Same old Jets? Not really

It was a disappointing championship Sunday for this ex-New Yorker and I can’t say that I’m looking forward to this years Superbowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers need another Superbowl ring like the Bay Area needs more fog.  I’ll be rooting for Green Bay but I’m mostly just hoping for a compelling game. 

In Pittsburgh the Jets, after being all but left for dead in the first half, managed to put up a good fight, damn near pulling off what would have been the greatest AFC championship comeback ever.  They fell short due in no small part to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s terrific game plan.  He saw what the Jets secondary did to Tom Brady and he decided to go a different direction.  That direction consisted of running Rashard Mendenhall down the Jets throat.  Mendenhall single-handedly won the game for the Steelers in the first half rushing for 95 yards.  Every time he touched the ball it seemed as if he gained at least 8 yards.  The opening drive alone ate up over nine minutes.  Ben Roethlisberger, or as someone on my Twitter feed referred to him as, Rapey, did not have a great game statistically but he made the clutch plays down the stretch.  None was more devisatating than the 3rd down 14 yard completion to Heath Miller with less than two minutes in the game.  Roethlisberger was flushed out of the pocket and it looked for an instant that he would be sacked but he managed to get the pass off while being chased to the sideline.  You just can’t tackle him!

 Jets coach Rex Ryan has taken a lot of heat for his post game comments in which he said that the Jets will be back in the championship game and that he expects to win a Superbowl.  Media and fans alike seem to want Ryan to keep a lower profile.  I heard his post game interview and I found nothing offensive about his comments.  What do people want him to say — that the Jets had their chance and will be lucky to return?! 

I became a big Ryan fan after the foot fetish story broke.  The way I see anyone freaky enough to post foot videos of him and his wife on youtube is OK in my book!   As far as I’m concerned he’s got carte blanche to talk as much trash as he sees fit.   

The truth is that the Jets are not as good as the Steelers.  Their defense is top of the line but too often their offense has been inconsistent.  Does anybody really believe that Mark Sanchez, at this point in his career, is a Superbowl quarterback?  What the Jets really need going forward is a home playoff game.   

So are these the same old Jets?  I don’t think so.  After several years of mediocrity the Jets are relevant again.  They have been to the championship game in consecutive years and they are a relatively young team.  They didn’t choke against the Steelers; in fact they were a few plays from pulling off the upset of the century.  Pass me the koolaid!

Mike Tomlin and Rex Ryan

On any given Sunday: JETS!

Nobody, including myself, thought that the Jets were capable of beating the Patriots on the road in the playoffs.  Except for Rex Ryan, their coach.  Maybe it’s the power of the foot fetishist but Ryan, in both of his  years as Jet head coach, has taken the Jets to the brink of the Super Bowl.

This year the Jets must travel the most improbable road, beating Indianapolis, New England, and this sunday, Pittsburgh.  No team had ever beaten Peyton Manning and Brady on consecutive weeks until yesterday.  Can you imagine a team beating those two plus Roethlisberger on three straight weeks?!  How about Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger and Aaron Rogers?  I’m crazed with success!

It could happen.  When you have a team that plays defense at the level that the Jets do anything is possible.  Brady was completely frustrated as time and again he had nobody to throw to.  He was sacked five times and sent to the ground numerous others.  It will be a little tougher to get to Roethlisberger, who is more mobile, but if the Jets can control the ball on the ground as they did against Indy — eat clock and get a few big plays from their receivers —  anything is possible.  Sanchez will give you fits which is why I like that Ryan has, for the most part, has not forced him to make big plays, staying on the ground and sticking with the short, high percentage passing game.

Is there anything more joyous than sending blowhard Bill Belichick on an early vacation?  Yesterday Belichick benched Wes Welker, who had broken a Patriots rule about not trash talking,  for the first series of plays.  Belichick wanted to send a message to Welker, but I thought he was really trying to send a message to the Jets.  Bill tried to out-cocky Ryan by in effect saying that the Pats could beat the Jets without their best receiver.  Nice try, Bill.  Enjoy your offseason.     

 

Jets v Colts

It seems like just the other day that these teams met in the 2010 AFC championship game.  I was at my steady Sunday gig on Long Island, arriving early to be able to watch as much as I could at the bar before the gig began.  The Jets were pretty much dominated on that late afternoon in Indy and by the time  the second half rolled around the game was all but over.

This year the Jets started out on fire, but let’s face it, many of their wins have been lucky, and their schedule, which featured the Bears, Browns, Bengals,and Lions has been kind to them.  Yet they beat the Steelers.  Go figure.  When their D is on they are a tough out.

The truth is that their coach, Rex Ryan, is not a likable guy.  He is a blowhard who talks way too much trash, especially for a guy who has yet to win anything.  If it wasn’t for the fact that I am from New York I don’t think I would root for this bunch.  You have to be loyal to your homies so I will drink from the Jets coffee mug, and wear the green sweatshirt.

As fate would have it I am once again gigging on a Jets playoff night.  I will, however, be DVR-ing the second half of the game.  I am fairly confident of not having the score divulged mid-evening before I am able to return to the safety and sanctity of my own T.V.  Here in the Bay Area the playoffs are an afterthought.  The sports radio station is abuzz with the news of Jim Harbaugh agreeing to coach the 49ers.  For some reason, even though he has yet to coach one NFL game, he is viewed as a savior.  Bully for them.  I will be rooting for a team, that at least for the time being, is still alive.  JETS!