SB Nation User Blog: Russ H

Impressions on the game and the rest of the season

Russ H — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:51:04 -0000

A few impressions of the game from down in Tampa:

Lots of Jet fans came to the game, many of the Bucs

fans I talked to weren't season ticket holders and got

their game tickets from season ticket holders. A few

thousand TB fans had a bag on and about the same

amount of TB fans wore their bags ON their heads.

The TB fans who were there were very quiet. I'd say

10,000 left at halftime, about the same started leaving

near the halfway point of the 3rd quarter and after the

Revis pick it was pretty much all Jet fans.

Clemens is gone in '10, the Jets will sign a veteran QB

to back up Sanchez (if he's healthy I'd love to see them

bring back Pennington).

They make a pretty good sausage & pepper sandwich

for $6.25.

The Jets are STILL unbeaten in regular season road

games that I have attended <only road loss I've ever

seen in person is the "Mud Bowl" AFC Championship

game in Miami>. Other than that:

5-0 in Miami

3-0 in Buffalo <one was Jim Kelly's first NFL game>

2-0 in NE

2-0 in TB

2-0 in Giants Stadium <Jet road gaves vs. Giants>

1-0 in Washington <3-0 win>

1-0 in San Diego

1-0 in Denver

Almost as weird: 0-9 in Yankee games I've attended

vs. the Rays <0-2 @ Yankee Stadium, 0-7 in Tampa>

As for the game:

Lots of Jet fans, I'd say 10-15% of the crowd were Jet

fans. They were almost as loud when the Jets made a

big play as Buc fans were on the few occasions when a

TB player made a play.

Talk about depressing? I've never seen fans so down

on their team as Tampa is on the Bucs. Word here is

Morris isn't running anything close to a pro NFL team

down here. I heard Rich Gannon on the TB radio pre

game show say Morris ran a high school level practice

on Wed and Thurs.

Jets looked good, a little tentative in the 1st half. They

were dictating the flow of the game defensively but the

Jets were unable to salt the game away until that Revis

INT midway through the fourth quarter. They weren't

able to capitalize on the breaks the defense kept giving

the offense.

Clemens looked shakey all day long though he should

have had a TD pass that a wide open Cotchery flat out

dropped. The Jet defense, which now leads the NFL in

fewest points allowed and in total defense, totally shut

down the Bucs so effectively that on the Buc post game

radio show the Tampa play by play guys replayed just

the first four 1st downs TB got, the onsides kick that TB

recovered, their lone FG and the Green fumble that the

Bucs recovered. That was their entire post game show,

lasting all of about a minute and a half.

The Jets were totally dominant, far more than the final

score indicated even though they seemed to be playing

at three-quarter speed through most of the game. The

Jets did what they had to do, very businessmen like.

I'd say the Jets now have a pretty good shot at running

the table but less than 50% shot of making the playoffs.

Atlanta is decimated with injuries & despite playing NO

close at home yesterday the loss virtually finishes any

hopes of making the playoffs due to the fact they lose

the tie breaker to all the teams ahead of them. Atlanta

lost to the Giants, Eagles & Cowboys and they lose the

tie breaker to GB based on conference W/L record.

Indy has wrapped up homefield and Colts #2 QB Jim

Sorgi, Mannings backup the past five years is now on

IR. After Manning takes a couple of snaps to keep his

consecutive games played streak alive the Colt QB will

be rookie QB Curtis Painter, whose next NFL pass will

be his first NFL pass.

With Manning, Freeney, Wayne and Addai seeing little

to no action and with Bob Sanders out the Jets defense

and ground game should be able to beat Indy.

The Jets close at home in Week 17 against Cincinnati

who must win @ SD this Sunday to have any hope of

securing a bye in the first round. If they lose they've

got nothing to play for either meaning they'll also rest

most of their big play starters. Because the Jets do two

things very well, run the ball and cover their opponents

WR's, I think they will beat Cincinnati playing all of their

big play starters anyway.

Even at 10-6 however the Jets need Miami, Baltimore

and Jacksonville to all lose one game or for Denver to

lose at least two games because the Jets don't own the

tie breaker against any of these teams.

