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No one knows their teams better than New York City sports fans, and WCBSTV.com Senior Producer Jeff Capellini has bled Jets green, Yankees pinstripes, and Islanders orange and blue since the day he stepped foot on this green earth. He's here to share his questions, comments, and concerns about the teams he loves dearly in his sports blog, "The Green Lantern."
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They came. They saw. They kicked some butt. They talked. They got their butts kicked. They regrouped. They talked some more. They kicked some more butt. And they ended their season with a thud.
The Jets did it all in 2009 except win the franchise's first Super Bowl championship in 41 years. Along the way they set new standards for trash talking and walking the walk after talking the talk. But it wasn't all rosy. They also proved at times to be the "same old Jets" before realizing that type of play is old and busted.
They found a true leader on the sidelines in Rex Ryan, the type of head coach the franchise has been lacking in both the motivation and execution departments for seemingly ever.
They watched with delight as a fresh-faced quarterback took the initial steps needed to one day be a star in the NFL. They witnessed the emergence of a rookie running back who could one day be a force. They developed a defense that scared the be-Jesus out of the competition and should be a handful to deal with for years.
On the flip side, the Jets left a lot of questions unanswered. Their comeuppance came at the absolute worst time, but it may very well prove to be exactly what this franchise needed for a future run at glory.
Let's break down the 2009 Jets by position, with an eye on the future and no more talk of the disasters of years past:
Quarterback: Lantern Grade: C-plus: The Mark Sanchez we saw in the first 14 games was no different than countless over-hyped players to come before him. His hit-and-miss regular season statistics were expected -- 2,444 yards, 12 TD passes and 20 interceptions. However, somewhere along the line the strong-armed signal caller with the golden smile and penchant to eat hot dogs on the sideline and bring written scripts with him to press conferences started to understand that playing QB in the NFL is all about ability, poise and brains. Over the final five games of the Jets season, including the playoffs, he threw just 2 picks and made the types of decisions that only show that one day he'll be the man, and will own Gotham City and beyond.
Lantern's take: Sanchez avoids the "sophomore jinx" and makes a quantum leap in 2010 -- with more TDs than picks and around 3,000 yards.
Running back: Lantern Grade: A: The league's leading rushing attack averaged 171 yards per game during the regular season. Ageless Thomas Jones led the way with a career-high 1,402 yards, his fifth straight 1,000-yard season, and 14 rushing TDs. Despite all that, the Jets have a decision to make because they can cut the soon-to-be 32-year-old and save big money down the road. Jones is a physical specimen and has shown no signs of slowing down, even though he's right at the cut-off age where running backs start to go downhill. LaDainian Tomlinson anyone?
Shonn Greene proved to be one of the steals of the draft. The third-round pick out of Iowa finished with 540 yards and a 5.0-yard-per-carry average, and was an all-around wrecking ball in the playoffs with a combined 304 yards on 54 carries, with 2 TDs, before getting knocked out of the AFC title game against the Colts with an upper body injury.
Lantern's take: The Jets have a huge decision to make on Jones because they can cut him and free up big money to address other needs. Greene appears to be the type of every-down back who can step in and shoulder the load. And if Leon Washington comes back from the leg injury that ended his season in Week 7, the Jets will be just as dangerous next season. However, it's hard to replace a professional like Jones and the jury is still out on whether Washington will still have his wheels following extensive surgery. Keeping the status quo here may be smarter than saving a few million dollars for a team that basically has all of its stars signed going forward.
Receivers/tight end: Lantern Grade: B: Due mostly to Sanchez's growing process the Jets did not have a 1,000-yard receiver in 2009. However, with sure-handed Jerricho Cotchery (57 catches, 821 yards, 3 TDs) and not-so-sure-handed Braylon Edwards (35-541-4 in 12 games), the Jets have two guys that seem to understand the Sanchez maturation process and should only flourish with him as the rapport grows. Tight end Dustin Keller (45-522-2) got better as the season went on, including catching 12 balls for 181 yards in three playoff games. Keller, in just his second season, had a touchdown in each playoff game.
Lantern's take: Sign Edwards long-term and live with his drops. He has all the goods to be the player he was with the Browns in 2007 (80-1,289-16) and proved to be a model citizen in New York after having many off-the-field issues in Cleveland. Cotchery is quietly putting together a solid career and Keller should eventually be among the best tight ends in the game. Hopefully David Clowney develops, but if not the Jets will need to find that third receiver the best teams in the AFC already have.
Offensive line: Lantern Grade: A: The best unit in football, period. The running game's numbers tell the story. Sanchez was sacked 26 times, but many of those came because the rookie ran around like a maniac at times instead of simply throwing the ball away.
Lantern's take: There's not much more left to say here. Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold (maybe the best center in the NFL), D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Damien Woody and Brandon Moore can block for the Lantern, or the Lantern's son, any time.
Defensive line: Lantern Grade: B: The Jets were tied for 18th in the league in sacks, with Calvin Pace leading the way with 8.5 in just 12 games following his season-opening suspension for using performance-enhancing substances. The loss of the best run-stopper in the NFL in Kris Jenkins in Week 6 was a big blow, but was hidden within defensive coordinator Mike Pettine's many intricate schemes. Longest-tenured Jet Shaun Ellis had a solid-if-not-unspectacular season, but continued to be a force.
Lantern's take: High on the wish list is a true pass-rushing end, someone who can do it on his own and command double teams to open up lanes for Pace, Ellis and Co. to put more pressure on the quarterback. The Jets get this guy, look out.
Linebackers: Lantern Grade: B-plus: Bart Scott was the type of leader the Jets needed both on the field and in the locker room. He finished with 62 solo tackles, his most since 78 in 2006, and brought the wood over the middle with the type of intimidation this franchise hasn't seen in years. David Harris will be a Pro Bowl regular eventually. He had 127 tackles, including 82 solo, and 5.5 sacks. A beast. The complete package.
Lantern's take: If everyone stays healthy, the Jets will soon have the best linebacking corps in football. It would be nice to see a third or fourth player step in and become just as nasty as Scott and Harris.
Secondary: Lantern Grade: C-plus: Darrelle Revis is the only reason why the Jets get above average marks at this position. Revis is an A-plus player, a wizard at making the opponent's No. 1 option invisible. Simply, he's the best cover corner in football and should have won Defensive Player of the Year in a walk. After that, though, the Jets have serious issues. Lite Sheppard, Donald Strickland, Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman were exploited by top QBs.
At safety, Kerry Rhodes talked and played himself out of New York in all likelihood, despite looking pretty decent in the playoffs. Jim Leonhard "Rudy'd" his way to being an unsung hero for this team all season.
