It’s amazing how things can change in six short days in the NFL.
After the Jets stunk up the new house on Monday night, they entered a “must-win” divisional game against the Patriots. Thoughts of another Jets disappointing season were swirling around the stadium and us Jets fans are familiar with heartbreak and the thought of a 0-2 start was felt like a pit in all of our stomachs.
But, it looked like the Jets were up for the challenge beating the Patriots 28 to 14 on a Sunday afternoon in September that felt as warm as an August Day in finally getting their first win in the new stadium.
In the first quarter, things were looking bleak with a long Patriots drive that eventually ended in a missed field goal. When the Jets got the ball, they were three and out before putting the ball back in the Patriots hand for another long drive that ended three minutes into the 2nd quarter that ended with a touchdown. Basically, the Jets had the ball about a minute over the first 17 or so minutes of the game. Then, things started to change as Schottenheimer finally unleashed Sanchez and let him throw the ball in route to his best regular season game as a pro.
Sanchez drove the team down the field that was culminated by a Braylon Edwards touchdown in the corner of the endzone to tie the score. Unfortunately, the defense suffered a quick letdown ending with a hurt Revis letting Randy Moss get by him for an amazing one handed touchdown reception. That was the last we saw of Revis that day as his lack of training camp re-injured that hamstring that he already tweaked in practice earlier in the week. This really irritates me. I know he says he was working out but missing an entire training camp isn’t the same as working out. It’s a totally different animal being out there on the field as opposed to being in the gym or running sprints on your own time. So, all of that guaranteed money got us a Revis that will take weeks to get back to 100% which will include some missed games to heal.
The Jets were now down 14-7 and things looked bleak as the Patriots drive was so quick and fast that they looked unstoppable. Luckily, instead of doing nothing with the ball, we actually put together a nice drive before the half ending in a Nick Folk 49 yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-10. You have got to like the way Folk is playing this young season so far booting a few long field goals for us.
At halftime, the defense made some nice adjustments, blitzing less, and dropping more guys back into coverage. The Patriots gained only 80 yards the entire second half and that was without Revis, with out Jenkins (and also Calvin Pace). This was also with out Jason Taylor for the 2nd part of the fourth quarter as well. Eric Smith also got banged up in the second half and we still confused the Patriots.
Cromartie had a nice interception at the 3 yard line to crush a potential Patriots score. The Jets turned around and had a hell of a drive from the three to the Patriots 36 yard line to set up another Nick Folk field-goal to bring the Jets within one.
And the offense finally took over the game with another Sanchez drive ending with a Cotchery touchdown and a 2-pt. conversion to Edwards to increase our lead by seven. What was impressive about this is that Nick Mangold went out of the game with a shoulder injury and this drive was accomplished with Rob Turner playing center.
The lead was then increased with a drive ending in a Keller touchdown which turned out to be the final score of the game. Sanchez ended up with 3 touchdown passes, going 21 for 30 for 221 yards and NO interceptions. Wow, that’s a hell of a game.
The defense was amazing. Jason Taylor had his biggest play of a Jet in the fourth quarter sacking Tom Brady and forcing a fumble. Cromartie redeemed himself from Monday night’s poor performance, notching an interception and holding Randy Moss to zero catches in the second half and just two catches all game. The defense also held Wes Welker to just two catches for 36 yards all game. One of the amazing stats was holding the Patriots rush to just 52 total yards or 2.6 yards per carry which in which Sione Pouha and Mike Devito were vital players in stopping the run.
Drew Coleman played solid in Revis’ absence as well as Brodney Pool getting an interception after coming into the game when Eric Smith went down.
As for the offense, Sanchez doubled his passer rating from Week #1 with a 124.3 QB rating. Mark was 11 of 12 on second downs for 82 yards and six first downs. It was a career day for our Sanchise with three touchdown passes, his most completions with 21 and his higher passer rating. And get this; he was 11 for 11 on the Jets’ three touchdown drives! And just as impressive, in his 51 pass attempts this season, there has not been an interception.
But, it wasn’t just Sanchez; Dustin Keller had a great game with 7 catches for 115 yards. LT ran 11 times for 76 yards with Shon Greene darting for another 52 yards. The offense line looked sharper giving Sanchez more time to throw and creating some bigger holes for the ground and pound running game.
This was a true team performance and was must better not getting penalties only getting 6 for 58 yards which is still a little to many but much better than the penalty fest on Monday night. And our third down efficiency was much improved going 6 for 13 after a horrific 1 for 11 against the Ravens.
Now, the dreams of a magical season are back in tact. Next Sunday, the Jets play for 1st place against the Dolphins. Can you imagine how pumped up Jason Taylor is going to be in facing his former team. Let’s start the chant now: Squish The Fish!
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Jets Season Preview
Two years ago in the AFC Championship, the Jets played a great first half against Indianapolis and then got mauled in the second half. That lead to a long off-season and a promise by Rex Ryan that we’d win it all. Fast forward to a year later and another incredible playoff run and the Jets were in the AFC Championship game for the 2nd year in a row. This time, it was in Pittsburgh who the Jets had beaten a few weeks prior. This year, the Jets forgot to show up in the first half before staging a miraculous comeback that fell a little short. The season ends again and a long off season of depression set in.