Here's their remaining schedules:

Denver: OAKLAND, @ Philadelphia, KANSAS CITY

Denver will probably lose @ Philly but it's VERY hard

to see them losing to either Oakland or to Kansas City.

It's VERY possible Denver's absurd last second tipped

ball win over Cincy in Week 1 could help keep the Jets

out of the playoffs. 10-6, winning a Wild Card berth.

Miami: @Tennessee, HOUSTON, PITTSBURGH.

Miami could lose any or all three of these games and

could win any or all three of these games. I don't see

Miami running the table, the Titans probably being the

most difficult road block. However, if the Dolphins do

beat Tennessee they've got a good shot at being 10-6

and at being the Wildcard. 9-7, out of the playoffs.

Jags: INDIANAPOLIS, @New England, @ Cleveland

Jacksonville should be the first team to beat Indy this

year, and if they do the Colts have absolutely nothing

to play for. The Pats WILL have something to play for,

the righting of it's ship, and this is the game that most

likely will keep Jacksonville from getting to ten wins. I

can't see Cleveland, even with their beating Pittsburgh,

winning at Jacksonville. 9-7, out of the playoffs.

Baltimore: CHICAGO, @Pittsburgh, @Oakland.

Here is why I don't think any 9-7 team or a 10-6

Jets team will make the playoffs. I can't make a

strong case for any team remaining on the Ravens

schedule beating them. Chicago's season is over,

the Raiders are a huge mess and Pittsburgh can't

seem to beat anybody. Pittsburgh could end the

season for both Baltimore & Miami but is being a

spoiler enough motivation for the defending SB to

play hard the last two weeks of the season to finish

well? No. 10-6, winning the last Wild Card berth.

The Jets, being who and what they are sometimes,

if ever they did get a beat Cincinnati and you are in

the playoffs kind of scenario would probably go out

there and TIE one for the Gipper!

But seriously, if they did get to 10-6 and missed the

playoffs with a rookie QB & a rookie HC and in those

six losses were so many close and fixable losses you

would have to say all things considered that the Jets

were really pointed in the right direction.

Terms of the Edwards deal

Russ H — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:11:28 -0000

The Jets traded WR Chansi Stuckey, Jason Trusnik and two draft picks, said to be a 3rd and 5th round pick in the 2010 draft for WR Braylon Edwards.

Now the Jets have a WR who they can throw outside the numbers to, a WR they can throw the fade pass in the end zone to and a WR that should help to free up Cotchery. Edwards needs to become the player he was back in 2007 when he was a Pro Bowl WR.

All in all an excellent deal for both the Browns and the Jets.

Jets acquire WR Braylon Edwards

Russ H — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:51:03 -0000

In a stunning move the Jets acquired disgruntled Cleveland Browns WR Braylon Edwards for special team stud Jason Trusnik and undisclosed draft picks.

Edwards, who saw his 60 game pass catching streak come to an end on Sunday, has been embroiled in a fued with LeBron James in recent days and has been persona non grata in the Browns short passing offense. Edwards will team with Jerome Cotchery to give the Jets a solid 1-2 WR combo. Provided the Jets didn't surrender too much in exchange for Edwards this is a steal for the Jets.

The trade comes the day after the 49ers agreed to terms with holdout WR Michael Crabtree.

What to expect in Week One

Russ H — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:14:25 -0000

How things can change in a year? Last November Brett Favre & Eric Mangini were the toasts of the town in Jetsville. Now, Favre is the Vikings QB, Mangini is the coach of the Browns and Cleveland is hosting Minnesota in Week One. Without question the Jets will have a very different look than they did when they were being beaten by the Chad Pennington led Miami Dolphins in Week 17 at the Meadowlands.

Today the Rex Ryan/Mark Sanchez era begins at 1PM in Houston, Texas where the Jets will take the field at Reliant Stadium against the Houston Texans.

