And bad luck...but we all know that. Anyway, looking back in NFL history plenty of meh teams have made the Super Bowl (2007 and 2011 Giants who lucked their way to a few titles) 1985 Patriots, 79 Rams, 2001 Patriots, 08 Cardinals. Those weren't flat out bad teams, just average-above average, got breaks, took advantage of others injuries...or a weakened division/conference. What really bothers me looking back at the 09 and 10 window of opportunity (though I suppose we can stretch it back to 2008 since that team was 9-7 and should've been in the playoffs) is that while the Jets did get some breaks themselves, they always had the misfortune of playing in a division with the Patriots and in a tough AFC. The 2009 team had the #1 defense in football. They were a nightmare to play against, the running game was a machine. Yet we still had to deal with a great Patriots team, we still had to go on the road in the playoffs against a Cincy team with a stout defense, we had to go into SD against a very good offensively loaded SD team that had won 11 in a row! Then we had to go into Indy to play a Colts team that may have gone 16-0 if they wanted to (debatable) Same with 2010. That team was more balanced than 2009. The best Jets team top to bottom since 1998. And yet even at 11-5, we had to beat a tough Colts team in Indy, then go into New England and beat a Patriots team that was going through its most dominant stretch since 2007...a Patriots team that was playing almost legendary football. Once we got to Pittsburgh, another enormous challenge, the Jets were spent. If you're 11-5 and have to play in NE, Indy, and Pitt to get to a super bowl, that's a loaded conference. In 2001 the Patriots were 11-5 and got a 1st round bye. They then lose the divisional playoff against Oakland and have the refs hand the game back to them. I know people will point to luck in our games against Detroit or Denver that year...but we never got 2001 Patriots luck. That's a whole other level Looking at how weak the AFC seems this year, I just lament not having the 09 or 10 team NOW. We'd plow through the AFC this year
So very True. It looks like our window has slammed shut, with our dicks in it. The great thing about the NFL is that tuly any team, any year can make a run. For that to happen this year, we need Mark to play lights out (now with the shoulder, who knows). Next Man up! Geno has to make plays but limit the turnovers. If he can do that and keep the defense fresh, we could be a team that gels late November. If that happens, we could see a re-birth of 09.
You could even go back to 1986 with this. The Browns in the divisional playoff were a good team...but they had no running game and their defense was merely pretty good, not close to great. If we don't beat ourselves that year we have an AFC championship game at home against a very beatable Broncos team.
That game against the Browns was brutal. I still remember Charlie Steiner saying, "The Jets are going to the AFC Championship" late in that game. UGH!!!
Can we please agree to never bring that game up again, lol! I was flying home from College and caught the end of regulation at a bar between flights. When Gastineau roughed the passer I just walked out shaking my head knowing that we just screwed ourselves.
True. If it happens usually tiebreakers are involved What sort of bothers me is that the 2010 Patriots team that we beat was playing better than the 2007 team, the 07 team was old and out of gas by the time the Super Bowl came around and could've easily been picked off in the division or conference championship. The 2011 Patriots were just not that good and should've lost to Baltimore. The 2010 Pats were an otherworldly machine coming off a bye annihilating everybody 40-7 every week. Brady hadn't thrown an INT in months. We got bubkus for winning that game, even though that win was more impressive than both Giants Super Bowls Yes the Giants have beaten Brady too. But I'd like to see them plow through Manning, then Brady, THEN Roethlisberger. THEN play a Super Bowl. The Giants have always had the good fortune of running into a Romo or a Favre throwing the ball around the field like and idiot, or Alex Smith, or a very mortal Jeff Garcia in 2007.
I agree with a lot of this, but I also think that what the Giants did can't be diminished. They were able to mount the consistent, sustainable energy to win five road playoff games in two different seasons. As great as that win in NE was, we just didn't have enough left over to carry the day in Pitt. I do completely agree with you, though, that our 2010 playoff run was just ridiculously hard. The biggest difference between us and the Giants is that the Giants are 5-0 in NFC Championship games while we are 1-4 in AFC Championship games (Obviously, I am including our 1969 AFL Championship game win over Oakland). Notice, that both teams have advanced to the same number of conference/league championship games in the Superbowl era. The critical difference is that the Giants win the big games when they get there . . . and we just don't
The Patriots are looking unusually mortal, they are our only obstacle. Not this year, but next year and beyond will be our best chances to host a home playoff I think it'll happen within 5 years.
On the brightside, if we do truly end up the worst team in the NFL we will have the option of drafting the most formidable pass rusher since Lawrence Taylor.
The play in the 2009 AFC Championship Game that will always haunt me was a play on 2nd and 7 after we recovered the fumble. This was with about 2:16ish left, we run the ball to the right side and get a 3rd and 2. Unfortunately Damien Woody who was on the opposite side of the play got called for a 5 yard penalty false start that had ZERO effect on the play, so instead of being 3rd and 2 with a chance to kill the clock and go into the half potentially up 21-6 or 17-6, its 2nd and 12 and Rex plays conservatively and runs and takes the FG to go up 17-6. The rest is history, but if we don't get that flag, Peyton likely never sees the ball before the half and we would have had them pinned go into the 2nd half.
Ernest Byner and Kevin Mack were a pretty good duo. Byner sat out injured against the Jets that game.
Byner was banged up all season, and when he did play he was ineffective. But healthy he was a good all purpose back...just not in 86. The Browns were using Curtis Dickey/Kevin Mack that year. Neither were any good. They couldn't run the ball at all on us that day.
