Welcome to the Playoffs
As I sat at the dinner table last night. My wife who had avoided the subject for 24 hours (my traditional sulking period) looked at me from across the table and asked “so .. the Jets lost yesterday?”
Undertatement of the century.
She might as well have asked me if the Jets pooped the bed … the answer would have been the same. I’m still not 100% clear what tipped her off.
Maybe it was my tantrum heard throughout the house while I watched the game Sunday night, maybe it was the slumped and dejected posture I sat in while I watched the game.
Basically once the game was over, I quickly posted my milk carton picture and got my mind off the subject … unable to coast off into a depression sleep, I played far too many hours of XBOX for a grown man for the remainder of the evening, not even thinking about the game.
When I watch this year’s Jets, you pretty much know after the first quarter what team you are getting … either the will-imposing Week 12 variety, or the flat, lose to the freaking Raiders and Niners variety. I only needed one quarter to know the final outcome of Sunday’s game, so when I read quotes like this in Newsday, it makes me even more furious.
People were mentioning the words ” Super Bowl” and “Jets” in the same sentence, and no one was laughing. Jets fans and the media talked almost dreamily of the Jets meeting the Giants for the championship. And apparently, some of the Jets couldn’t help but let all of the big talk get to them.
At least that is the diagnosis some Jets players provided yesterday, a day after their 24-14 loss to the lowly 49ers in San Francisco. It was the Jets’ second straight loss to a team they were expected to beat; they lost to visiting Denver, 34-17, the week before.
“When we were on the road, everyone started buying into the Giants and the Jets in the Super Bowl and this and that,” linebacker David Bowens said. “It’s not like they are just going to put us there. We have to earn the spot. We have to get there.”Tight end Dustin Keller said players couldn’t help but hear what others were saying.
“I think it might have been the case,” Keller said when asked if all the talk was distracting. “It’s better that it happen now than a couple of weeks from now. Say we do get into the playoffs and then the first round we’re in the same mind-set, then we will just let it go.”
In other words, the Jets need to get used to being a good team.
Jets coach Eric Mangini has been preaching consistency since he took over the job. Right now, they are consistently erratic, which the players know is something that has to end this week.
Dustin is right, better now than later. But I mean seriously? I’m not stupid enough to think that this team was a lock for the Super Bowl … which is saying something, because I’m pretty damn stupid.
How is it that a player who plays on this team day in and out, who sees the practices slipping and the players resting on their own laurels … a team who has lost some games in pretty stupendous fashion, think they were ready for Tampa? The loss to Oakland and near misses to the Bengals and Chiefs still haunt me.
Moreover, how does a coach who preaches consistency and a game in and out approach allow these guys to think that they are ready for the Super Bowl, let alone the playoffs?
If this team thinks they’re ready for the playoffs, then it’s good news for them, because they start this weekend for Gang Green. So congrats, Jets players, you’ve made the playoffs!! They just happen to start three weeks early.
Instead of winning the past two games and getting to coast some down the stretch, the Jets have already had their break and now their backs are to the wall. It’s time to get back to work.
Filed under: Main Page, Opinion/Bassett
It’s interesting really. Mangini has always told his team to prepare the same way with the same mindset for each game. No game was supposed to be bigger than another.
But remember leading up to the Bills game, Favre spoke about how it was OK to believe that this was going to be a bigger game than others. And the team felt it was OK to put more importance on this one than others. That carried over to the BIG game against the Pats and the BIG game against the Titans.
The last two games have not been big. In fact, relatively, they have been close to meaningless. They were both out of our division and both against lesser opponents. So maybe, just maybe, what we have here is a team that will rise to the occasion.
If we had lost to the Bills, Pats and Titans and had beaten the Raiders, 49ers and Broncos, we would be 8-5 and no one would believe we were cabable of anything. And they probably would be right. But we did win the BIG games this year. (Different than in years past.) And Maybe, just maybe, that means we can still do something special and rise to the occasion.