Lantern's take: Next to the true pass rusher, Ryan better find another cover corner either in the draft or through free agency because Revis can't cover everyone.
Special teams: Lantern Grade: C-plus: I'm willing to give coach/guru Mike Westhoff a pass this season because he lost his only true kick-return threat in Washington too early. Brad Smith proved to be a pretty good option at times (106 to the house vs. the Colts in Week 16 stands out most), but never quite became the guy. Cotchery was a fair catch waiting to happen.
Jay Feely had a very good regular season, going 30-of-36 with a long of 55 yards, but missed a very makeable 43-yarder in the AFC title game that should have given the Jets early momentum.
Punter Steve Weatherford averaged 42 yards per kick and pinned the opponent inside the 20 a total of 25 times. Not bad. Not great.
Lantern's take: If Washington is up to it next season he must get back to being the dangerous kick-returner he once was. And the next time the Jets' special teamers see Tedd Ginn Jr. they better knock the taste out of his mouth.
Coaching. Lantern Grade: A-plus: Ryan and Pettine worked wonders with the defense. The talent was there and they brought it to the fore, and made the types of in-game and long-term adjustments necessary to make the playoffs, especially after they lost Jenkins.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is no favorite of Jets Nation, but he did what needed to be done with Sanchez. He coddled his future stud when he had to and let him loose when he had to. Until the Jets have the type of passing game that will keep opposing defenses honest, Schottenheimer is the right guy to guide the running game. We'll all just have to deal with his conservative play-calling. Schotty turned down a chance to interview with the Bills for their head coaching vacancy. That, in itself, should show that he hears what people say and wants to set the record straight with the Jets before leaving for a bigger whistle with another team. You want that type of mentality coaching your team.
And that's about it. Eventually, the Lantern will look at the draft and free agency, but this Jets season is officially in the hanger. Expect the Jets to be proactive going forward and to have their eyes next season on a spot in Dallas, site of Super Bowl XLV.
Email Jeff your thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
I'm probably going to annoy a few thousand people with this one, but I can live with it.
From a pure statistics standpoint the Jets' defense was the best unit in football this season. But a more refined look shows while it did a great job in its first year under Rex Ryan, it has some pretty glaring deficiencies that must be addressed.
If the Jets are truly going to be elite at some point, they can't have a defense that relies solely on the brilliance of Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. More impact players are needed. Ryan inherited some guys that simply have to go. Pettine made miracles happen with schemes that masked the problems, especially after losing probably the best run stopper in the NFL in Kris Jenkins in Week 6.
No one is going to confuse this unit with the 1985 Chicago Bears, the "Doomsday" Dallas defense of the 1970s, the "Purple People Eaters" of Minnesota fame, the legendary "Steel Curtain" or even the Baltimore Ravens' defense of the last decade. The Jets may think they have a unit worthy of that kind of praise, but the reality is they relied too much on incredible coaching and motivation than actual playmakers.
The problems were apparent against the Colts in the AFC title game. I realize the Jets did what needed to be done to get to that point, but if they truly want to win the entire thing some day they can't think about what was. They have to figure out a way to put together the type of menacing unit that would render the best of the best null and void.
They have to think very big. They have to frame this defense to stop a Peyton Manning, a Tom Brady and a Chris Johnson as if they are playing those types of players every week.
The Jets aren't far from having that type of defense. But the changes must start immediately.
Because of impending labor strife after this upcoming season, there's a good chance the 2010 regular season will be uncapped. This could mean GMs around the league will be hesitant to sign big-name players to long lucrative deals. So the Jets will have to find a way to address their needs without necessarily breaking out the checkbook.
Need 1: A true pass rushing end. The Jets were tied for 18th in the league with 32 sacks. Of those, Calvin Pace and Shaun Ellis combined for 14.5. The Jets need a true beast on the line who can make things happen on his own, someone who can complement the multiple schemes Ryan and Pettine enact that bring pressure from the linebackers and the defensive backs. You get the opposition to focus on one guy in particular and it will open up even more holes on the blitz and allow more guys to stay home to make tackles against the run.
Need 2: Help at cornerback. Lito Sheppard had his moments in 2009, but he ultimately proved he's not the second option the Jets can rely on next to Darrelle Revis to shut down opponents' other receivers. Sheppard didn't even start the biggest game of the season. Dwight Lowery, Donald Strickland and Drew Coleman leave a lot to be desired and were often hidden within the schemes. But they were exploited huge against the Colts, with each showing at times just how much of a liability they are. GM Mike Tannenbaum has made some incredible draft selections over the years. Defensive back should again be high on his priority list if the free agent market is lacking.
Need 3: A safety. Jim Leonhard was a warrior out there, but he's too small and not athletic enough to patrol the middle of the field solo. That was supposed to be Kerry Rhodes' job, but he was largely invisible during the regular season and only started to show glimpses of his old self in the playoffs. Throw in the fact that he probably wore out his welcome with his mouth, as evidenced by the fact that Ryan didn't come to his defense when asked what the plan was during his season-ending press conference, and it's pretty apparent that unless Rhodes comes back with his hat in his hands, he's not going to be back.
Need 4: A healthy Jenkins. If the behemoth defensive tackle comes back in one piece from his knee injury, the Jets' run defense will be much better than eighth overall, as it was during the regular season. He was sorely missed against the Colts. The Jets' multiple looks and sets hid his absence from Week 7 on, but too often opposing running backs ripped off big gains at bad times. Sure, the Jets overcame Cedric Benson's 169 yards in the wild card round, and, yes, they did render several big-name backs useless at certain points during the regular season, but if the idea is to be elite, they need Jenkins in there penetrating into the backfield.
Jets fans like to hang their hats on the defense's prowess and to a large extent they have a lot to beat their chests over, but in reality this unit is not elite. It's more a product of tremendous coaching, with a few stars sprinkled in at certain positions.
If the Jets' defense is ever to be known as "The Green Wall of Silence," it needs to think even bigger. Ryan doesn't know the meaning of the words "good enough" or "it will have to do," so it stands to reason he will be actively looking to bring in more of "his guys" and ridding this team of players from the previous regime.
At this point, you should have supreme confidence Ryan will succeed.
He and Pettine made this defense what it was in 2009. It would help if more players made names for themselves in 2010.
Email Jeff your thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
We waited and waited for him to fall on his face, but he never did.
When all was said and done on Sunday, Mark Sanchez was hardly the reason the Jets' Super Bowl dreams died in Indianapolis.
On the contrary, he's the main reason why the AFC Championship game was even competitive.