This off season was like no other. We had lost two straight AFC Championship games with a 2nd year head coach who has promised the Jets would win the Super Bowl, and a 2nd year quarterback who’s been learning on the job and growing with ever game he plays. However, we had suffer the entire winter, spring, and summer months with a lockout over the split of nine billion dollars. Once that was finally settled, it was a frenzy to sign players, get in shape, and start to practice. The loss of all off season OTAs hurt but Mark Sanchez, who has been appointed team captain by Rex Ryan, let a few team workouts and practices which should help. Rex again said we are going to win the whole thing. Could the third time be the charm? Only 12 times in NFL history has a team gone to three straight Championships. The last time it’s happened was 2002 to 2005 by the Eagles. So, the odds suggest that it’s time for a 13th team to get there 3 straight times. However, this time, the third time, they are not going to fail.
Coming off two straight trips to the AFC Championship, Mark Sanchez, entering just his third season as the Jets starting quarterback will improve. He has a solid offensive line to protect him and is in the third year of the same offensive system. The only negative is that for the third consecutive year, he has almost an entire new crop of wide receivers. Sanchez must continue to improve and reduce his interceptions while increasing his completion percentage. Some of Mark’s percentage problem was due to the many drops by wide open wide receivers. With his new receiving corps and the departure of Jerricho Cotchery, Brad Smith, and Braylon Edwards, three droppers, he should naturally complete more balls with the receivers dropping the ball less. Sanchez needs to get into a rhythm earlier in the game and with Brian Schottenheimer running the same offensive and now trusting Sanchez more, there is hope that we can move the ball and score early as opposed to last year’s four or five 4th quarter comebacks. Part of this will be Sanzhez playing smart football and he will also be helped by newly acquired Plaxico Burress who’s jumping ability should improve our red-zone scoring instead of settling for field goals. Rex Ryan may call this team ground and pound, and our running game should help the passing game but with all of the receiving weapons we have, I hope that we can throw the ball a bit more than run the ball now that there is some confidence in the man behind center. And, adding Tom Moore on the coaching staff to work with Schottenheimer and help in with our offense should be of great value as he is an offensive genius. Maybe with Tom Moore helping on play calling, we can get the ball in from the 1 yard line this time (bad memories of the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh still.)
As for our receiving corps, it’s hard to say if we are better or worse. As far as I’m concerned, Dustin Keller is the only tight end on our roster and we need to utilize him more. This guy can get open and makes things happen. There is no reason why he shouldn’t be catching at least 80 balls this year. The coaching staff just can’t forget about him in the middle of the season again. As for our wide receivers, signing Santonio Holmes was a no brainer. He won about 3 or 4 games alone and that was after missing the first four games of the year. It will definitely be nice to have Santonio for a full 16 games this season and he is the one wide receiver that was on the team last year so let’s hope Holmes and Sanchez built some chemistry. Then, this is where things get dicey. The Jets went out and signed Plaxico Burress who has been rotting in jail for the past 2 years. Due to a tight salary cap, I thought this was a good move. It gives the Jets another playmaker who can score in the red zone with his leaping ability. Hopefully his rust can wear off quickly. He basically replaces Braylon Edwards who basically signed for nothing in San Francisco. I would have loved Braylon back despite his drops as he had a ton of key catches in the 4th quarter that lead to victory. I guess a few DWI’s and bar fights made him expendable. Then there was the issue of Jerricho Cotchery. Jerricho has been a great Jet the past 7 years. However, he didn’t want to be a 3rd receiver and asked for his release. He still had two years under contract but the Jets obliged and released him. I’m not sure that was too smart on the part of Cotchery as he was coming off winter back surgery. To replace J-Co, the Jets signed Derrick Mason from the Titans. This guy has had a solid career and despite being old at 37, he has still been productive and could be the perfect 3rd down receiver for this team. Finally, I’m liking what I’m hearing about the Jets 5th round pick, Jeremy Kerley. This guy has the potential to be the 3rd down receiver one day and be a playmaker from what I’m reading. He could also assume the role of departed Brad Smith. The Jets had no choice but to let Brad Smith go for the money he was offered. With this salary cap what it is, the Jets just couldn’t afford to keep him for the wildcat and for special teams. This is a big loss but the Jets will survive. With the new rules of where kickoffs start, this will prevent the long kickoff return taking away Smith’s biggest threat to return the ball. I also loved the wildcat formation with Brad behind center but 98% of the time, it was predictable. This guys was a quarterback in college so I’m not sure why the coaching staff didn’t let him throw the ball a bit more often. Jeremy Kerley, Joe McKnight, and LT will all be getting a chance at running the wildcat as Brad Smith’s replacement and on “gadget” plays.
The Jets offensive line is good but I think it was still better two years ago when we had Alan Fanaca and I think our running game had some issues is short yardage situations last year due to the line. The retirement of Damian Woody hurts as well. However, we have two studs on the line in Nick Mangold and D’Brickshaw Fergueson. These guys are beasts. Brandon Moore is solid as well but on the PUP list due to hip surgery in the off-season. Rob Turner is slated to take Moore’s spot on the line. Last year, Matt Slausen filled in great for Alan Fanaca and this year, Wayne Hunter takes over for Damian Woody. While both of these guys may be ample solutions, I’m not 100% confident in their abilities. I am truly hoping that Vlad Ducasse can contribute this year to see if his a failed project or a lineman with potential. Still, these guys should do a good job protecting our franchise quarterback and hopefully open up some nice holes for our running game. Our running game depends on this line and I’m hoping they can handle the task at hand.