I hope so.
i just had a revelation – the dolphins will lose this week to the 49ers, and the pats will lose next week to the cardinals….we wont lose again this regular season….we will come out mad against the hapless and finished bills and destroy them, to set the tone for our playoff run
GO JETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the reality is that as the heat gets turned up when the weather gets cold, teams that have revealed their real identities for better or worse, either leverage their strengths, like Carolina did last night or there weaknesses become gaping holes, like the Jets
1) secondary not being able to cover tight enough,
2) WR group not being able to get seperation and
3) guessing game planning not paying off every week
4) adjustments to the game plan not working
Almost every loss and some wins (KC & NE) seem to reveal the same four holes getting exploited…
The Jets probably won’t be able to significantly address their personnel and scheme issues till the off-season. In the interim, they have to play with the highest intensity and concentration in order to overcome their shortcomings. They’ve shown they can be successful against quality teams when they do that.
Mangini is a smart guy, very knowledgeable about the game, what it takes to win, etc. His philosophy of consistency of approach as the most important element is sound. But he has not succeeded in getting his team to buy into and act on that philosophy. The irony is that his approach might be too consistent and therefore easily tuned out like the voices of the parents in Charlie Brown: wa wa wa wa wa wa. I’m not saying he should drop his pants – that would likely be too traumatizing and psychologically injurious to his players – but he’s got to look at different ways to motivate and focus his team.
BB’s droning monotone works because it’s underscored by the gravitas of years of experience and success and easily disseminated by the key veterans that have been along for the ride. But it was a work in progress in Cleveland. I think that the optimistic perspective is that we’re in Mangini’s equivalent of BB’s Cleveland/early NE phase. Hopefully closer to the latter.
NE is not losing to AZ – Cards have little to play for, are a bad road team, and have been blown out of the water in the 2 other trips they made to the NE
If you believe that the underperforming JETS will win 3 games and win the Division, I have a Bridge in Brooklyn I will also gladly sell you. To have hope, which we all had after going 8-3, is one thing. The rotten eggs the JETS have laid the past two weeks tells me: “SAME OLD JETS!” Can’t win a big game. Always play badly when the favorite. It is almost like the bookies have a hold on the JETS.
But we all know what the problem is. Other than Westoff, the coaching staff SUCKS! Sutton should have been fired last year. Schott is too predictable and too conservative. And MANGINI just stands on the sideline with no reaction to what is going on, on the field.
We have a deep threat which will help open up the field in David Clowney, and he is always inactive. We have Brad Smith at WR, who I could cover playing instead. I guess his two dumb plays the past two weeks don’t count against him because he is one of Mangini’s pets.
And then there is Drew Coleman who can’t cover his shadow playing over David Barrett. WHY?
This team is going to be 1-2 over the next three games and will miss the playoffs.
It is interesting the year Chad is having with a real Offensive Co-ordinator.
DUMP MANGINI!!!!! HIRE BILL COWHER!!!!
Ed(itor) — the Jets can’t win a big game? They won back-to-back big games, then lost two games against bad teams. If those two losses were big too, then what is NOT a big game for a contending team?
Fact is, if the Jets beat the Bills and Dolphins at home, they will win the division via tie-breaker even if they lose to the Seahawks, unless the Pats win out. If the Pats do win out, then the Jets must win all three.
The funny thing there is that if the Jets beat the Bills and somehow the Pats lose this week, next week’s game vs Seattle literally means nothing. The Jets would win the division with a win over the Dolphins, win or lose vs Seattle. Maybe if they beat the Bills and the Pats lose they should not send Favre to Seattle
Everyone needs to stop responding to The Editor’s nonsense. He’s a one-note, hit-and-run artist.
Let’s not roll over and die here. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, through 13 games THE JETS ARE IN FIRST PLACE!!!!! Did anyone here that? THE JETS ARE IN FIRST PLACE!!!
Let’s regroup and get our act together. We have shown that we have the ability to win big games this year. I can’t remember the last time we beat two teams with winning record in a single season before. This year we have beaten the Dolphins, Cardinals, Patriots and Titans all of which are likely to be playoff teams.
I know we looked horrible the last two weeks, but if you are ready to throw in the towel on this season, you really are missing the point.
And the point is, we are about to play our 14th game of the season and we control our way to an AFC East Division Championship.