Sanchez came into the NFL as the much-ballyhooed fifth overall pick in the draft who many thought the Jets mortgaged too much on. And early on, the naysayers looked like geniuses.
But, the true opinion makers chose to sit back and let this thing play itself out. What we all ended up seeing was the development of a player who will without question be a star in this league for many years, provided he stays healthy.
During the Jets' 30-17 loss to the mighty Colts on Sunday, Sanchez went from being someone counted on to not screw up to a player who almost singlehandedly helped the Jets pull off a colossal upset.
The numbers weren't staggering -- 17-of-30 for 257 yards, 2 TDs and one garbage time interception -- but they were good enough to put the Jets up by 11 points at one point. And when the Jets finally flew south for the season, Sanchez was hardly to blame.
It didn't help the Jets that Jay Feely missed a very makeable 43-yard field goal on the game's opening drive or a 52-yarder during the first set of downs in the second half. Both those misses changed the momentum of the game. Instead of staking the Jets to an early lead and then a seven-point lead, Feely, even though it's hard to really blame him on the third-quarter attempt, allowed the Colts to get a second and then third wind.
It didn't help that the vaunted Jets defense was systematically dismantled from the final two minutes of the first half on by the incomparable Peyton Manning, running game or no running game.
It also didn't help that budding star running back Shonn Greene went down with an upper-body injury early in the third quarter, never to return.
Through all of that Sanchez shined. He made smart decisions, was precise on his medium range passes and showed great touch on both the 80-yard scoring bomb to Braylon Edwards and on several crucial third-down conversions.
Sanchez was the man, no ifs ands or buts about it.
And for the first time since Ken O'Brien was under center during the mid-to-late 1980s and early '90s, the Jets have their quarterback. But Sanchez appears to be a player who will lead this team to places only one other quarterback has traveled to in franchise history.
"I started to become the quarterback that this team needs," Sanchez told the media after the game.
Amen. He sure did.
Forget about his poor regular season numbers. The days of Sanchez having a 63.8 rating, just 2,400-plus yards and eight more picks (20) than TD passes are over. Odds are, what you will see going forward is a guy who may not throw for much more than 3,000 yards per season, due mostly to the fact that the Jets' high-powered running game isn't going anywhere, but will almost certainly perform to a high rating, solid completion percentage and definitely more TDs than interceptions.
I don't know if "unflappable" is the right word yet to describe him, but certainly the term "cool with his feet to the fire" works.
It's clear Sanchez developed a rapport with both the professional Jerricho Cotchery and off-again-on-again tight end Dustin Keller. It's also pretty apparent that Sanchez will one day master both play-action and an assortment of hidden ball tricks. He still tends to run around like a chicken with his head cut off out there, but by the end of the season and in the playoffs he knew when to unload the eggs before the wolves got to the nest.
Over the final five games of the Jets' wild season, Sanchez completed 59.2 percent of his passes (61-of-103), up 5 points from his overall regular season average, for 708 yards, 4 TDs and just 2 INTs. Again, those numbers aren't staggering, but the Jets won four of those games and then scared the hell out of arguably the best team in football for a half.
Sanchez's interception ratio was 1 in every 18.2 passes during the entire regular season, but over the last five games, including the playoffs, it skyrocketed to 1 in 30.2 passes.
On top of all that, Sanchez matured as if in a time warp. He seemed to age 10 years over the final five weeks of the season. He started acting like a leader both on the field and off, including a new sense of how to handle the media.
"I started making the decisions that a quarterback who makes it to the AFC championship game makes," Sanchez said. "I've still got a long way to go. I haven't arrived. I haven't figured it out. I haven't made it."
Yeah, maybe not just yet, but he's pretty damn close.
One day Sanchez will own this town. If the Jets stick to Rex Ryan's blueprint it will happen very soon.
Maybe as early as next season.
And then, who knows? Maybe the one after that, and after that ... and after that.
The sky is clearly the limit for this soaring Jet.
Email Jeff your thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
It's an often over-used saying, but apropos.
"It's never easy being green."
Well, for a long time it was never easy wearing Sox, especially if you lived anywhere within 150 miles of Boston.
But we all know how that changed.
Somewhere in the dark, twisted world of sports justice, you know, the place where the actual decisions are made as to who will win and lose, there's a meeting going on right now. It's probably more intense and spirited than the current health care debate on Capitol Hill.
On one side you have representatives from the Jets who are pleading their case to the powers that be that this franchise has suffered long enough. The time has come for them to finally be champions, if for no other reason than because the fans deserve it.
That high powered team of legal minds is citing the 2004 Red Sox and the entire nation of crazies as the precedent for such a decision.
On the other side you have the evil cloaked figures, sort of like the ring wraiths from "Lord of the Rings." They claim that until Joe Namath relinquishes the one ring that controls them all, the Jets and their fans will continue to live in fear of the inevitable loss.
It seems this debate goes on every year, but for the first time in 11 years, the side representing the good and just finally has some ammunition on it's side, not to mention the power of public opinion.
It's time for the suffering to end. It's time for everyone to look at the 2009 Jets as kin to the 2004 Red Sox.
Maybe, just maybe, this team of green dreamers needs to go through hell to come out smelling like a rose on the other side. Just look at what the Red Sox went through. The franchise and their fans waited 86 years. I mean generations of families died before the deed was finally done.
The Red Sox needed to do the unthinkable just to have a shot at the title. As a Yankees fan I'll tell you that short of maybe losing a limb in a shocking knitting accident I have never suffered through anything like the 2004 ALCS, up 3-0 only to blow it to, of all teams, the one team I wouldn't let win a game of tic-tac-toe.
But the Sox did it.
Now, why not the Jets? I mean, seriously, why not?
Maybe the Jets and their fans need to go through the same sort of anguish as Red Sox Nation did. I mean, afterall, in my opinion 40 years of futility in the NFL is probably more brutal a scenario than 86 years of failure in baseball.
I say this because you have just 16 chances to state your case for a playoff berth in football. You have 10 times that amount of opportunity in baseball. You lose two games at the wrong time in football your season may be on life support. You'd probably have to go 0-20 at some point in baseball to truly be considered out of the race.
That said, did anyone ever actually expect the season the Jets won it all to be one where they went 15-1 or 14-2? C'mon, be real here.
The Jets suffering through a roller coaster ride of a regular season and then coming alive, after getting the help it needed just to get into the postseason tournament, is the way it was supposed to happen.
Potentially beating four division champions on the road to winning the Super Bowl is how it's meant to happen.
If you believe in karma, tomfoolery, the universe being in perfect harmony or any other bits of nonsense you have to know that this is the script the downtrodden Jets have to follow for things to begin to get easier.