I loved the Jets running back tandem of Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. It seems like Greene will take more of the load on 1stand 2nd downs this year with L.T. handling most of the 3rd downs but don’t let that fool you; LT can also be used in a double back set to catch balls out of the backfield as he has much better hands catching the ball than does Shonn Greene. I think the goal is to keep L.T.’s legs more fresh for the stretch run this year then overuse him in the beginning of the year. All I know is that L.T. wants to win a Super Bowl before he retires, he’s hungry, and will do what it takes to help get this team to the promised land whether though running, receiving, or just his leadership presence. Joe McKnight looked good at the end of the year in the little action he received. I hope he steps it up this year and becomes that #3 back that will eventually be used to replace L.T. when he retires. While Shonn Greene is more of a powerback, McKnight seems like a finesse back so it would be great to use McKnight to change things up. With the retirement of Tony Richardson, we lost a lot of experience and leadership at the fullback position. Hopefully, the Jets won’t lose a step with John “Terminator” Connor entering his sophomore season. I know the coaching staff has high hopes for him and I just hope that he’s ready to assume the starting role.
The Jets defense, which was not nearly as good as it was two years ago, is supposed to be the strong part of this team with Rex Ryan’s defense. I was disappointed with the defense last year giving up way too many first half points and having issues stopping the run until settling down in the second half. This needs to change. Jason Taylor was a total disappointment last year and I’m glad he’s back on the Dolphins. Kris Jenkins who has been hurt for two straight years finally retired. And the Jets drafted two defensive studs with their first two picks in the draft to replace Shaun Ellis who we let go only to sign with the Patriots and then wind up on the PUP list. There is also a healthy Darrelle Revis who basically got hurt last year and was not 100% healthy until the second half of the season due to his extended holdout and missing all of training camp. It’s nice to have him back for 16 games to put the opposing wide receiver on Revis Island. The good thing is that besides the rookies, the defense is mostly the same including the coaching staff.
Let’s start with the strong part of the Jets – the secondary. Darrelle Revis is 100% going into the season and basically gets no action as no one even attempts to throw in his direction. Luckily, after a failed attempt to land Nnamdi Asomugha, who went to the Eagles out of the blue, we were able to resign Cromartie who was solid last year except for the first game against the Ravens and the New England debacle. Having two great cornerbacks like that naturally helps the pass rush as quarterbacks will have difficulty finding an open receiver. Things got a bit hairy at the end of the year when Jim Leonhard went down as he was the signal caller on defense. Having him back is a huge plus with aspirations of getting back to the playoffs. Dwight Lowery, Eric Smith, and Brodney Pool are back to help out in the secondary. The biggest change for this team will be the emergence of second year player, Kyle Wilson. From what I hear, he’s bulked up on weight, really studied this off-season, and has been hanging out with Revis to really learn the ins and outs of the position. Since he did basically nothing this year, it’s almost like we have a new player on the roster to contribute. The Jets also brought back Donald Strickland after a year off the team. He already knows the playbook and will help in providing depth to the secondary.
I’m a little concerned with our defensive line and the pass rush. The Jets gave the opposition too much time to throw the ball last year. Kris Jenkins, hurt all of last year, finally retired and our best defensive player in that final Patriots game, Shaun Ellis, we didn’t re-sign and let him leave and sign with the Patriots. Also, Jason Taylor, while he didn’t have a great year, provided some pass rush. Now, we are counting on our top two draft picks, Muhammad Wilkerson and Kendrick Ellis to help in this area. Wilkerson has already been given a starting job and we have got to hope that Ellis doesn’t go to jail or get deported for his legal issues. Joining Wilkerson on the line is Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito. While both of these guys are by no means stars, they did a solid job last year. We have got to hope that the two rookies live up to Rex’s expectations. I’m also hearing good things about Ropati Pitoitua who is supposedly having a great camp after being hurt all of last year. He should provide some good depth for the line. Based on what we have, if these rookies aren’t what we expected, you sort of have to scratch your head on why we didn’t sign Shaun Ellis in this year were we could truly make the Super Bowl.
I actually like our linebacker core; however, they did disappoint me a bit last year in the way they tried to stop the run. We were getting grounded and pounded last year giving up 8 yard chunks in huge situations. It was a no brainer to sign David Harris to a 4 year deal as he is the key to the defense. Bart Scott is an animal out there and Calvin Pace, who played most of last year hurt, is back to 100% healthy. My biggest concern is Bryan Thomas who is starting to get old and is probably the weakest of our four starting linebackers. I feel Jamaal Westerman could challenge Thomas for some playing time this season.
Our special teams could have a setback. We didn’t sign Steve Weatherford, our punter, and let him sign with the Giants. Weatherford was one of our best players last year so I still don’t understand letting him go considering he was always pinning the opponent deep. The Jets now have a battle for punter between T.J Conley who Rex loves and Australian kicker, Chris Bryan, who Westoff loves. I couldn’t tell you a thing about either guy so I’ll leave it up to the coaching staff to pick the best guy. As for the Jets kicker, I know they brought in Nick Novack to battle with Nick Folk. Besides a few games, I thought Folk had a great year with extra points and field goals. I believe Rex’s biggest issue is leg strength on kickoffs. However, with the kickoff rule being changed, this should help in either kicker forcing a touch back. With Westoff in charge, I know our special teams will be great. Jeremy Kerley will be replacing Brad Smith on kickoff and punt returns and there is always Cromartie and Wilson on the roster as well if the Kerley experiment fails.