I CANT TAKE THIS ANYMORE FIRE SUTTON
It nice that Mangini learned alot from Belichek but he’s gotta carve out his own thing. The team right now is a reflection of thier coach, extremely promising sometimes, inconsistently mediocre at others. If the collapse continues then Mangini and his whole staff should be shown the door. With the offseason additions and Brady goin down for the year, anything less just proves he will never be able to get it done. Schottenhiemer and Sutton have no business being NFL coordinators, and will be replaced short of a Super Bowl win. He’s got three games to right the ship and save his own behind. If we dont see a drastic improvement then the chants should start at the game Sunday.
TruJetFan is right! We are in first and in control of our own destiny. We have seen what this team is capable of, and have reason to think that they can hang with some pretty good teams. As hard as it is to “believe in The Jets” after the past two weeks- we should. We are still in it. We haven’t blown our chances, and we still have hope for not stumbling into the post season backwards, and reeling.
Mangini is not the problem. Poor execution is the real enemy.
We all knew Sutton was not the man for the job. The Jets tried to get rid of him this offseason and it just didn’t work out. He isn’t terrible- remember the beginning of the season when our Defense looked… what’s that word… good? But he’s not some mastermind who can confuse and rattle the opponents, well at least not with this group of guys. There is, in my mind no way Sutton stays next year. As for this year, maybe it’s time for Mangini to call the Defensive plays.
All of this is secondary to the fact that The Jets personnel are just not cutting it. Mental errors, missed coverages, poor pass rush execution, and the complete and total inability to cover short, quick passes underneath. The coaches have them in position, but they are coming up short. The Jets have been missing a lot of tackles- Revis is missing tackles! The Jets Defense needs to play smarter and more focused football.
PrEd(itor)- How much for that bridge? I still think we can win out.
Editor you couldn’t cover yourself with an umbrella let alone cover Brad Smith. Blah blah blah broken record Fire him, hire him. Wouldn’t you be happier a Dolphins fan?
Sorry Joe B couldn’t help it
We will win out. And we better blitz the heck out of Manning if we draw Indy. If Pitt or Balt come in, I am not worried – we can beat them in the Swamps. Can this team win @ Balt or @ Pitt in divisional round?
Lets win in the west before we worry about anything more than that. Hell lets beat Buf.
JAGG – I will be in Seattle, in the pyramid shaped end zone section. We are going to beat Buffalo. If the Refs try to homer us in Seattle – like they did on Leon’s TD – I am storming the field
I’ll send bail money.
lol
Here’s my fix to the many problems:
–Rush five or six on many more downs or somehow bring more pressure to opponents’ passing downs. If that means almost more of a 4-3, so be it. I am not convinced that the 3-4 is worth all the money it has cost us, as the defense both bends and breaks, and plays off its heels. Rush more men, and see what happens. Worked for the NYSE. Sacks are exciting for players and fans. Get some.
–On offense, run the ball to death—at least that of the opposing line. You’ve got TJ and Leon. Is there a better player in the league or at least on the Jets than Leon? No, so build the offense around him.
–Passing. Favre no longer has his cannon, and I suspect an injury to his throwing arm. Those long bombs are just “Let’s pretend I can throw it,” stuff. Instead use play action off the runs to complete short passes to TEs and the WRs on slants. All we have. Dust off the Pennington playbook, because right now Favre is more Chad than Brett.
–Mix in some younger players. My fear is that Kris Jenkins and Favre are playing hurt, facts lost on the fans, but not the team. Jenkins no longer penetrates, so we’re playing as if D-Rob was still in there, and Favre has no accuracy down the field. His bombs are like punts, in that all get picked. What about Clemens on some long passing downs? Aren’t teams once again stacking the box against us? Mix him in a little. Give Favre a break, and see what happens.
–A big rush and a running game can still win 2 of the next 3.
–Lastly, bench a few guys who aren’t performing. There must be someone hungry off the bench.
–Question: who should walk the plank for the Golston pick? Or if he is better than we think, then he should be in the mix sacking QBs. If not, it’s a big negative on the entire program.