They have to drag us all through hot lava one more time, just to make sure we never forget the horror, the agony, of what it means to root for this franchise.
Too many weird things have happened this season, way too many. These Jets scream team of destiny:
* Colts laying down in Week 16 only to see the Jets again when it really matters.
* Bengals taking a vacation the week before the rematch.
* Favre leaving and now being a potential opponent for all the marbles.
* Possible rematch with the Saints, who know all too well how good the Jets defense is.
* The evolution of Mark Sanchez, the rookie who everybody believed was a few years away from even being decent.
* The leadership, game-planning and mouth of Rex Ryan, the rookie coach who would fit better in Texas, where everything is, of course, bigger.
* The acquisition of Braylon Edwards, the poster boy for both the thug life and the good a change of scenery can do.
* The drafting of Shonn Greene, possibly the next coming of any number of great running backs the NFL has seen.
* The trash-talking Jets becoming the humble Jets, only to fall off the wagon and become the nightmare scenario Jets, both on the field and off.
And to top it all off, there was the unfortunate passing of Casey Johnson, daughter of Jets owner Woody Johnson. That one isn't talked about much because the family has kept a low profile.
But don't think for a second that doesn't play into this as well. It screams destiny. It screams Frank Torre's heart donated by a man from the Bronx on the eve of Game 6 of the 1996 World Series.
All of this, the whole damn thing, screams Jets, Super Bowl champions.
The power of what's going on right now may even be too much for Peyton Manning to overcome.
Don't forget that he shunned the notion of being drafted by the Jets way back when.
Yeah, it's destiny.
And you know what they say about the grass on the other side.
Email Jeff your thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
I had a dream last night. Calvin Pace pulled a Scott Stevens on Peyton Manning and the Jets went on to the Super Bowl.
Now back in consciousness, I truly believe something like that will have to happen for the Jets to get to Miami.
As great as Manning is, the main reason why he dissects opponents with surgeon-like precision is because he's never touched.
You give a guy with the physical gifts that he has all week to throw and he's going to kill you. Now I realize this isn't some great revelation that's going to get me hired by an NFL team, but the fact remains despite every team knowing what needs to be done to stop him, few have ever actually done it.
The Jets have to, period.
But believe it or not it's not all about Manning. The Jets can help themselves immeasurably if they do the following things:
1. Possession. Manning can't hurt them obviously if he's not on the field. The Jets have the league's best rushing offense. After a slow start in each of their playoff wins, their offensive line eventually wore down the Bengals and Chargers, and opened holes for Shonn Greene and Co. to run for a combined 340 yards. That must continue Sunday for the Jets to have any shot.
2. The "Sanchise Factor": Odds are Mark Sanchez will not be asked to do a whole heck of a lot in this game, but if the Jets truly want to keep the Colts' lightning-fast defense off balance they will have to get their rookie quarterback out of the pocket so he can make some things happen down the field and hope at the same time he shows the same kind of maturity he's shown over the last four games when it comes to knowing when to get rid of the football away from pressure.
3. Field position battle. Obviously the Colts can score from anywhere on the field in a hurry, but if the Jets can somehow give Manning a longer field to work with it will go a long way toward keeping any potential deficit manageable. Remember, the Jets only trailed 15-10 when Manning and the other offensive stars were pulled back in Week 16. Mike Westhoff's kick coverage and the right legs of punter Steve Weatherford and kicker Jay Feely have to be on the mark.
4. Don't forget about Addai and Brown. The Jets' run defense is very good, but without Kris Jenkins it has at times been more of a bend-but-don't-break unit than a shutdown force. In their 29-15 win in Week 16, the Jets held the Colts to 63 yards on the ground, and, Cedric Benson's 160-plus aside, Gang Green has done a really good job taking the run away over the last four games. LaDainian Tomlinson did nothing and Darren Sproles was a non-factor in the divisional round win over the Chargers. That type of effort must continue Sunday because if Manning gets any running game to work with he'll be that much more difficult to figure out.
That brings us to No. 5 and the most obvious thing the Jets need to do: Somehow frustrate Manning.
Manning is all about rhythm. When he's enjoying one -- or has his mental iPod tuned to his favorite songs -- he will get rid of the football quickly with pace to any spot he wants. And No. 18 doesn't discriminate. He throws to everyone.
Figure Darrelle Revis will be on Reggie Wayne. If you remember back to Week 16, Wayne actually got separation from Revis on a few occasions, but did not hit for any big gainers because Manning, for whatever reason, seemed a bit off, at least initially. Revis, for his part, has to be in lockdown mode more than usual on Sunday. Wayne can fly and has just about the surest hands in the NFL. We know what Revis brings and Wayne knows what Revis brings, but if No. 24 is off his game even a little, Manning will find Wayne and this game will, for all intents and purposes, be over.
Assuming Revis does what's expected, the Jets then have to figure out how to control Dallas Clark. The sure-handed tight end in the Colts' offense may be even better than Antonio Gates in the Chargers' offense. Gates caught 8 balls for 93 yards against the Jets, but they kept him out of the end zone. Clark is coming off just a monster regular season that saw him have 100 receptions for 1,106 yards and 10 TDs.
A case can be made that stopping Clark may be just as important, if not more important, than containing Wayne. How the Jets do this will speak volumes about their chances. Do they switch Revis on to him at times? Do they ask Pace to shadow him? Do they try to use bump-and-run tactics or play with more defensive backs? Well, whatever they decide they better be prepared for a tight end who is 252 pounds and knows no single pattern. Clark will run every route imaginable.
That said, though, Clark and Wayne are just two pieces to an intricate Indy air attack. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are the types of second and third options that give defensive coordinators nightmares -- mostly because they are always open. Garcon (47-765-4) didn't play in Week 16, but Collie (60-676-7) did and hurt the Jets for 6 catches and 94 yards.
So, knowing that in a straight up fight the Jets will lose, they have to find a way to get Manning's iPod to skip a little. The Colts' offensive line as pass blockers is the best unit in the NFL. Manning was sacked just 10 times all season. That's just an incredible number.
Combine the protection he receives with his quick release and all of his other weapons and it's easy to look at Manning as easily the biggest obstacle the Jets have faced all season. He may be the only player in football that can render the Jets' ferocious blitz useless.
So how do they get to him? One thing is certain: Desire won't be enough to get it done. Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine must figure out some way to stunt their blitz packages, bring guys from different angles instead of just up the middle. Since the Colts know they won't be able to run much, expect Addai and Brown and all the other backs to morph into yet another layer of protection for the league's MVP.