The coaching staff is intact so it’s the third straight year of a the same system. You got to love consistency. When in Jets history do you remember the same system being installed for 3 straight years especially with the same quarterback and core group of players? The addition of Tom Moore will surely help with the offensive and despite no OTAs, except for the rookies and free agents, the players should have a great grasp on the playbook.
What concerns me is that the last that the Jets were favorites to reach the Super Bowl, Vinny went down in the first game with his Achilles and you know what happened from there. One of the keys is obviously to stay healthy. If Sanchez gets hurt, I’m not convinced we can get to the promised land with Mark Brunnell as quarterback at his age.
Some other points of interested. There is no HBO Hark Knocks this year in camp to be any distraction so the players can truly focus on game plans, practice, and drills. We had no distractions of holdouts this year ala Darrelle Revis. Everyone got to camp as quickly as they got signed or as soon as they were allowed when the lockout ended. This team is now adjusted to the new stadium; however, it would be nice if they played as good at home as they do on the road.
This season comes down to a few things. First off, they need to have a better regular season. You have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat. You have to win at home. You have to beat some of the good teams and win the AFC East to get at least one home game if not two in the playoffs. Winning three games on the road to get to the Super Bowl is not impossible but it’s not easy either.
Can the Jets finally put this all together and win that elusive Super Bowl that has haunted this team and fans for over 40 years? The talent is there. The staff is there. The fans are ready to rock the meadowlands.
This year is Super Bowl or Bust. If I want “bust”, I’ll watch porn. However, if I want Super Bowl, I’ll watch the Jets. I believe in Rex Ryan. He’s said we were going to win it all while Obama is in office. We’ve come close twice. It’s now time they seal the deal.
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Jets Schedule
1. Not sure why the Jets and Giants are not playing on 9/11 for the 10th anniversary but I have no problems playing the Cowboys to beat “America’s Team” on this very special evening home opener. This will be a battle of minds: Rex Ryan vs. Rob Ryan.
2. Love that the Jets play the Giants at home on Christmas eve which is a Saturday. This won’t mess up my annual day on Christmas at the Movies as well.
3. Having FIVE prime time games is rough but the wife loves it as that’s five Sunday’s that are not messed up. (Dallas at home in Week 1, a Sunday night in Baltimore (Week 4), a Monday night home game against the Dolphins (Week 6), a Sunday night home game against the Patriots (Week 10) and a Thursday night game in Denver (Week 11). Three are at home, two are away.
4. How can the NFL schedule the Jets at home on Sunday night vs. the Patriots and then FIVE days later a ROAD Thursday night game in Denver? So, basically, you watch film on Monday. You don’t get your typical Tuesday off and have to practice just Tuesday and Wednesday and then leave Wednesday night for a Thursday game. That’s rough.
5. Love that we start the season at home for two straight games but the NFL gave us THREE straight road games after that. And the three road games are not easy – in Oakland which is always an issue for Gang Green, and then in Baltimore and then in New England. OUCH!
6. You can’t complain about the first three games of the year being against non-playoff teams – Cowboys, Jaguars, and Raiders.
7. For the entire schedule, there are only FIVE games against playoff teams – Patriots (2 X), Ravens, Eagles, and Chiefs.
8. We get another shot at the Ravens after playing scared against them to open up the 2010 season. I love that this is a night road game since Oct. 2 is my birthday so I can still be with the family for a good dinner and celebration.
9. The Bye week falls at a perfect time during Week #8.
10. The Jets have only two long flights this year, at Oakland and at Denver.
11. I love that the Jets don’t play at home to end the season for the first time in a few years in the freezing cold as then end this year in Sunny Miami.
12. In the last 5 games of the year, the Jets only play an AFC East opponent once and that’s the finale in Miami. Shouldn’t the last quarter of the season be against divisional opponents.
13. Jets play the Chargers in the 1st half of the season where the Chargers mostly stink the first half of the season.
14. There are NO 4:15 pm home games. All home games are either at night or at 1:00 pm
15. In a 4 week span towards the end of the season, the Jets play three out of the four NFC East teams – Redskins, Eagles, and Giants. We should be playing AFC East teams at this part of the year.
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Jets Santonio Holmes
The Jets had a choice between Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards and they passed the idiot test and chose Holmes. 5 years, 50 million with 24 million guaranteed is the richest guaranteed deal for a wide receiver ever, but Holmes is worth it.
Jets Rotten Pumpkin
It was Halloween. I had sold my tickets so I can Trick or Treat with my two little daughters with the game being recorded on DVR for a nighttime viewing which I NEVER do but had no choice this past Sunday. Giant fans were loving life as their bye week fell on Halloween so they didn’t have the conflict that was tearing me apart.
I was doing great avoiding the score (or lack of a score) until the 4th quarter until the parent of another child saw me, knowing I was a big Jets fan, and said, “3-0 losing…still plenty of time left.” At that point, I said, “OH NO !” There goes watching the game at night not knowing. I wasn’t gonna watch an entire game until the 4th quarter knowing we were down three. So, now I had to check the score and when I did, it was then a 6-0 deficit.
