So what? People's attitudes this offseason may have been similar to last years, but you are completely ignoring that over and above how people are discussing the offseason are the actual players that we have acquired. There is way more justification to feel somewhat optimistic about 2015. We acquired Marshall and Revis (among others), not Dmitri Patterson or whatever. So yea you could probably dig up some post from last year showing how posters were similarly cheery about our 2014 schedule, but last year is not this year, we actually are having a productive (although I think flawed) offseason.
we are a 4-12 team in the middle of a rebuild. it takes more then a productive offseason and we still dont have a good QB. can we go 9-7? 10-6? sure if things roll right. we can also go 5-11. People discount bringing in a ton of new people. we have an entire new coaching staff and probably will have 6-10 new starters. even if all those guys are good it takes a while for that to all mesh. plus, my point was less about the jets and more about other teams... those "projected bad teams" could win 9-11 games this year. we could lose to bad teams, we have even back when we were a good team. unless you have someone like brady or rodgers you cant chalk up wins over even subpar teams
My starting lineups: QB: Smith or Fitzpatrick (Upgrade based on experience with Geno, or less turnovers with Fitz) RB: Ivory WR: Marshall, Decker, Kerley (Upgrade) OT: Ferguson, Giacomini (Downgrade based on age) OG: Carpenter, Colon (Upgrade based on no Winters/Aboushi) C: Mangold DT: Harrison (Upgrade based on experience) DE: Richardson, Wilkerson (Upgrade based on experience) MLB: Harris, Davis (Draw, Harris older, Davis more experience) OLB: Coples, Pace (Downgrade based on age) CB: Revis, Skrine (Big Upgrade) S: Pryor, Allen (Upgrade based on experience) With an easier schedule, on paper this looks like a 10 win team to me (Titans, Jaguars, Giants, Redskins, Dolphins x 2, Patriots, Texans, Browns, Raiders). Obviously, you don't play games on paper, and anything can happen. And it all relies on Geno or Fitz stepping up. But I have high hopes for next year. Just hoping for a good draft.
How can this same exact thread have existed last year, when our schedule on paper was much, much harder? We draft 6th overall, and we play 4 of the 5 teams this year that were bad enough to draft above us. Last year our non-division home games were against denver, pittsburgh, detroit, chicago and oakland. The Jets obviously still have to perform to win, and no game is a gimme, but there is reason to be more optimistic going into this year since, on paper, the schedule is much easier.