Where desire will come into play is in the secondary. Lito Sheppard, Donald Strickland, Dwight Lowery, Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes will have to play the games of their lives because if the Jets fail to disrupt Manning's rhythm it's on them to cover and tackle like they've never covered and tackled before.
It's a Herculean task, stopping this Manning fellow. The Jets are probably the only team in the NFL that can do it.
"Can" being the operative word here.
"Will" remains to be seen.
Email Jeff your thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
The critics are still out there.
It seems no matter what the Jets do, their accomplishments will be measured more by what their opponents don't do.
That's just twisted hater logic, but, unfortunately, how it goes when a team with no resume like the Jets continues to do the improbable.
So if you are looking for anyone to give them a snowball's chance in hell to beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in the AFC Championship game next weekend in Indianapolis, I wish you luck in your search.
The only people who truly believe the Jets will get to the Super Bowl are the Jets themselves.
And that simply has to be good enough for the fans.
Back in Week 16, the haters lambasted the Colts for laying down against the Jets with their perfect season on the line. In Week 17 they said the Bengals sent their "C" team to the Meadowlands to play a meaningless game.
Those same folks the following week in the wild card round promised us a different Bengals team, one that was infinitely better at home with Cedric Benson and the great Carson Palmer, he of exactly zero career playoff wins.
Critics just refuse to take the Jets seriously. They won't acknowledge the fact that the Jets are the hardest working team in the NFL.
So then came Sunday in San Diego. Similar logic prevailed:
"Oh the Chargers offense ..."
"Oh their tall receivers ..."
"They have won 11 in a row ..."
"Qualcomm will be rocking ..."
"Sanchez will fold ..."
"Schotty will play it too close to the vest ..."
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Did the Jets win or did the Chargers lose on Sunday?
Like I care.
Point is the little green train that could is now speeding down the back side of the mountain after having beaten a team that basically most everyone said they had no chance against. The Jets' loud-mouth coach has instilled a winning mentality on a team that, let's face it, still has several problems, but believes that those problems can be overcome if they just play every snap like its their last.
And the beautiful part is they don't play not to lose. Past Jets teams built a league-wide reputation for not going for it when it mattered most. Well, the Jets went for it Sunday with a last-minute fourth down running play that may have been the shortest, yet most meaningful play in the team's nearly 50-year history.
It spoke volumes about the obvious change in the franchise's thinking.
I'm starting to wonder if the constant bashing of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is truly warranted. I mean maybe his reputation is truly tied to Mark Sanchez's growth. The Jets didn't get a first down on Sunday until their seventh possession, yet Schottenheimer continued to stay the course, kept at it with the basic formula that has worked all season.
And wouldn't you know it: when the final gun sounded the Jets had 169 yards rushing, right at their league-leading average, and had a victory.
I watch these games and know that no matter how poor the Jets look when they have the ball that eventually this unbelievable offensive line will begin to impose its will. Sanchez, for his part, is now smarter with the football. Dustin Keller knows how to get open. Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards are money on short routes and fearless over the middle. Thomas Jones will get you that needed yard and Shonn Greene will keep hammering away until he breaks one.
The Jets defense, recognized by many as very good, but often said to be just a shade below great, doesn't rack up the incredible statistics. It doesn't sack the quarterback a whole heck of a lot. It gives up some yardage on the ground. It allows a decent amount of passing yards to good quarterbacks.
But it never stops evolving. It never takes a play off. Its intensity on a weekly basis just wears the opposition down, gets them out of their rhythm. Incompletions, hurries and sure tackling seem to be just as important as turnovers and losses on running plays.
Mike Pettine's defense just sticks it to you for 60 minutes and before you know it you have maybe 10 or 14 points on the board. That's simply not enough to win in the playoffs against this kind of team. Mostly because the offense isn't poor. It's economical.
And what more can be said about the incredible Darrelle Revis? Why I'll tell you.
Forget that Vincent Jackson had 7 catches for 111 yards on Sunday. Revis only covered him part of the time. He took on a million responsibilities and showed the entire nationally televised world that he is truly the best defensive player in the game. That interception should have sealed it for everyone.
And that forgotten guy Kerry Rhodes? Well, in addition to playing one of the smartest games he's played in a while he showed on that onsides kick recovery the type of athleticism that made him someone to pay attention to years ago.
The Jets are simply relentless.
It's a blue collar success story in a largely blue collar town.
And the ironies are everywhere. I keep thinking as long as there's another team alive in the playoffs that would make a great storyline, the Jets will keep winning.
First it was the idea of the rematch with the Bengals. Then came the notion of the Jets possibly hosting the AFC title game. Now it's a chance to show the Colts that their Week 16 "gift" was much appreciated but a mistake on their part.
What's to come? A shot at Brett Favre for all the marbles? Or a chance to get some revenge on the Saints, who know had it not been for Sanchez playing like a rookie their initial undefeated run might have been dead in Week 4?
The Jets are the story of the year in the NFL hands down.
Now are they winning in Indianapolis? I don't know.
But I do know this much: They are going to make all of us proud regardless.
Email Jeff your thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
There's a memorable scene from the cult classic baseball film "Major League" in which manager Lou Brown tells his Cleveland Indians all about the owner's plot to put together a team bad enough to relocate to Miami. Unfortunately, the language in that speech is a bit too non-PG 13 for me to include in this column, but the message is clear:
When you feel slighted or crapped on there's only one thing you can do:
Make a serious statement.
Darrelle Revis is in a similar boat at this very moment, one he and his teammates should use as a rallying cry from this point on.
The Jets' all-world defensive back was beaten out of NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors on Tuesday. The writers saw fit to reward Charles Woodson of the Packers instead. But while it's hard to take anything away from Woodson, Jets fans have every right to question why he got 28 first-place votes to Revis' 14.
Jets Nation is understandably in an uproar because Revis is their guy. The members are compiling evidence to call for an investigation here.
Allow me to provide a different take on why I think Revis got hosed.
Woodson is great. We all know it. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer. They are mapping out the space for his bust in Canton as we speak.
But that doesn't mean he's entitled to this year's honor, let alone doubling Revis in total first-place votes.
For as long as individual awards have been handed out in major sports the argument has been if your team doesn't have success the individual should not be singled out. Why should someone who hits 50 homers or throws 40 TD passes get an award saying he's most valuable if the team went nowhere?
This reasoning doesn't really apply to Woodson because his team made the playoffs, but just how good were they?
But, another type of reasoning also exists. If you have a guy who hits 50 homers or throws 40 TD passes for a team that's elite, that player is viewed as the guy who carried his team to that lofty perch.