It was perfect timing as it started to get cold and the girls were done with Halloween. So, I was able to make it back to my couch with around 4 minutes left.
I saw the defense stop the Packers in three straight plays to force a punt. Jets ball.
The first play was an LT run for 5 yards. The 2nd play was a pass to Cotchery that was in his hands at the 50 yard line that he dropped. F**K. Then, it was a sack on the next play by a guy who is in serious need of a haircut. And the final play, Sanchez had no one open and just gave it his best throw but it was incomplete.
The Packers got a gift Field Goal and the game was over.
I’m truly disgusted from only watching 4 minutes of this debacle. Was it rust from coming off the bye week? Were we not prepared? Were we thinking ahead? Or, are we not as good as our record by just barely winning three of the five wins that were already under out belt?
So, instead of wasting three hours, I saw the highlights. I’d much rather barf from a 1 minute highlight reel than watching an entire snooze fest, being shut out at home for the first time since 2006 against a banged up Packer team that has difficulty stopping the run.
I saw Nick Folk missed a field goal. Brad Smith fumbled the ball away. Sanchez had two interceptions. Oh, and we dropped four balls. I’m not sure what the issue was with the interceptions as I now am reading that the calls were disputed so I’m not sure if we got screwed or not but it sounds like we got screwed. The Jets also had seven penalties. Oh, and add in a fake punt from our own 20 which we should have converted but Weatherford stepped out a yard short. Still, I HATE the call so early in the game. It’s too much of a gamble. They should have just punted.
Besides that, I really do not know what happened. Nor do I care to watch as I don’t want to be sick.
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Jets Preview 2011
This offseason could have gone in two completely different directions for the Jets. It could have gone very badly. David Harris, Shaun Ellis, Brodney Pool, Antonio Cromartie, Braylon Edwards, Brad Smith, and Santonio Holmes were all free agents heading into this offseason. That’s 4 defensive starters and their top 2 receivers and their kick returner. On the opposite end of the spectrum, they had a lot of cap space and almost were able to sign Nnamdi Asomugha to play opposite Darrelle Revis, which would have easily been the best cornerback tandem in the league.
All in all, this offseason was roughly neutral for the Jets. They weren’t able to get Asomugha, but they were able to resign Antonio Cromartie to play opposite Revis, not exactly a bad cornerback tandem. They also resigned Santonio Holmes, David Harris, and Brodney Pool. They had to cut Jerricho Cotchery, but they were able to sign veteran Derrick Mason to replace him in the slot.
However, they did lose 3 significant players. Braylon Edwards is gone. The Jets think they can replace him with Plaxico Burress, but they will be disappointed. Burress is 34, 5 years older than Vick was when he was released from jail, and even Vick struggled in his first year back. They also lost Brad Smith and they don’t have anyone else on the team that does what he could do as a return man, a depth receiver, a running back, and a wildcat quarterback.
Possibly their biggest loss of the offseason was Shaun Ellis. Ellis was the longest tenured Jet, 11 seasons, but the Jets low balled him with a veteran’s minimum contract. He promptly jumped ship and took 4 times more money in New England with the Patriots. Ellis is not the player he once was, but he’s far from washed up. He’s still got plenty left in the tank. Just ask Matt Light, who he terrorized in the Jets/Patriots playoff game last year. Ellis brought Brady down twice in that game and wrecked havoc on almost every play. Now he’s on the other side. That has to hurt and it can’t be good for team morale.
Muhammad Wilkerson, their first round pick, will attempt to replace Ellis on the defensive line. However, he is still a rookie coming off a lockout shortened offseason so I have some doubts with him. They also lost Jason Taylor, a talented 3rd rush linebacker and 3rd down pass rusher from last season. Taylor is not what he used to be, but he did have 5 sacks last season. Where is that going to come from this season? They’ll really rely on Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas, two decent starters, to lead their pass rush. That’s not a good thing.
While their pass rush won’t be as good as it was last year, their secondary should be better. They return all 4 starters, including Jim Leonhard, who broke his leg late last season. His return will be much appreciated. Also, Darrelle Revis will be better this season. He was very good last year, but he wasn’t the elite corner who took the world by storm in 2009. A lot of that can be blamed on various injuries. He held out before the season and was never in 100% perfect shape all season because of that. That won’t be the case this year.
They should also once again be very good against the run. Rookie 3rd round pick Kendrick Ellis will team with Sione Pouha at nose tackle to give them what they were expecting out of Kris Jenkins last year before he got hurt. Behind the nose tackle slot will be two talented middle linebackers, Bart Scott and David Harris. This team had the league’s #1 defense in 2009 and one of the best in 2010. They should be in that same category again this year.
Offensively, more pressure will be put on Mark Sanchez than in either of his first 2 years. The Jets downgraded both their #2 and #3 receiver slots in the offseason. Burress is far from reliable and Mason, once the picture of reliability, is now 37 years old so it’s impossible to call him reliable. That means that Santonio Holmes is their only reliable wide receiver. He also has Dustin Keller, a solid starting tight end, to work with, but his receiving corps are far from what they were last year.