Rookie HC Rex Ryan, noted for being the smack talking defensive co-ordinator of one of the best year in-year out overall defenses in the NFL in Baltimore brings a fired up attitude with him that makes him a polar opposite to the tight lipped all business Eric Mangini who was the Jets head coach the past three seasons. Ryan had a lot of talent in Baltimore where guys like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata made his job a lot easier to do but he's quickly added to the existing talent of Kris Jenkins, Shawn Ellis, David Harris, Calvin Pace, Darrell Revis and Kerry Rhodes by bringing in Lito Sheppard and three of his ex-Ravens Marques Douglas, Jim Leonhard and star LB Bart Scott.

If this group can remain relatively healthy and can pick up all of the subtle nuinances of this defense rather quickly they can quickly become not only the backbone of the team but one of the elite units in the entire NFL.

Offensively the newly minted rookie face of the franchise Mark Sanchez already has a few things in place that most rookie QB's don't have. Sanchez will have the luxury of lining up behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL as well as being able to hand off to one of the better 1-2 tandem of RB's in the NFL in the consistent Thomas Jones and the electric Leon Washington. A solid offensive line, a good 1-2 punch at RB and what could be a dominant defense and special teams combination should help Sanchez to limit the number of rookie mistakes typical for most NFL rookie QB's.

On the negative side of the ledger the possible lack of an explosive and consistent WR, the lack of depth at TE and the seemingly never ending search for solid play from the punting spot on the roster are things the Jets will have to overcome if they want to approach last years nine win total this season.

As for today's Jet game plan I'm looking for a blueprint very similar to the one I described above. For the Jets to win they'll need a solid day out of their defense. Slowing Houston's ground game and keeping the Texans in a lot of 3rd and longs would go a long way in keeping Texan WR Andre Johnson from having a big day. Johnson is probably going to get his 8 or 9 catch day no matter what the Jets do but keeping him in front of the secondary thereby limiting him to 80 or 90 yards receiving as opposed to 150 yards would make all the difference in the world.

Offensively the Jets game plan should be as vanilla as possible, it may not be exciting to watch but it should give the Jets their best possible chance for a win today. Fourty touches between Jones and Washington while limiting Sanchez to no more than 20 or so pass attempts would sound about right for today. The Jets best chance of getting a win today would probably be to get ahead early and play defense, asking Sanchez to take the Jets down the field late, while hardly impossible, is probably not the way the Jets coaching staff is drawing this one up today.

Let's call this one Jets 23-19. Gholston WILL register a sack.

In other AFCE games NE 26-Buffalo 17, Atlanta 22 Miami 16.

Memories of 9-11

Russ H — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:32:00 -0000

On Sept 9th, 2001 at 8:58AM my flight from Fort Myers, FL to Newark Airport had just touched down and I grabbed a cab to the Meadowlands to watch the Jets open their 2001 season at home against the Indianapolis Colts. It was a great day, full of excitement. I had moved to Florida in the spring of that year and wanted to fly up to see the Jets home opener with new head coach Herm Edwards at the helm. After a well played first quarter the Colts rang up four TD's in the second quarter en route to a 45-24 drubbing of the Jets.

As I returned to my hotel later that night my wife and youngest son telephoned to see how I was and to tell me they had seen the game. I told them I was fine and had made plans with friends over the next two days and that I'd be home very late the following Tuesday night, September 11th.

Among the things on my social calendar over the next two days was a visit to a lifelong buddy of mine who was a construction worker with whom I had worked with together for the ten years prior to 1995 when the back injury that I sustained forced me to retire from the construction industry and into a less physical kind of work.

I met him that morning at 7:30AM downstairs in his office at One World Trade Center. We were having a cup of coffee after having walked around outside for a while, for those of you who remember it was a pitcure perfect early autumn morning in NYC. About an hour later we were having a cup of coffee in his office when we heard a loud bang and a deep rumbling and both of us immediately went back in our minds to February 26th, 1993. On that day he and I were working in Four world Trade Center, the day a 1500 lb. truck bomb had detonated in the underground parking facility at One World Trade Center in the hopes of toppling the North Tower (Tower #1) into the South Tower (Tower #2).

