The Jets have come back from 4-12 seasons before. I remember 1981. The fact we will have a new, young team is undeniable and a point of great concern right now, but just think of the great teams, ours and others, that have risen from such situations. The fact is any good young players have a better chance of being discovered by the Jets now than at any time since Bill Parcells took over. I'd give last year's Jets a 5% chance of amounting to anything special this coming year. But that's not what we are getting in 2006. God willing there's a football season next year, I feel optimistic our chances are better than that.
I based it on position by position. I consider the team that started the 2004 season to be the most talented team we have had since 2000. So comparing next years team to what the 2004 team looked like coming into the season position by position us why I have us rated higher this year. Below is what I consider upgrades and downgrades over how the team looked coming into the 2004 season. But keep in mind this is before we have had the oppurtunity to add FA's and players from the draft this year. So we should only get better in comparison. Upgrades: Defense 1. Miller over Abraham 2. Barret over Barret 3. Rhodes over Toungue 4. Coleman over the rookie Coleman 5. Vilma over Cowart 6. Barret over the Barret that started 2004 coming off a very bad 2003 season. 7. Hobson over Hobson More experience and a better player. 8. Robertson over Robertson Robertson came off a very disappointing 2003 season has more expereince and is a much better player now. Offense 9. Coles over Moss 10. McCairens over Mcareins Although McCareins While not coming off a good year he has much more experience and is more proven than the player who entered the 2004 season. 11. Jones over Fabini. Anyone over Fabini is an upgrade. 12. Moore over Moore 13. Nugent over Brien 14. Graham over Gowin Downgrades: 1. Ellis over Ellis 2. Ferguson over whoever is our NT 3. Abraham over whoever is our DE 4. Pennington over Pennington 5. Martin over Martin 6. Sowell over Askew 7. Becht over Jolley 8. Mawae over whomever 9. Kendell over Kendell 10. McKenzie over whoever is our RT This is before the draft and signing FA’s. We have more depth now than we have had in a long time and better starters. But like I said in my previous post better talent doesn’t win games without good QB play. While the 2004 team came into the year inexperienced with many many question marks they were light years ahead in talent of the teams that started the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Most of these young players have grown in the last 2 years and come into the 2005 with much mroe expereince and better players. On the other side many players have gotten older and come into 2005 with more question marks. But overall to answer your question we are better off in a position by position comparison before we even get to FA signings or the draft. Does that mean we will have a playoff year next year. I doubt it unless we get good QB play and adhere to a good conservative offensive low turnover philosphy. But there is reason to be optimistic and have hope.
First if Chad is healthy he is excellent and we win a lot of games - (Even as a Chad lover I think he is done - but he'll make one heck of a coach) But I remember thinking Super Bowl in the preseason of the last few years... and this year pre-draft I'm just...not. But ya never know!
On the contrary DROB63Cmart28, GSourJr is the eternal optimist despite the darksider name. I'd just been reading so many negative posts about next year being a washout, I believe there is a chance the Jets could make the playoffs next, if a half dozen things work there way. Also, I wasn't referring to the last 5-7 years of Jets football, which can arguably be considered the Golden Age of NYJ. I was referring to the frozen tundra of the 70's, the barren desert of a decade between 1987 Waltons and 1997s Parcells.