His running game also won’t be as reliable as it’s been in his first 2 years in the league. LaDainian Tomlinson started the season well, but he really showed his age down the stretch last year. He’s 33 which means that Shonn Greene will be counted on to be the lead back, something he’s never proven he could do, and the 2009 3rd round pick has had chances. The good news for their running backs, however, is that they have one of the best offensive fronts in the league, but the question marks are still there.
Speaking of that offensive line, they return four starters from last year. Only Damien Woody, an aging player who struggled at times last season, did not return. He will be replaced by Wayne Hunter, who didn’t play well in relief of Woody last season. Playing only 531 snaps, he allowed 4 sacks and committed 8 penalties. He could be beaten out by 2010 2nd round pick Vladimir Ducasse, a talented, but inexperienced player.
At the left side, however, things are much better. Former 4th overall pick D’Brickashaw Ferguson has blossomed into one of the best left tackles in the league. He surrendered a mere 3 sacks last season. Left guard Matt Slauson surrendered 7, but made up for it as a strong run blocker. He should be better in his 2nd season as a starter. Center Nick Mangold might be the best at his position in the league. There certainly isn’t a better run blocking center. Right guard Brandon Moore is also a fantastic player who allowed a mere 1 sack last season.
So, basically, the question is, can Mark Sanchez make that next step? Is he a game manager or a legitimate franchise quarterback? He’s game managed them to two AFC championship games, but if they’re going to win a Super Bowl, he’ll have to become a legitimate franchise quarterback like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady. In fact, only one quarterback has won the Super Bowl without first making the Pro Bowl in the past 20 years. That was Eli Manning, who made it the very next year. I don’t know if Sanchez has that in him.
Quarterback: B-
Running backs: B-
Receiving corps: C+
Offensive line: A
Run defense: A
Pass rush: C+
Pass coverage: A-
Coaching: A-
Projection: 10-6 2nd in the AFC East
Jets Poem
We lost last year to the Colts in the Championship Game,
And in the second half collapse, the defense was to blame,
We kept the staff in tact; there was no canning,
But we needed a person on defense to help stop Manning,
After giving the middle finger in route to a Super Bowl Party,
Rex and Co. went out and signed Cromartie,
The Steelers wanted Santonio Holmes out the door,
Sanchez had surgery on his knee,
And ready for training camp he promised to be,
So for a 5th round pick that’s who we traded for,
Our clutch kicker we released, so I had to say “Really?”
And out the door went our beloved jay Feely,
We signed Jason Taylor who we all did hate,
But now he was in green and a Jets teammate,
Releasing Thomas Jones and Fanaca was odd in an uncapped year,
And this was a move that all Jets fans would fear,
The Chargers dumped L.T. so he was on the move,
And came to the Jets with something to prove,
We drafted Wilson, Ducasse, Conner, and McKnight,
And hoped these new toys would fit in just right,
Rex started in Cortland saying we are ground and pound,
And on the ESPN Bus, he wrote “Super Bowl Bound.”
We had training camp taped for “Hard Knocks” on HBO,
And Tony Dungy didn’t like Rex’s cursing, as we all know,
There was one more thing, and without a doubt,
That there had to be a happy ending to the Revis holdout,
Love the extensions signed by Mangold and D’Brick,
But getting rid of Rhodes and Leon Washington made me feel a bit sick,
Rex said, “Hey, it’s all cool.”
And went out and signed Brodney Pool,
The season drew close, the new stadium did not sell out,
And the PSL’s all fans could live without,
The pre-season was boring but also just fine,
Except for Joe McKnight and puking on the sideline,
The holdout continued, I wished things would be fine,
After a failed attempt to sign Revis, at the Liberty Diner,
And just before the regular season, the holdout did end,
But I still am not sure, which side did bend,
But not in game shape and before you could blink,
A lingering hamstring problem for Revis really did stink,
Santonio Holmes was suspended for the first four,
So we would have to wait a month to see this offense soar,
The New Meadowland Stadium opening on Monday Night,
The battle vs. the Ravens was our first fight,
After the first few plays, I wish I could give you a reason,
But now Kerry Jenkins was done again for the entire season,
This was not what I was expecting on how the season begun,
We lost 10-9, a sad loss by one,
Harassing reporter Ines Sainz in the locker room,
This young season was starting to spell doom,
And now faced the Patriots for a must-win game,
If we got off to a bad start, the Jets could have caved,
But we thrashed the Pats and the season was saved,
Braylon Edwards then had a DWI,
What the hell are you doing you stupid guy,
The Jets then flew down to play the fish,
And Jason Taylor got his big wish,
Jason nailed their quarterback to record a sack,
And the Dolphins fell short of their comeback,
It was almost as if the Jets were doing practice drills,
As we then put the spanking, on the Bills,
With no Jenn Sterger anywhere in sight,
Brett Favre came to the Meadowlands and put up a good fight,
Favre and the Vikings staged a fourth quarter rally,
But Dwight Lowery’s pick for a TD added to our tally,
Men are from Mars, Women from Venus,
Hope Sanchez learned from Favre, not to text his penis,
Then a comeback at Denver staged by you know who,
Throw a ball to Holmes for pass interference at the two,
LT then had a touchdown, a two yard run,
This is a game I’m not sure how we won,
At 5-1, I was hoping we wouldn’t crack,
Until we ran into the Pack,
This loss on Halloween was a complete bore,
With so many dropped balls and could not score,
Then in Detroit, another miracle was in store,
When Sanchez hits Holmes in OT to set up the game winning score,