Admittedly, Revis loses some of the overt statistical battles. Woodson had 9 interceptions and 3 TDs to Revis' 6 and 1, but Revis played on hands-down the best defense in the NFL this season.
In fact, a case can be made, that he is the defense.
Should that also be taken into consideration?
Where was Woodson on Sunday when the Cardinals dropped 51 points on the Packers? Where was he when the offensively challenged Bengals dropped 31 in a Week 2 loss or when the Vikings scored 30 in a Week 4 defeat? Or how about his whereabouts when the Vikings and lowly Buccaneers combined for 76 points in Week 8 and 9 losses? Could Woodson have taken the day off in Week 15 when the Steelers hung 37?
And then, of course, there was this past Sunday when the Cardinals did their thing in ending the Packers' season.
Revis, on the other hand, has been part of only three games where the Jets' defense spit the bit -- both losses to the Dolphins and the defeat to the Patriots up in Foxboro.
But that's old news, really, because the Jets have owned everyone since that Patriots debacle, allowing just 47 points in their last six games.
And they are still alive.
In his third season, Revis established himself as the league's premier cornerback, taking away such prime threats as Steve Smith, Randy Moss, Andre Johnson, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Marques Colston.
Can Woodson say that? Who's more valuable to his defense? Really?
From where I'm standing this result looks an awful lot like the media not taking the Jets seriously. I mean, what else could it really be? They have the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL. They are also No. 1 against the pass. Some would argue that stat is misleading because often when a team has been No. 1 in any one category it's because it couldn't stop another aspect of the opposition's offense.
Well, the Jets were No. 8 against the run. Take a guess who was No. 1?
The Packers.
The Jets gave up about 15 yards more per game on the ground than the Packers, but allowed approximately 50 yards less through the air -- not to mention nearly 5 points less per game.
The voting was ridiculously too one-sided in Woodson's favor because he's been around longer. Case closed. It was a nod to his greatness, but too much of a nod.
This doesn't reek of anti-New York bias, the kind of complaining we hear every time a Yankee doesn't win an individual award.
Oh no. This stinks of anti-Jets bias.
So, as Jake Taylor said in "Major League," there's only one thing left to do:
Win the whole (bleeping) thing.
And if you're Vincent Jackson, it's time to look into that insurance policy my friend.
Email Jeff Your Thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
In less than two weeks the Jets have gone from the team most everyone rolled their eyes at to one nobody left in the playoffs wants any part of.
It's beautiful.
The early line out of Vegas had the Chargers as 9-point favorites for Sunday afternoon's AFC Divisional Round game in San Diego. That number will plummet, but the savvy gambler should have jumped all over it at the time because if anyone thinks the Jets aren't going to show up for this game they should think again.
This past Saturday's 24-14 win in Cincinnati put to rest any notion that the Jets were not worthy of their place in the postseason. In the week leading up to the game the experts and haters spent their time saying "Oh, well the Colts laid down in Week 16" and "the Bengals had nothing to play for that Sunday night at the Meadowlands."
Blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., etc.
Who's laughing now?
Rex Ryan was taken to task after he proclaimed the Jets as the team that should be favored to win not just their first playoff game, but every one they participate in. He may be on to something, but, of course, any Jets fan worth his anguish needs to mindful that this tournament is a one-game-at-a-time venture.
The Jets are hitting their stride right now, but the road will get decidedly more perilous this weekend. That said though, Ryan and Co. probably owe the Ravens a debt of gratitude for beating the Patriots. The Jets match up infinitely better with the Chargers than the Colts. Nobody wants to face Peyton Manning, let alone indoors in Indianapolis.
The lesser of the two evils is the Chargers, who are the hottest team in football with 11 consecutive wins and will be playing in a nut house on Sunday. But if you really look at what the Jets need to do to be successful the Chargers, in a way, play into all that Gang Green does right.
This may be the best Chargers team ever, better than the team that got to Super Bowl XXIX and got pummeled by San Francisco, better than the various LaDainian Tomlinson-led teams in the last decade that could never quite get over the hump in the AFC tournament.
The Chargers have morphed into a crazy passing offense that rivals the days of Air Coryell from the 1980s. Philip Rivers has become an elite NFL quarterback and the offensive line has gone from the best supporting the run to the among the best of the best protecting the pass.
But that's where I think the Jets have an advantage they'll need to exploit. Tomlinson has been healthy all season, but only has 730 yards rushing. He doesn't catch any passes out of the backfield anymore either, something that made him one of the best running backs in NFL history from a total touches and yardage perspective some years back. In fact, the Chargers were just 31st in the league in rushing offense during the regular season.
However, that doesn't mean the Chargers won't be dangerous from running formations. The combination of dynamic Darren Sproles and all-world tight end Antonio Gates can cause headaches for anyone because they are nearly impossible to defend one on one.
The Jets will have to find a way to control Sproles, a game-changer of the highest order, on screen passes and Gates, maybe the most athletic tight end in the game, over the middle.
Ryan is going to have alter his blitz-with-reckless-abandon approach a bit in this game because if Sproles or Gates catch the ball in space they will destroy what is a suspect Jets secondary while Darrelle Revis is shadowing deep threat Vincent Jackson. The Jets will be in a lot of trouble if they find themselves having to solo tackle either Sproles or Gates, so in preparations this week expect them to come up with a scheme to shadow both.
Maybe Calvin Pace or David Harris is assigned to Sproles; maybe Kerry Rhodes will get Gates. Either way, by shadowing these players the Jets will lose a pass rusher or run-stopper and their man patrolling the fee safety spot. But Rivers is a quarterback who can be forced into making mistakes and the Chargers do not have another top receiving threat besides Jackson.
More than anything else, how the Jets approach this game defensively and then execute will tell the tale, because I believe they will be able to move the ball enough to put points on the board. That's because Mark Sanchez has become a veteran quarterback, seemingly overnight.
Of course, one would be crazy to think the days of the bad Sanchez are totally a thing of the past, but at the same time Jets fans everywhere have to be thrilled with what they saw against the Bengals and have to pray that the rookie signal caller actually does really "get it," when it comes to playing the position and being smart about his decisions.
The offensive game plan will likely consist of a lot of what we already know, though the Jets, most especially offensive coordinator Brian Scottenheimer, showed us a lot last week by not sticking to something that wasn't working.
The Jets killed the Bengals in Week 17 with Brad Smith running the "wildcat," but they found out pretty quickly in the rematch that it wasn't going to work, so they improvised and instead battered Cincy with bruiser Shonn Greene and let Sanchez work play-action for openings downfield. The result was 135 yards and a touchdown from Greene and Dustin Keller having arguably his greatest day as an NFL tight end with 99 yards and a 45-yard scoring reception.