When we went upstairs on Sept 11th however this was a completely different situation, In 1993 there was fear and uncertainty, on Sept 11th there was fear and an entirely different landscape. Debris was everywhere, many people were lying in the streets injured from the debris of what we were told was a small plane crash into Tower #1. We had just gotten to street level when we heard another noise, this time deafening and horrorfying. We atcually saw ANOTHER plane crash into the South Tower, and it was no small plane, it was a passenger jet liner. NYC was under attack.

After making sure all of his men were safely out of the buildings we were trying to help the injured away from the vicinity of the building because both he and I knew, because of our intricate knowledge of the buildings construction that a collapse was imminent. After a few minutes fire and police ordered us away from the site and we were told to move to a safe location. One of the guys who worked for my buddy had an apartment about 8 blocks from the WTC so we quickly walked to his place on the other side of Broadway. Just as we were walking into his building down came one of the buildings, we didn't know which one it was.

Once inside we were able to turn on the television and saw that the south tower, the last one hit, had been the one that collapsed. Shortly thereafter we lost electricity but saw the other tower go down out the window. At that point none of us had cell phone service but a land line inside his apartment was still working so we were able to call all our families to tell them we were all OK.

We called our union representative in the area and asked him what if anything we could do and he told us to hang tight, that he was putting toghether a team to go down to the site to help out. As steamfitters many of us had certificates to burn and weld in NYC and with those we would be allowed to go down to the site once the OK was given to do exactly that, burn away collapsed steel to dig for survivors.

At 5:30PM we got the OK to depart from a staging area at the St. Johns building about a mile or so north of the site on the West Side Highway. The things we saw defied description, images I will never forget as long as I live. We worked in twelve hour shifts, from 6PM to 6AM, doing what ever we could do to help. Burning, bucket lines, shovels anything we were asked to do we did.

For me this went on for three days, working at the site, always working longer than 12 hours then eating and sleeping wherever and whenever we could. On the third day I remember sitting on a stoop early in the morning with the buddy I had met earlier in the week in his office. He was sleeping, his head against the building. I was just sitting there, hadn't showered for three days, hadn't changed my clothes in almost two days when all of what had been going on around me hit me all of a sudden like a ton of bricks. The city I was born in, the city where both of my sons were born in, had been laid to waste in an instant. The emotions were overpowering and for the first time since I was a little boy I cried like a child.

At that very moment a woman emerged from the apartment building of the stoop we were sitting on outside. She asked us if we were working on the pile and if we could use a bottle of water. After bringing us down two bottles of water she asked us if we were hungry or if there was anything we needed. I asked if I could use her shower and she took us both in, let us shower, she gave us robes to sit in while she washed our clothes, she made us hot coffee and bacon and eggs and let us call home to talk with our families.

A 60ish year old woman, opening her home to two filthy, tired strangers. Even in it's lowest moments NYC always seems to find a way to give you what you need.

When I called home my wife asked me to come home because my sons were worried because I hadn't spoken to them in days. All of what I saw, all of what I had witnessed simply because I wanted to see a football game. I did as my wife had asked, I rented a car and drove 22 hours straight thru to go home. Later on in the day I left to go home President Bush stopped by the pile to encourage all the people working there. I listened to it on the radio on the car ride home.

I'll always love sports, it's been an everyday part of my life for almost fifty years, but somehow a tough loss doesn't ever bother me as much as it used to bother me. When the Colts were wiping the Jets noses in that second quarter I was just miserable sitting there thinking about how much I had spent and how far I had traveled and how early I had gotten up to witness this mess. Now, I'm grateful for having been there.

Unlike so many others who didn't get out unscathed on that day I got out of there with my neck, as did all my friends that day. I stayed there for only three days trying to help, frankly how some of those people who could go down there day after day after day amazes me, but that day of sadness gave me an appreciation for everything I had never known before. Every day has been different since that day.

To those of you who lost loved ones on that day you have my greatest sympathies. I hope you are somehow able to find some peace today on such a day as this.