At the midpoint of the season, the Jets were 6-2,
And there was a lot of work left for this team to do,
The Jets almost blew a game to Cleveland at the end of regulation,
But there would be no Browns standing ovation,
With the game looking like it would be a tie,
Sanchez hits Holmes for the TD on the fly,
The Jets may have found this magical fourth quarter comeback code,
Becoming the first team to ever win back to back OT games on the road,
Against the Texans, the fourth quarter magic continued some more,
After blowing the lead, we won with a really late score,
And since beating the Bengals twice last year,
This victory was a game that we really didn’t fear,
Before the MNF game against the Patriots, we were 9-2,
This game was so big, I didn’t know what to do,
In practice, Jim Leonhard, broke his leg,
It could be the reason why the Jets were about to lay an egg,
The Jets didn’t now what to do as well,
As they were murdered 45-3…what the hell,
You heard me right, I said forty five to three,
One of the worst losses ever in Jets history,
After they got home, they buried the game ball,
A funeral they had, no talking about it at all,
Against the Dolphins, we were hoping for a rebound,
But mistakes led to a loss on our home ground,
We also took another fall,
When Sal Alosi built the “Human Wall,”
We had to go into Pittsburgh to stop the bleeding,
A Brad Smith kickoff return to start the game, and the Jets were leading,
The defense held them on the last drive,
A win against the Steelers, the dream was still alive,
Rex Ryan and wife, in foot fetish video,
All I could say, is “wow, oh no!”,
Then in Chicago, the Jets let this one slip away,
But we did clinch a playoff spot that day,
The finale against the Bills was the best
And still be them bad giving starters some rest,
Rex said it was time to get Manning, started talking smack,
The team talked too and had Rex Ryan’s back,
The good thing about our playoff opponent was that it wouldn’t be windy,
And we were off to the indoors to seek revenge on Indy,
I thought we blew the game with a minute to go,
Until Sanchez came out and put on a show,
With no timeouts, Mark was ready to sail,
This year in Indy we would not fail,
He drove us close for and in came Nick,
Who booted the field goal for the winning kick,
Now off to New England who spanked the Jets bad,
It was personal claimed Rex Ryan,
And there was no way he’d leave Gillette Stadium cryin,
Then Cromartie took it one step further in the Jets/Pats Bowl,
By letting the world know that Brady’s an A-hole,
An inspirational speech by Dennis Byrd,
The Jets took in every single word,
The Jets had the game plan and the Patriots were shocked,
Back to the Championship Game; we just really rocked,
Two wins in the books and one more to go,
A rematch in Pittsburgh was the theme of the show,
Everything was quiet, with minimal trash talk,
This would come down to who could walk the walk,
We were 60 minutes from the Super Bowl,
And before I could get excited, were in a 7-0 hole,
The defense couldn’t tackle, they were flat as could be,
And at the end of the half, it was Twenty Four to three,
The worst half of football, I had ever seen,
That the hell happened to our beloved Gang Green,
The second half they began to play,
The first half they should have played the same way,
We came out of the half and scored on the first drive,
Only down fourteen points, we were now alive,
With Sanchez digging in his nose, a booger he got,
And on Brunell’s jacket, he wiped his snot,
Another long drive, and down to the one,
Three plays later, points we got none,
A safety for two, a touchdown for seven,
Could we stage this comeback and make it to heaven,
Pitt had the ball, we needed a stop,
The Defense had chances, but they really did flop,
Ben took a knee, the dream had died,
Pissed off, frustrated, I nearly cried,
First Manning, then Brady, but failed on Big Ben,
I can’t believe we have to start the journey all over again.
You can’t play just one half to win a game,
So many things; who do you blame,
Despite labor issues and roster spots, the will be back,
For that elusive Super Bowl, please, one more crack,
We lost two AFC Championships in a row but have no fear,
Cause Rex said we are gonna win it all next year.
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Jets @ Patriots
By Cormac Eklof
What was Homer Simpson’s title bout against Drederick Tatum called? The bout to knock the other guy out? This is very much the bout to knock the other guy out, with the winner potentially taking all the marbles in the AFC East. Potentially explosive game. Clear out your Monday night schedule, put on the popcorn and sit back and enjoy. You know, it’s interesting, the Jets a couple of years ago called this game their Superbowl. This year they are openly calling it their biggest game of the year. The Patriots are instead calling it a big game, and noting it is no bigger than their recent win over the Colts. The Patriots coaching staff always urge their team to take one game at a time. The Jets noisy coaching staff are openly and publicly calling this their biggest game of the year.
There is no doubt the Jets have a healthy, hard earned record, and when they fire on all cylinders, on both sides of the ball, they are a very good team. However, they have really had to work for that 9-2 record. They narrowly beat ‘lesser’ teams in overtime in consecutive weeks in Detroit and Cleveland , and then needed a touchdown with 10 seconds left Sunday beat Houston . They were behind at half time to The Bungles before winning.
Their defence is upper echelon, but can you say the same about their offence? Their biggest question mark is the often under-whelming QB Mark Sanchez. Realistically, what do you call Sanchez other than a third-tier QB, way behind Brady, Manning and Brees, and considerably behind Matt Ryan and the rest of the tier-two crowd. Put it this way, 16 of 28 for 166 yards with a touchdown and an interception against The Bungles is probably not going to get it done at The Razor.
