The Road Gets Easier
Please note that since the Jets’ schedule was announced, I have been doubtful of their chances to make the playoffs, and I still am. What I will say though is that I feel like a number of you fellow fans were more expectant than I, and have clearly been dissappointed with what you have seen so far.
I guess what I don’t understand is, why now? Over the next month is the time to be optimistic. I fully expected the Jets to start the season 0-2 and have to dig themselves out of the hole. Before you drop that toaster in the tub with you just yet, consider the Jets just faced two teams that:
- Combined for a 25-7 record in the regular season in 2006.
- Were both favored to win their respective Divisions and contend for a Lombardi Trophy.
- Ranked 1st (BAL) and 5th (NE) in team total DVOA by Football Outsiders at the end of last season.
The Jets lost to New England by the same score that the headless, but much more talented Chargers team did. Also consider that they came within a few bobbles of tying up the most dominant team from last year (now how the Ravens schemed the Jets in the fourth is a whole other matter). If you were on the playoff bandwagon, this is the time to be licking your chops. The past two weeks, weren’t do or die, it’s the next four that matter. Over this time, the Jets face:
- Teams that are off to a combined 0-8.
- Best ranking via DVOA is 20th (PHI) followed by 23rd (MIA) 29th (NYG), and 30th (BUF).
- Face only one stout defense (PHI), and one good offense (NYG).
- All have teams with QB issues. (Trent Green’s horrendous Week 2, Donovan’s greater scrutiny due to his skin pigmentation DNA and HBO Real Sports interview schedule, Eli’s shoulder, and JP Losman’s OC who has no faith in him).
It’s pretender versus contender time. If the Jets are going to make a serious push at the playoffs, expect nothing less than three wins in the next four weeks, where they get two home games and an “away” game at their home stadium. If they are legit, then should go on a four game streak. After Week 6, that’s when we’ll know what this team is really about.
6 Responses to The Road Gets Easier
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Bent says: Where’s prince? We could do with a series of streaking posts. Maybe that will get us going.
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Prince says:
I’m firmly on the playoff band-wagon, and need to see the Jets lose to a team they are supposed to beat before I can be knocked off. I also expect them to be extremely competitive in the next 4 games, and win at least 3 of them if not all 4.
Before spy-gate, Mike Felger ranted on his afternoon show about how overrated playcalling is a measure of a coach, and instead applied 3 litmus tests to determine if a team is well coached:
- below average number of offensive penalties. (sorry, Mr. Billick. I think you suck.)
- gets better as each game goes on.
- gets better as the season goes on.I would say Mangini last year showed all three attributes, and so far this year has shown the first two. The third will determine success or failure for the season. I just refuse to see any on-field things that can’t be fixed by a good coaching staff.
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I’m on it, Bent…
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RAJ says:
There is only fact that defines the Jets for the last six seasons… No Pennington, no playoffs. The rest is all ill informed media writers and Jet fans who take the green Kool Aid intraveneously. and it doesn’t matter who the coaches are how many bad drafts and poor free agent signings the Jets have made.
The only scenario that has the Jets turning into a 6 – 10 disaster is the D’Bust ending Pennington’s career by yielding another sack.
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I’m not disappointed with the record, but I am disappointed with the philosophy shown by the coaching staff. Last year, everyone knew we didn’t have the personnel to beat teams with our base defense and a typical offensive game plan. So the coaches were brilliantly creative (the Brad Smith plays, the end-arounds, the stunts and blitzes on D), and they took risks (onsides kicks, lots of going for it on 4th down, giving playing time to Leon and Cotchery).
This year, the coaches seem to think that this club is far enough along in its rebuilding that it can win games essentially by playing teams straight up; when we all know we can’t beat New England or Baltimore straight up. Either that, or the coaches are looking so long-term that they just want to stay in the base offense and base defense from now on, knowing that the experience the players get within the system will eventually pay off.
I understand planning for the long-term, but from the trading of Pete Kendall, to the six-year contract for Revis, to the drafting of Kellen Clemens, I’d say the FO does enough to help the long-term situation. Personally, I’d like to see us have gameplans that make us competitive every week, and worry about the long-term at practice and in our personnel moves. The coaches did seem to begrudgingly give in to the short-term in the second half, when they went to more defensive sets with four down linemen. This ploy was highly successful.
In regards to planning for Sundays, Herm might have actually said it best–you play to win the games.