Besides, when was the last time you saw an artist say, "Yeah, well, we've done better before but this album should be OK, I guess."
Actually I'd love an artist to be so confident in the new material to purposedly say this, and then have the fans floored by an absolutely fantastic album.
No label however would stand for this "prank", gotta sell.
They sell, based on Expectations. It's why the label has them hype it up, to give the people high expectations, that when it is released, they will buy it because they are expecting whatever the artist tells them. Some people even start forming their own expectations for the new album, and that is their fault of their own if they create these expectations that the artists did not say at all.
At the time, the new album, is the best they have done or as close as they could get due to the timelines set by the label. It's how bands early releases are more well thought out because they have no deadlines.
As you become more of a business than a band, you have deadlines to meet, so the label can plan marketing, the tour, get the venues situated, get the video shoots set up, and when to send them to radio stations. After all that, the band is usually rehearsing for the tour, which is planned when the album is being made.
It's a lot that goes into an album and tour, besides making the music.
But now, there is no touring plans, so they have all the time to make the album. And it could be how JR seized the opportunity to create new sounds with Jimmy T.