First four games could be the key to the Jets season

Russ H — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:01:36 -0000

With a 1st time head coach, to go along with all the uncertainty attached to a rookie QB, especially one with only one season as a starter in college, and with the 1st game suspension of Shawn Ellis and the four game suspension of LB Calvin Pace, just how well the Jets play coming out of the shoot in their first four games of the season could very well tell the fortunes of just how well their entire season may go.

Here's a look at the Jets first eight games of the 2009 season:

@Houston

NEW ENGLAND

TENNESSEE

@New Orleans

@Miami

BUFFALO

@Oakland

MIAMI

There are certainly no gimmees in the first five weeks. The Jets should be able to register wins against BUFFALO and @ Oakland and do no worse then a split with Miami. That's three wins. It's what the Jets do in their first four games that may tell us exactly what kind of season we can expect.

An 0-4 start is a possibility but I don't expect that to happen. I believe that the Jets should be able to do enough on defense & special teams along with a solid running attack to get at least one and probably two wins in their 1st four games. Where those wins and losses will come is anybody's guess!

Will Brady be close to 100%? Will the drubbing the Jets laid on the Titans in Tennessee last year play into this seasons game at home? Can the Saints play enough defense to match a potent offense? Which Texans team will the Jets face, last years early season train wreck or the late season juggernaut the Texans were down the stretch?

If the Jets stay relatively healthy a 4-4 start is the most probable scenario but either a 3-5 or a 5-3 start are distinct possibilities. One thing is certain, things could get bumby early on.

A possible good fit for the Jets at WR

Russ H — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:58:38 -0000

Due to a glut at the WR position the Eagles are said to

possibly be interested in moving WR Reggie Brown to

help clear a roster spot.

The 28 year old Brown is 6-1 200lbs and is entering his

fifth season in the NFL and has been a steady player for

most of his career in Philly. In his rookie 2005 season

Brown played in all 16 games and caught 43 balls good

for 571 yds and 4 TD's.

In 2006 Brown became a deep threat in the Philly offense

catching 46 passes for 816 yards, a 17.7YPC average to

go along with 8 TD's. In 2007 Brown caught 61 balls for

780 yards and 4 TD's. Last season Brown saw his playing

time decreased and played in only 10 games, catching just

18 passes for 254 yds and one TD.

Brown would certainly fit into the Jets WR rotation and has

the ability and speed to possibly be a decent #2 WR. He is

young and would not cost the Jets much either in terms of

compensation or in salary. At worst Brown could become a

hold the fort type player until the Jets can properly address

their WR position next season and would provide a valuable

insurance policy just in case this current group of Clowney,

Wright, Stuckey, Smith and Henry cannot produce a #2 type

WR to play alongside Cotchery.

He isn't the player Marshall is but he's also not as big of a risk

in terms of overall compensation and cost. If he can be gotten

for a conditional or lower round draft pick he's probably worth

taking a look see.

The more bullets in the chamber the better the chances are of

hitting the target when you take aim and shoot.

A new HC and the new face of the franchise mark the Jets 50th season

Russ H — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:31:42 -0000

Across the country a new season of NFL football has or will shortly begin. In 32 training camps in 32 cities optimism is once again being served on tap. Gone are the previous years premature endings and glorious finishes. The 2008 season has been written and it's book has been closed but for the fans of each and every NFL football team the 2009 season brings unbridled enthusiasm and hope because it's book is wide open, all of it's pages unwritten.

In the tiny town of Cortland, NY the golden anniversary season of the NY Jets begins in just four days with a new head coach, a new QB and the hope that the often tortured history of this team is on an upswing that will once again bring a Super Bowl trophy back to it's fans, many of whom were not yet born the last time the Vince Lombardi trophy was seen in these parts.

Both GM Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson have spared no expense trying to eradicate the awful taste left in the mouth of Jets fans by last season total collapse. For Jet fans the dreaded cry of "same old Jets" was once again heard in 2008, yet even for a team with a history for this sort of thing last years collapse was a very different experience then the collapses of previous years. A stirring OT victory in NE against the Bradyless Patriots followed by the three TD manhandling of the previously undefeated Titans in Tennessee had Jets fans thinking anything was possible, that is until the bottom fell out, the final nail in the coffin being hammered home by ex-Jet franchise QB Chad Pennington of the AFCE Champion Miami Dolphins.

