5 REASONS JETS FANS CAN HOPE YES, THEY CAN: The arrival of Brett Favre is only one reason the Jets figure to be OK this year, despite their disappointing loss Sunday to the Patriots. Posted: 2:36 am September 17, 2008 YES, JetsNew York Jets fans, you're still down and a bit rattled by Sunday's loss to the Patriots after such high hopes followed you into Giants Stadium. But, in an early analysis just two games into this season, there are reasons to be cheerful. Here are five reasons this is a much better Jets team than the futile product you watched stumble to 4-12 last year. * Pass rush: The Jets, quite simply, didn't have one last year, producing only 29 sacks in 16 games, a meager average of 1.8 per game. Through two games this season, the Jets have seven sacks, an average of 3.5 per game, which puts them on pace for 56 for the year. The additions of LB Calvin Pace and DT Kris Jenkins have already paid dividends and they figure to get even better. And how about LB Bryan Thomas , who was nearly invisible last season with 2? sacks all year? Thomas already has three sacks in two games and is playing with newfound motivation thanks to the additions of Pace and top draft pick Vernon Gholston. * Run defense: Yes, the Patriots hurt the Jets late in Sunday's loss, with Lamont Jordan gaining a bunch of yards out of a spread formation. That was more a product of the Jets being too late to adjust. But their base defense, anchored by the powerful and penetrating Jenkins, has proved itself to be difficult to run on by both the Dolphins and Patriots. Jenkins is a difficult force in the middle for teams to move. Opponents are forced to put two offensive linemen on him, and that's opening up lanes for the likes of Pace, LB David HarrisDavid Harris and safeties like Kerry Rhodes and Eric Smith to cheat up to the line. The Jets are allowing opponents just 3.1 yards per carry through two games, and if that keeps up they're going to win a lot of games. * Thomas Jones: When the Jets get Jones into a rhythm, he's proving how much better a back he is with a real offensive line in front of him (with apologies to the departed Adrien Clarke and Anthony Clement). After a season in which he averaged a paltry 3.4 yards per carry and scored only one rushing TD all year, Jones has 171 yards and one TD through two games. That projects to 1,368 yards and eight TDs for the year. If those are Jones' numbers - or close to them - the Jets will be playing in the postseason. Perhaps the most significant number on his stat line is his 4.4-yards per carry. That's showing that Jones isn't getting stuffed at the line for short gains, no gains or even losses like he did last year. Though it's still fresh in your mind from Sunday, don't base the Jets' rushing attack on their failure to punch it in from the goal line against the Patriots. That failure to score was more a product of conservative, unimaginative play-calling than it was the OL and Jones - though the players certainly could have executed better. * Brett Favre: He's already performed fairly well through two games and is only going to get better. Even in losing to the Patriots and producing only 10 points, you can see how dynamic Favre is. Once he gets in sync with Laveranues Coles and gets rookie TE Dustin Keller more into the mix, this is going to be a potentially potent passing attack. * The schedule: It's going to get a lot easier after Monday night's game against the Chargers in San Diego. After San Diego, the Jets play the surprising Cardinals (2-0) at home, then play the pathetic Bengals (0-2) at home before a trip to play the dysfunctional Raiders (1-1) in Oakland and then come home to play the weakling Chiefs (0-2). If the Jets could steal a road victory from the desperate and dangerous Chargers, they could set themselves up to be 6-1 or 5-2 before they go to Buffalo on Nov. 2 to play the tough Bills. So there you go, Jets fans. As you lick your wounds from Sunday's loss to the Patriots, who despite being Brady-less are still the class of the AFC until someone proves otherwise, remember that there are reasons to be cheerful about your chances in 2008. __________________
While the schedule will get easier, that only gives hope for more wins, not meaningful ones. Besides, the way the Bills are playing right now, I would not be surprised to get swept by them if we do not start executing better.
That article may have been uplifting, but the one thing I am becoming increasingly doubtful about is whether Coles will ever take it up a notch or two. He may well have had it.
Do remember his performance two years ago? He played his ass off the entire season. Coles had a bad game, it happens to everybody. It's probably rust.
Not so sure about that. He is showing signs of having jumped the shark. I really do think that getting his bell rung catching Pennington's ducks the past few years has taken its toll. Plus, the Jets just threw more money at him so that means he's due to start sucking.
56 sacks on the year would make this team the most feared pass rush in the NFL. The NY Giants had 53 last year. Why did he apologize to Clement and Clarke? They suck.
Good question - it seems like every beat writer tries to baby them when they talk about the upgraded Jets o-line. They never want to say anything bad about Clement or Clarke. Why the hell not? They have no problem shitting on good players yet they "protect" shit players? weird.
Like stats win SB... ---------------------------------- At the end of the day, it's all about scoring as much as you can while limiting your opponent as much as you can. ManHerm isn't doing that.
I know what you are saying, but you still have to win those games against poorer opponents. Good teams win those types of games. Mediocre teams lose a couple of those games.
Could've, should've, would've, didn't... We won the game, which is the only thing that matters from that game. Get off it already. Hindsight will make you retarded, I promise.
Good article it makes very good points. Look at the jets schedule they play the nfc west still and once Favre gets In sinc with the offense we should be fine. Plus the patriots are still a good team without Brady.
I have watched both of there games & what the Pats did to our OL is nothing compared to what the Bills will do it
I think Coles wil be fine. He had no pre-season and he's just getting in synch with Favre. They just missed a TD in Miami and he dropped a couple Sunday, but the good thing is he's getting open and Favre is hitting him. As long as that is happening and Coles stays healthy they will be fine. I thought he was gone on that catch and run the other day, he even had Baker as a blocker which seemed to slow him down a little.
Wow, are you saying Buffalo's defensive front is better than the Patriots? I haven't seen Buffalo yet, but if what you say is true, the Bills will be a powerhouse this season.
Since Champ hates D'Brick, he is probably basing most of his opinion on the fact that Schobel owned D'Brick last season.
champ heard a former 3rd string QB on ESPN one time say Brick wasn't going to be any good. So that's, you know, fact.