The Patriots are continuing to look like a young, well coached team, which makes mistakes but also makes some spectacular plays on both sides of the ball. They are 5-0 at home this season and protect The Razor well. The Patriots have won 25 straight home games with Tom Brady at the helm.
Often these highly touted and much hyped showdowns can fall flat. Hopefully this game lives up to the enormous hype. The Patriots should have enough diversity on offence and enough momentum playing at home on defence to squeak out a win in what could be a tight, hard fought game.
The pick: Patriots 30-27
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Jets Needs 2012
Wide Receiver
Santonio Holmes is expected back in 2012 (the Jets already paid a 7.5 million dollar roster bonus) even though he and Mark Sanchez have a strained, at best, relationship. However, it is Plaxico Burress who is not expected back next season. They really need a new receiver opposite Holmes and perhaps another one for depth purposes, depending on what they think of Jeremy Kerley, their 5th rounder last year who was solid, at times, in the slot as a rookie.
Offensive Tackle
Wayne Hunter was one of the worst starting offensive linemen in the league. He surrendered 11 sacks and 32 pressures last year, while committing 11 penalties and this was on the right side, not even against the opponent best pass rusher on a weekly basis. They’ll need to address this position through the draft.
Rush Linebacker
It’s a bad thing when a former first round pick bust leads your team in sacks despite being listed at 228 pounds and only recording 11 total tackles on the season, but that’s exactly what happened with the Jets when Aaron Maybin led the way with 6. Maybin seems to have found a nice role as a situational rusher, but they need help at the starting rush linebacker spots. Calvin Pace is a 31 year old declining player who managed just 4.5 sacks last year. Bryan Thomas will be 33 and coming off a major injury, while Thomas’ replacement, Jamaal Westerman, hardly dropped any jaws in Thomas’ absence, totaling 3.5 sacks. The Jets, as a team, managed just 35 sacks last season, despite blitzing so much. They need to get better at rushing the passer without blitzing. I can’t see Courtney Upshaw falling past them at 16.
Safety
Jim Leonhard is a solid player, but he can’t stay healthy. In his absence, Eric Smith is perennially awful. As a Patriots fan, I love watching him try to cover Rob Gronkowski twice per year. Meanwhile, at the other safety spot, Brodney Pool is decent, but not great. They need another safety in the mix.
3-4 Defensive End
They addressed this position in the first round last year with Muhammad Wilkerson, but they still need help there. Wilkerson had a good rookie year, but they need a pass rushing compliment for Mike DeVito opposite him. DeVito is great against the run, but offers absolutely no pass rush. His passing rushing compliment, Marcus Thomas, did not do well in that role last year.
Quarterback
Depending on who you ask, Mark Sanchez is either the worst quarterback in the league or definitely the week 1 starter. I think it’s more towards the later, although I could definitely see them bringing in a quarterback to push him as his backup. At the very least, this quarterback can be a better backup than the ancient Mark Brunell.
Nose Tackle
Sione Pouha had another great season, but he is a 33 year old free agent. They drafted Kenrick Ellis in the 3rd round last year just in case, but there’s a chance that he gets deported this offseason. They could bring in another nose tackle.
Cornerback
Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie are more than fine as the starters, but 2010 1st round pick Kyle Wilson continues to struggle as the nickelback. Some competition to push him in his 3rd season wouldn’t hurt.
Center
Their offense was a mess when Nick Mangold was out this season. Obviously, it’s always going to hurt to lose a player of Mangold’s caliber to injury, but if they had a better backup, they could avoid complete catastrophe in case of any future Mangold injuries.
Jets Needs 2011
Free Agency Priorities
Wide Receiver
Santonio Holmes, Brad Smith, and Braylon Edwards are all free agents. They added two receiver through the draft, but they still need to resign one of those 3 at the very least. They probably don’t want to lose Smith’s versatility either.
Rush Linebacker
They need a replacement for Jason Taylor as a 3rd rush linebacker.
Safety
Brodney Pool is a free agent. They need to either resign him or sign someone else at the position. Depth is needed anyway.
Draft Needs
Rush Linebacker
Jason Taylor is 37 in September. They need a new pass rushing linebacker opposite Calvin Pace.
3-4 Defensive End
Shaun Ellis had a good year, but turns 34 in June and he’s a free agent. Mike DeVito is also not a great pass rusher so they could add another pass rushing 3-4 end regardless.
Drafted Muhammad Wilkerson (#30)
Wide Receiver
Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards are both free agent. With all of their other free agents (David Harris, Shaun Ellis, Antonio Cromartie) I doubt they resign both.
Drafted Jeremy Kerley (#153), Drafted Scotty McKnight (#227)
Safety
They don’t have a true playmaking safety. Brodney Pool was marginal and he’s a free agent. Rahim Moore, who picked off 10 passes in 2009 as a sophmore for UCLA, makes sense at #30.
Middle Linebacker
David Harris is a free agent. If he’s not resigned, they’ll need a replacement.
Cornerback
Antonio Cromartie is a free agent. If he’s not resigned, they’ll move Kyle Wilson into the starting lineup, but they’ll need a new nickel.
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