What followed was both a cleaning of house and a breath of fresh air. Rex Ryan was brought here not only for his defensive experience hybrid but for his attitude as well. From Day 1 Ryan has energized the franchise and installed a brand of toughness not seen here since Parcells. Gone arethe days of the Jets as a finesse team, gone are the 4th a half a yard dump passes to the RB four yards behind the LOS. This Jets team will play a brand of physical football on both sides of the LOS but unlike the rampant paranoia and joyless atmosphere created here during the almost self ordained Mangenius years Ryan promises to make football here fun again for those playing, watching and even covering the team.

The defense should be a lot of fun to watch. Kris Jenkins will be a very busy man in this defense, playing anywhere on the defensive line. Playing behind Jenkins will be LB's David Harris and newly acquired Brad Scott, both of whom should no doubt reap the rewards of anplaying behind Jenkins in the aggressive defensive scheme favored by Ryan in his days as the Baltimore Ravens defensive co-ordinator. Playing alongside Darrel Revis at CB will be former Eagle CB LitoSheppard, who will be teaming with new Jet SS Jim Leonhard and FS Kerry Rhodes in a defensive backfield loaded with talent and big play making ability.

The question on the defense is twofold. One, where will the QB sacks come from? Without a bonafide QB killer on the roster who is the guy who will be THE guy on this defense? The answer, who knows? The strength of the DB's should give the Jets some coverage sacks and they should be able to deliver enough QB pressure from the design of the aggressive game plan to keep QB's running for their lives.

Question number two is will Vernon Gholston step up in the place of Calvin Pace, suspended for the first four games of the 2009 season? The answer, again, is who knows? Rex Ryan has already named Gholston as the starter to replace Pace for the first four games which means Gholstonwill be getting plenty of reps withthe first team defense to see if he's up to the job. If he's not look for Bart Scott to slide outside to take Pace's place with Larry Izzo picking up the slack inside. Overall the Jet defense and special teams will carry the team, the majority of the question marks on this team are on the offensive side of the ball.

On offense question #1 is who will be the starting QB when the Jets open their season @Houston on Sept. 13th? With $28M in guaranteed money, two draft picks and three roster players required to get Mark Sanchez to be the new face of the franchise one would have to think that barring Clemens playing extremely well in camp or Sanchez playing very poorly in camp that the job is Sanchez's for the taking. Ryan saw first handthat with a good running game and solid defensive andspecial teams play that you can win in the NFL witha rookie QB. The success of both Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco and Falcon rookie QB Matt Ryan last season would seem to pave the way for Sanchez to win the starting QB job in training camp if he proves equal to the task, but even if Clemens does win the starting QB spot in camp it shouldn't be long before we see Sanchez move under center for the next ten years.

Another big question mark on the offensive side of the ball heading into training camp is who will, if anyone, will step up to become the #2 WR? With the departure of Laverneus Coles Jerricho Cotchery is now the Jets #1 WR but between Stuckey, Smith, Wright and Clowney who will step up to fill that void left by Coles exit to Cincinnati, or will the Jets need to look outside the organization for the answer? The answer, once again, who knows? All signs would appear to point to Stuckey as the most likely candidate to be the guy but at this point it could be anybody, or nobody! Sanchez and or Clemens would no doubt help that process along by finding the guy he feels the most comfortable throwing the ball to when he's under the gun,

The next question mark is two fold. Will the Jets running game be affected by the unhappiness withthe contract situations of both their #1 and #2 RB's? The answer, probably not. Both Thomas Jones andLeon Washington are pros and should be 100% ready to go when the bell rings but don't be surprised if both create a little bit of a distraction during training camp about their contracts.