What that approach did was make the Jets, dare I say it, actually somewhat unpredictable on offense. Sure, they are still going to run the ball, but who's getting the rock the most? Greene or Thomas Jones? Who will Sanchez target? Stone hands Braylon Edwards, reliable Jerricho Cotchery or star-in-the-making Keller?
And how will Smith fit into the equation?
See what I'm getting at? The Jets actually have some options now that they didn't utilize much before. And the Chargers and their 16th-ranked defense -- or in this case average defense -- will actually have to game-plan for Sanchez and Co. instead of simply sticking eight in the box to stop the run.
Though the experts will try to convince you this week on the various shows and news reports that the Jets are "for real" and a "team to be reckoned with," don't believe them because I'm not convinced they really believe it themselves. I still think the Jets fan is alone out there. The predictions will be heavily in favor of the Chargers because I'm not sure anyone not named Ryan is really ready to proclaim the Jets as a viable Super Bowl contender.
But the truth is, in my opinion, as crazy as it sounds they are. In fact, they are built to win in the playoffs. It's obvious and unbelievable but at the same time undeniable.
Prior to the Cincy game all the breaks went the Jets' way just to get them into the postseason. But now they are making their own breaks.
And with a solid 60 minutes on Sunday they'll take that next step toward turning the football world upside-down.
It's inifinitely possible and, like I said before, shockingly beautiful to watch.
Let the madness continue ...
Email Jeff Your Thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
Maybe I'm just gun-shy.
When I first heard that Rex Ryan looked into his crystal ball and surmised that the Jets are not only a team to fear but also the best damn football team on the planet, I cringed.
Hadn't we been through this before? Didn't the coach with the big bravado learn his lesson the first time around? The Jets were 3-0 and seemingly the best team in the AFC, or so he and his players thought. Ryan was as guilty of shooting his mouth off as Kerry Rhodes or anyone else you'd care to single out.
The Jets then crashed back to earth by losing six of seven. The trash-talking stopped and the business of turning around what seemed like a promising season began.
That mission proved successful and now we're back in early season mode. The Jets are back to being the "in" thing. Their fans are delirious bordering on forgetful of the past four decades of angst and depression. Ryan is sounding like Patrick Ewing more and more every day with his channeling of Nostradamus.
Should the Jets actually be favored to not only win Saturday in Cincinnati but run the table to a Super Bowl championship? Um, ah, okay. Hey if Rex thinks so, why not?
I spent a good part of Wednesday pondering the coach's latest missive, and I came to the conclusion that although his unorthodox rah-rah approach often borders on lunacy there's no denying the fact that both he and his football players are a cast of characters that really, considering recent world events, have nothing to lose.
The Jets aren't accustomed to being in this position. As they head into Saturday's AFC first-round playoff game they are enjoying themselves, and who can really blame them? Think about it: this is just the franchise's 13th playoff appearance in nearly 50 years of existence.
If you think about it, there's really nothing wrong with enjoying the moment. Though the Jets have a better than average chance of winning Saturday, the oddsmakers don't think very highly of their regular season body of work. But the odd part is, traditionally, come playoff playoff time teams that run the football well and play serious defense are usually the ones favored to do great things. What is apparent, however, is the guys in Vegas really have no faith in Mark Sanchez.
Can you blame them? Maybe. Maybe not.
Ryan is doing what countless coaches have done before -- deflecting the pressure and expectations away from his players and on to himself. It's his job in a sense. And he's secure enough in himself to handle that burden. If they lose Saturday, he will still be the head coach on Sunday, heading forward with a team that will only get better. He has the leeway to speak his mind. But know this: Ryan isn't stupid. If the Jets ended the season 4-12 I don't think he'd say "Hey, we're the best 4-12 team in NFL history."
He's a little nutty, but not delusional. Not yet anyway.
Though this Jets team is flawed, it is first and foremost a team. You watch them play and listen to what they say and sense there are no Gilbert Arenas types suiting up every day for practice and on Sundays. The Jets seem to genuinely care about one another.
That's the first step toward greatness in my eyes.
And don't worry about firing up the Bengals. The days of being fearful about giving opponents bulletin board material are over. Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have rendered that notion null and void. Players and coaches used to worry they'd supply the opponent with motivation if they talked smack. Now, guys sit in their high-tech worlds and go crazy -- not with their mouths but with their fingers.
This is acceptable because, for the most part, it's healthy. I mean, the whole OchoCinco-Revis thing borders on hysterical, mostly because these guys respect each other. It's obvious. The fans and media seem to take Twitter seriously. It's a good thing and, again, healthy.
Short of calling your coach out, you can pretty much say anything you want on Twitter and it's laughed off. The NFL, to its credit, has sat back and let the good-natured ribbing go because the higher-ups know if the fans are into it and welcome it, it's good for the sport.
All this said, Ryan may be on to something about his team. I don't think the Jets are winning a Super Bowl in the next month, but I do think they will be a handful to deal with. Considering the prowess of this defense, this offensive line and this running game, If Sanchez can just control his nerves and make some throws to guys dressed in the same colored uniforms the Jets could very well ruin the hopes and dreams of those the oddsmakers seem to adore.
Ryan knows this and seems to really believe his players can truly shock the world. It's just in his nature to be positive, and he'll continue to get away with talking "crazy" as long as he keeps taking the Jets back to the playoffs.
In Rex's eyes, he initially inherited a sportscar that needed a tuneup, new tires and maybe a GPS. But after making those changes it blew a transmission. So he said the hell with it and traded it in for a monster SUV. And he's had a ball plowing through everyone and everything on his way to the playoffs.
But now that the game has really changed, he's traded up once again.
Ryan is now the proud owner of a souped up, 1980s DeLorean.
And he seems to truly believe he'll have enough road to get it up to 88 mph.
Would you rather have a coach that didn't?
Email Jeff Your Thoughts and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet
So now what?
Should we all be happy the Jets are in the playoffs for the first time in three years? Should we sit back and bask in the glow of Sunday night's thorough 37-0 destruction of Cincinnati and looked ahead to what many believe is a house money rematch this Saturday?
Or should we take a second to assess our expectations?
I ask because from where I'm typing the Jets are no longer a team that was the beneficiary of a million breaks on their road to getting a shot at the postseason.
The Jets can actually do something here far greater than sending Giants Stadium to the wrecking ball as a place that saw a win in its final game.
To say Gang Green came to play Sunday night in front of a national television audience doesn't quite do what they accomplished justice. The Jets actually looked every bit like a team that can be a serious player in the AFC tournament.
