New York Sports

By JEFF CAPELLINI, WCBSTV.com Senior Sports Producer
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Will this be a season of promise, or a campaign to forget for the Jets? No matter how it ends up, one thing is certain: It will be one the entire league will be focused on.

That, in itself, is a triumph. The fact that the Jets are sitting center stage in NFL circles and will be a focal point of Sunday afternoon football viewing nationwide is both refreshing and a bit nauseating, albeit in a good way.

On one hand you have the Brett Favre era beginning. All the hope and promise of a run beyond respectability is so palpable even the most ardent Jets narcissist has to be cracking a little bit with anticipation.

On the other you have the rest of the NFL just waiting to see Brett the Jet fall flat on his face. A lot of people are still ticked off at Favre. The summer soap opera he orchestrated has left a bad taste in many mouths. I, for one, have run into a lot of people who have tried to temper my enthusiasm by saying, "Remember, how he stunk in 2006?" Or, "The Packers last year were much better than the Jets will be this year, with or without Favre."

Really?

Green Bay was a very good team last year, no question. The Jets are not going 14-2 or 13-3 this season, but they will surprise a lot of people. Many of the predictions I have read have the Jets anywhere from 7-9 to 9-7, with a few brave souls prognosticating 10-6 or, dare I say it, 11-5.

I tend to lean toward 9-7/10-6, but the whole thing will depend on two factors. And no, one of them is not whether Favre at soon-to-be 39 can still get the job done.

No, the Jets' fortunes this season will rest squarely on the old staples of the running game and defense. Both have been rebuilt. Owner Woody Johnson opened his wallet and made significant upgrades on both sides of the ball. Now, it's up to coach Eric Mangini to make all the new hearts beat as one.

Be it all-world offensive lineman Alan Faneca, veteran lineman Damien Woody or fullback Tony Richardson paving the way, the Jets' backfield tandem of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington should have holes to run through, especially going left – that is as long as D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold continue to develop.

If this happens, Favre will flourish. He may not throw for 300 yards every game, but, then again, he may not need to. That, of course, is a good thing considering his penchant for forcing the issue and committing his main bugaboo – the big interception.

Defensively, despite the solid additions of mammoth tackle Kris Jenkins and linebacker-turned-lineman Calvin Pace, the Jets will only go as far as players like linebackers David Harris and Eric Barton, and secondary studs Darrelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes take them. Those four veterans, along with longest-tenured Jet Shaun Ellis, will have to carry the load until Jenkins and Pace, and even training camp disappointment Vernon Gholsten, get their acts together.

I, for one, see the Jets' defense as more than a work in progress. I see them as potentially one of the best units in the NFL.

The schedule is quite favorable. Miami and Buffalo figure to be weak. That's four wins the Jets have to have. They also should be favored against Cincinnati, Oakland, Kansas City, Tennessee and San Francisco. Provided the Jets take care of business against those teams, they will have to figure out a way to go at least .500 against the combination of New England, San Diego, Denver and Seattle. This can be done. If you do the math, 11-5 is not a ridiculous notion.

Then again, until proven otherwise, these are still the Jets. They still wear green and still have made the playoffs just 12 times in their previous 44 years as a professional franchise.

However, with Favre, a revamped offensive line and budding defensive stars in tow, there's no reason why this season can't end with the Jets having played in lucky postseason 13.

They will be exciting to watch.

The days of completing 3-yard passes on 3rd-and-4 are gone. The days of watching in horror as opposing running backs slice through the defense for 200 yards are also gone. Floating passes are gone, as are the weekly avalanche of sacks against. The Jets have run-stoppers now. They have shut-down corners. They have sure-handed receivers. They have pass-catching tight ends that can also block. They have a decent kicker. They figure to have one of the league's best special teams units.

They also have leadership, serious leadership. Favre, Faneca, Rhodes, Ellis. These guys will play like their lives depend on it. They have guys with something to prove. Jones, Chris Baker, Laveraneus Coles. They hear the whispers daily. They have young players ready to take the next step. Washington, Jerricho Cotchery, Ferguson, Mangold. Their upside is immeasurable.

It's refreshing. The Jets may not win the Super Bowl, but they'll be in every game every week. And now, for the first time maybe ever, they are equipped to win games they have traditionally lost.

Are these the same old Jets? It's too early to tell obviously, but a slow start doesn't mean it's time to Just End The Season.

Not this time. Not this year. Too many folks will be watching.

They just might be shocked at what they see.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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