Another thing to consider is with the departure of Chris Baker and the release of Bubba Frank can 2ndyear TE Dustin Keller provide the necessary blocking skills to help contribute to the Jets groundgame? Keller showed excellent promise as a pass catching rookie TE in the first three months of the '08 season but saw his production grindto a halt in December along withthe rest of the team. The question is can Keller make the next big step toward being an elite NFL TE? His rookie numbers compare favorably with current TE names such as Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez and Anthony Gates but all three saw their numbers greatly improve in their second seasons.

All things considered I doubt if many are expecting miracles this season. SB champions are not pulled together overnight but the adage that it takes 3-5 years to build a SB champion no longer applies. In the salary cap free agent era of the NFL teams are down one year and in the SB a year or two later. The Jets play in one of if not the toughest division in the NFL, with perennial SB contender NE, the improved Dolphins team and the enigmatic Buffalo Bills so just escaping their own division can be a monumental undertaking but that's not to say it cannot be done, even in year one.

Tom Brady is on the mend from a major reconstruction of his knee and remains a question mark until he returns to form and the Pats also have their own set of problems. An older defensive line, a suspect offensive line, questions at the RB position and depth problems don't necessarily mean that NE will be any less formidable than they have been in previous years but it doesn't mean they are a shoo in to win the AFCE either. Miami had something of the perfect storm last season, few injuries, favorable schedule and a rejuvenated Chad Pennington all came together in South Florida last season but that doesn't mean Miami cannot be a better football team in 2009 then it was in 2008. It also doesn't mean they can't improve as a team andwin 3-4 less games. As for Buffalo, until they prove they can play after the leaves begin to fall they remain a team you prefer playing after the first month of the season. The Jets play the Bills at home in Week 6 and on the road in the lifeless Rogers Center Dome in Toronto in Week 13.

This Jets team does indeed appear to be heading in the right direction but that's something Jets fans have seen before only to be undone by a myriad of bad luck, bad play and bad coaching. These Jets are more of a team built to win now or in the very near future then they are a rebuilding team starting from scratch. Much like an experienced sailor Ryan has his ship pointed into the right direction and he needs nothing more than to catch a favorable wind to fill his sails, but since you cannot always count on the wind here's what you can expect from this years Jets.

You can count on this team and it's new HC growing up together, they will look after each other, they will play very hard all season and they will be a better team at the end of the year then they will be at the beginning. What that will translate into depends on many variables both in and out of their own hands but what you can hope for is that it will translate into is a constant inexorable moving forward toward the goal of winning a Super Bowl.

It would appear, to borrow from Parcells, that the ingredients to prepare a good meal have all been bought. All that remains to be seen is if Ryan and his minions can cook.

Pace suspension gives Gholston his big chance

Russ H — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:35:08 -0000

NY Jets LB Calvin Pace has been suspended for the first four games of the 2009 regular season for violating the NFL's performance enhancing substance abuse policy. Pace, who claims the suspension stems from him taking an over the counter dietary supplement, will be allowed to participate in all aspects of training camp and play in the exhibition games as well but will be ineligible to return to the Jets until the Monday following their Week 4 game@ New Orleans.

In addition to missing the New Orleans game Pace will miss the season opener in Houston and will also miss home games against the Patriots and Titans in Weeks 2 & 3. Pace will be eligible to return just in time to play in the Jets lone Monday Night Football game of the season. a Week 5 tilt against the rival Dolphins in Miami October 12th.

Pace is expected to be a big part of the attacking style defense favored by new Jet HC Rex Ryan and his absence leaves a big hole at the OLB position. OLB's Marques Murrell and Jason Trusnik should both see increased playing time while Pace serves out his suspension but the guy who benefits the most from this situation is OLB Vernon Gholston, the Jets disappointing 1st round pick of the 2008 NFL draft..

Gholston was persona non grata last season. He made only 13 tackles in 2008, with most of those coming on special teams play, and had zero QB sacks, zero QB pressures, zero passes defended and zero tipped passes. He was even a healthy scratch in a Week 15 game at home against Buffalo. Gholston appeared to be lost and confused most of the time he was on the field, thinking instead of reacting to what was going on around him.