–It’s a personal observation based on newspapers, but I sense the players don’t really respond to Mangini and the coaches. They play like scared corporate vice presidents, not like guys enjoying a game of street ball. To fix that, let Favre call all of the plays in one game. Be interesting to see what happens. Joe called them in Super Bowl III. That worked okay.
lol def i would help pay bail…… you know my father has been a red sox fan since he was a child ( born in Boston but grew up in jersey, also a jets fan) he watched through countless heart wrenching seasons of collapses and crushing defeats but stuck through for over 40 years…. when the red sox won their first one a couple years ago i will never forget my fathers face and how he said , ” IT WAS WORTH IT!” after watching the same thing with the jets i can only hope that one day i will feel the same as he did…. i dont care if its only one in my lifetime, i know it will happen and it will def be worth it…. go jets i believe they can win out and i hope you all do too….. im going to the game this week so i will be cheering no matter what
Bassett, I still have trouble understanding how the wheels came off of this team the last 2 weeks. The Jets have had collapses before (1986 broke my heart), but they were always caused by injuries. This collapse would be all the worse because this is a very talented football team that has been, for the most part, healthy. And, it’s a total breakdown in all three phases of the game. Instead of trying to explain it, I hope this team just wins it’s next 3 games. IMO, none of the last 3 teams can beat the Jets’ “A” game and 2 of 3 are at home. No more excuses. And, I’m applying the Wille Randolph rule if the Jets collapse. Fire Mangini immediately and hire Cowher. There’s no coming back from a collapse and all bringing Mangini and staff back will do is lose the Jets the 2009 season. Thus, there’s a lot riding on these 3 games and, IMO, the heat is on Eric more than any Jets player.
I completely agree with you, Sack. I was saying the same thing to a friend of mine earlier today. The last thing I want to see though is another changing of the CS. With our luck, he’ll want to put in a 4-3 defense! I’m just greatful I get to pay PSLs for this stuff in the future…whoo-Hoo!…what was that Woody and Tannanbaum would say? “The greatest game-day fan experience?” Geez, it’s hard to top the cold wet sorry debacle I witnessed against Denver, but I guess i can hope… ;-)
i am sick of hearing about bill cowher. he is not coming to the jets. he left the league to spend time with his family. the only pro team he would coach is the panthers and that aint happening anytime soon considering their coaching situation
i would be more interesting in talking about the 3-4. it is obvious sutton doesnt have a clue. i think we could all agree it would be better if mangini took over the responsibility.
im just not sold on the 3-4 for the long term. it puts extreme pressure on the nose and outside backers. if jenkins ever got hurt we would be screwed. a smart QB would just run the no-huddle and he would essentially be neutralized.
on the linebackers – they just dont make too many players like james harrison. seeing BT and pace chase opponents in coverage is sickening. it would be one thing if they were destroying the QB like earlier in the season…
i think the 4-3 is much more forgiving.
I haven’t had access to the internet since sundays game, and I didn’t get to see the game either (first I’ve missed this season). I’ve read some of the comments players are making (especially Bowens), and I can’t figure out how a team that lost to oakland and almost lost to KC, and got their rears handed to them last week against denver could even begin thinking they could slack off. After the seasons that this team has had in recent years, and the history of this franchise, you would think they’d understand they probably aren’t going to get many chance at this. I watch every game I can, including the end of last season, and I’m more frustrated this year than last. Last year, I knew we didn’t have the talent, but this season they do and they are willing to take it easy now. They think they have accomplished something, but they haven’t accomplished shat! Sure they beat the pats (once) and the titans, but that’s not enough. All that did was show that they were capable of a lot more. If they don’t come out next week absolutely off their rockers, then I don’t understand how anyone could be a fan of this team, and the entire franchise will be to blame. All the way from the rooks, all the way up to woody himself. Fix it, and fix it now!
And if they can’t trounce the Bills, then they wouldn’t be able to beat anyone right now (including the lions). With losman behind center, the jets match up perfectly with the bills. If JP Losman looks like anything but a used up cheerleader next weekend, I’m probably going to have to buy a new tv, because I’ll probably have thrown my table through it, and then burnt whatever jersey I was wearing in it. I don’t have the patience to deal with this anymore.
BILLS 10 JETS 38 DOLPHINS 17
JETS 31 SEAHAWKS 14 JETS 33
BOTTOM LINE…
THE JETS ARE BETTER THAN THESE 3 TEAMS AND THEY WILL PROVE IT!
NO EXCUSES!!