I really think that the only team that could have won was the 98 team. Had a SB winning coach who had been there before, talent on both sides and before Denver seemed to have all the right mojo. I was at the LA game prior to the Mud Bowl and I was at the Jax game prior to the Denver 2nd half fiasco. I know that most think the Jets lost because of the tarp issue. Did they get screwed? Yes - but they were playing in Miami for a reason. Jets were only 6-3 in a strike shortened season and lost to Miami twice. So the thought that this was a gimme is a farce. I really think the '82 team is a little over rated. 1985 and 1986 were way better. The Rex era teams were stunted offensively. No way the beat the Saints and while on paper they could hang with the Packers, but I don't think it would have happened. Might have gotten blown out by both.
I felt that the Rex era teams were significantly better with Kris Jenkins playing than they were with him on IR. I remember several instances where he bulldozed the center backwards over their own QB--I remember mixed feelings when he did it to Pennington, for instance. With Jenkins on the field and healthy, the Ryan era Jets could dominate any offense. This illuminates one of the biggest weaknesses of the Ryan era--elite starters + high school quality backups = Failure.
Freeman McNeil was great for us but it is still hard to believe we lost John Riggins and got nothing in return.
Disgree About Rodgers getting rolling, he was decent against Philly but Vick choked at the end, he had a great game in Atlanta, then got outplayed by Chicago's backup QB the following week. Aaron Rodgers has since had a long history of coming up short in the playoffs and failing as the playoffs get deeper, I think the Jets beat them. Pittsburgh nearly beat them and had the ball AFTER playing a terrible half of football. Rodgers was no good in the nfc championship, like all of his championship games he has been bad.
It was an extremely windy day, the only difference that day was that the packers made their fgs and the jets did not.
2009 they lost to saints in week 4 of Sanchez's rookie season. It was the last game for many years where Brees had no tds. The saints scored off of Sanchez's pick 6 and fumble 6. It was an early road game In Sanchez's career, if he played a clean game in the Super bowl the jets would beat the Saints. The Saints were reeling and really should have lost against Minnesota, Indy had them pinched until the onside kick. I firmly believe to this day the Jets would have sealed the deal against new Orleans if they had been there, how things would have been different if they had happened.
I completely forgot they played the Saints in 09. It's wild to think how close the team has come on multiple occasions and yet are considered a "garbage organization" by many. There are multiple ares for vast improvement but some fan bases would kill to get that close.
1998 team would have blown out Atlanta. I can't speak of '82 as I wasn't around. I think the 2009 team would have just been so happy to be there, and there was no stopping Saints destiny that year. 2010 would have been a hell of a game.
The 98 team had played - and beat the absolute shit out of - the Falcons earlier that year. Granted, they had their backup QB in. But always think that would've shaken the Falcons to see us again in the Super Bowl. Even if the Falcon's rallied around bulletin board "let's get em back" material, we were too good. Damn. 10-0 still haunts me.