The firing of Eric Mangini and the subsequent hiring of Rex Ryan should at least in theory help to get Gholston playing better. Mangini's defense was not designed to bring out the best of the people playing in that defense, he installed a defensive system that required all players to be equally versed in what each and every players job was on each and every play, you were not only expected to know your job but the job of the players alongside and behind you as well. Gholston was lost and the word bust was quickly being used to describe his play on the field.

All that now appears to be changing under Ryan, who has taken Gholston under his wing as his personal reclamation project, promising to show that not only was he not a bust but that he could become an integral part of the Jets defense, particularly against the pass. Ryan has said he would at first use Gholston in particular defensive packages designed to better use his abilities, namely his speed and strength, to get to the QB.

With Pace now on the shelf for the first four weeks of the season Gholston will no doubt get the first shot at filling Paces' shoes so we should see something of an accelerated learning curve for him in training camp. Gholston was already going to have an expanded roll in Ryans' defense even before Pace was suspended, now I suspect that role may be expanded even further depending on how well he plays in Paces' absence.

If Ryan and his coaching staff can get Gholston reacting to what's going on around him on the football field instead of just seeing and thinking about what's going on around him we may yet get to see the player the Jets thought they were getting when they drafted Gholston with the 6th overall pick of the 2008 NFL draft.

Newly signed Sanchez has a clear path to be the starting QB

Russ H — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:17:43 -0000

By signing a 5 year, $50M contract with $28M in guarantees before training camp opens N.Y. Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez may have removed the final hurdle that could have prevented him from being the Jets starting QB when he and his new teammates open their 2009 season in Houston on September 13. No longer concerned with missing valuable practice time Sanchez has given himself the best possible chance of beating out the incumbent QB Kellen Clemens to become the Jets new starting QB.

New Jets head coach Rex Ryan saw first hand what a rookie QB was capable of doing in the right situation and with the right personnel surrounding him when rookie QB Joe Flacco, supported by a strong defense and a ground and pound running game, led the Ravens to the AFC Championship game against the eventual SB Champion Steelers last season.

This Jet team was built to become that same kind of team, and while it can take a long time to get from the design table to the finished product Ryan & Tannenbaum appear to be wasting no time or money in their efforts to get the Jets to the finished product stage as quickly as possible. On paper the Jets have built a solid running game, a good OL, a punishing defense and excellent special team units. This Jet team still has it's flaws, no established WR's other than WR Jeremy Cottchery, no one to blow up the QB and the obvious question marks that go along with starting a rookie QB but none one of those possible negatives seem to be daunting the rookie head coach and his charges, in fact they seem to be reveling in a newly found confidence that has come before so much as a single snap has been taken.

While it's way too early to project how successful these Jets will be one thing is certain, they will not be boring. After watching last years team fizzle down the stretch for many reasons, chief among them playing dispirited, flat lousy football the first time their opponents hit them in the nose, this years team seems to be going out of it's way to replace last seasons paranoia with confidence from the moment they began building the 2009 version of the Jets.

While their are many reasons for a team to fall short of their expectations in the long odyssey of the NFL season this Jets team seems unlikely to come up short of their expectations because of any of what happened here last year. This Jet team looks like it will have boundless energy, starting at the top with Rex Ryan, who seems intent on providing a season worth of bulletin board material before training camp even begins.

Boundless energy won't turn Chansi Stuckey into a #1 WR or Vernon Gholston into a QB killer but it should help the Jets avoid the flat, emotionless finish to such a promising '08 season when at 8-3 the Jets were being mentioned as one of the elite teams in the NFL. My guess is that if late in the '09 season this team once again finds itself being mentioned with the elite teams in the NFL they will remain in that conversation and avoid another late season collapse simply because they'll be having fun. Sometimes we forget that despite all the complications of the NFL game it is just that, a game, and games are supposed to be fun.

Football under Eric Mangini was rarely fun, that's a change Rex Ryan seemed intent on making from day one. Football under Rex Ryan will be fun. It's'been a long time since the NY Jets were a fun team to watch. Too long.