.

He’s exactly who and what Glenn and the Jets needed.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.