Now, I'm not overdosing on green Kool-Aid here. Hardly. But I do think the bar has been raised. The entire organization and fan base cannot under any circumstances look at Saturday's playoff matchup at Paul Brown Stadium as a bonus following a roller coaster regular season that looked over well before the 16th game was played.
I believe we all should expect the Jets to win at least one more game this season. They gave us every reason to think that on Sunday night. Say what you want about the Bengals' intensity level considering they came into the game locked into the No. 4 seed. I realize they played the game without leading rusher Cedric Benson and many pieces of their underrated defense.
But I don't think having any of those players on the field Sunday would have made a difference. The Jets came out with a purpose we have not seen in years and I believe the first 30 minutes marked the best half of football this franchise has produced since the 2003 playoffs when Chad Pennington and Co. dropped the hammer on their way to a 41-0 win over Peyton Manning and the Colts.
Sunday night's performance was that good.
Now while it would be easy to get sky high and envision the Jets making a charge toward the Super Bowl, everyone should chill out a little. The fact remains that the Jets still have a lot to prove, and I don't think a far run into January is realistic, but I do believe they should be playing in Indianapolis or San Diego in two weeks.
The early Vegas line on Saturday's rematch in Cincinnati has the Jets as 3-point dogs. Barring an unforseen injury, like Chad Johnson (yes, that's his name again even if he doesn't want to own up to it ... but more on that later) missing the game due to a knee problem, the Jets will go in expected by the experts to lose.
But anyone who makes that bet should really stop for a second and think things through. The Jets match up so well with the Bengals it's scary. The statistics from Sunday night's massacre are staggering. Even if you firmly believe the Bengals mailed it in, you can't ignore the following numbers, which were amassed with Carson Palmer, Chad Whathisname and still capable Larry Johnson playing:
* First downs: Jets 21, Bengals 5
* Total yards: Jets 320, Bengals 72
* Palmer 1-for-10, 0 yards, 1 INT
* Net yards rushing: Jets 257, Bengals 72
* Time of possession: Jets 41:14, Bengals 18:46
It's not like it's suddenly going to be 72 degrees and sunny on Saturday in Cincinnati. In fact, the conditions could be far worse than temperatures in the teens with a wind chill in the single digits like they were on Sunday night at the Meadowlands.
Will Benson playing make a huge difference? It's hard to argue yes because the Jets' run defense is exceptional. Aside from Palmer, what other Bengals offensive starter really scares you? No. 85 couldn't even escape warmups without injuring himself and then when he did play he dropped two balls and was cold-clocked by Jets safety Kerry Rhodes, not to mention the fact that Darrelle Revis was in his face on seemingly every play.
Chad chirped all week on Twitter that Revis couldn't cover him. He even said he'd change his name back to Johnson if he was held without a catch. Well, the Lantern dispatched a limo to the airport after Sunday night's game to fetch him for his trip to City Hall. But, the talented-yet-ridiculous receiver disappeared into the fine New Jersey air much like the Bengals' hopes of actually winning another game this season.
Chad must have been made aware that not only did his friend own him, he ended Ocho My Knee O's streak of 120 games with at least one reception.
The Lantern will probably ask a judge for a subpeona at some point on Monday to get Chad to the courthouse so that he can change his name. In case he's really not into going back to Johnson, I have some suggestions:
* Chad Stonehands
* Chad Phonebooth
* Chad Paperbag
* Chad Houshmandzadeh
Or my personal favorite: Chad Veinti Cuatro
All fun aside, the Jets have come a long way in a short period of time. The Atlanta loss that dropped them to 7-7 showed a team with so many flaws beyond the rookie quarterback it was ridiculous to think they'd make the playoffs.
But after NFL parity took over and teams dropped by the wayside faster than Bernie Madoff's financial career and the Colts had their schizophrenic episode, it became apparent the first 15 games, while important, paled in comparison to the stakes of the season finale.
And the Jets saved their best for last by putting forth a performance for the ages, one that should really start to get the hardcore Gang Green pessimist believing that even if the team bows out Saturday, the future is really bright.
NBC analyst and former Bengals great Cris Collinsworth, after an early bout with homerism, really made poignant statements during Sunday night's broadcast. Maybe he was just disgusted with his former team's play and was trying to be critical in the hope that they'd hear about it and rally behind his statements in preparation for the playoffs. Maybe. I tend to think Collinsworth was speaking from the heart when he said the following about the Jets:
He said a lot of what we already know -- the Jets are a franchise that always lets its fans down and the people who pack the stadium week after week and year after year are under no illusions. They know that sooner or later the Jets will spit the bit and generally do it in the most colorful of ways, regardless of how rosy the outlook is at any given point in a single game or season. However, those comments, despite stating the obvious, were just a precursor for what he really seemed to believe later.
Collinsworth, and his partner Al Michaels, said there's just no ignoring the fact that the Jets have the pieces in place to be great one day. They have the defense. They have the running game. They look like they have the right coach.
But his most telling comment came when he said the Jets also seem to have a belief system. They think they're good and that swagger is apparent in how they played Sunday night. No team was beating them ... not even the Jets themselves.
Collinsworth may be convinced, but it will take a lot more performances like Sunday's to convince the hardcore Jets fan. Sure, we loved what we saw. But can we count on the Jets to do something like that again and again? Was Sunday night the beginning of a new era of Jets football, one where they kick butt and take names and don't invent ways to lose?
I think we'll see the next step in the progression on Saturday. We all should expect the Jets to win because they have instilled in us the belief that they should win.
Due to free agency, the NFL is a very tough place to keep good teams together, but the Jets seem to love Rex Ryan, and the current contract structure of the core is in place for years. I think with some tweaks, the return of key injured personnel like Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington and the continued maturation of Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene and the "Super Slash Wildcat" Brad Smith this team can continue its upward trajectory.
The idea now is for the fans to fight the urge to develop entitlement, but at the same time be mindful that what you saw Sunday can be the Jets of the new decade. It's possible. They made it crystal clear.
Yeah, it was just one game.
Oh, but what a game it was.
Email Jeff Your Thoughts and follow him on Twitter @GreenLanternJet
Click here for the latest on Gang Green, including a 2009 training camp report, schedule, roster, injuries and statistics.
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The Jets play at New Orleans, Oakland, Tampa Bay and Indianapolis as part of its grueling 16-game schedule. New York will host Tennessee, Jacksonville, Carolina and Atlanta, among others.
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Check back to this page periodically as the Jets trim their training camp roster to 53 men in time for the regular season. Then stay with us for the latest moves.
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