September 2, 2011
2011 New York Jets Season Preview
The fan of the 2011 New York Jets is an
interesting creature. He has seen his team reach the penultimate
game of the NFL season for the last two years. Some people might say
that he has been spoiled by such recent success, and they might have
a point if they have no grasp of the history of this franchise. For
the long-suffering Jets fan, this recent success has come at the
price of drowning in mediocrity for most of the last 30 years.
Although they call the largest media market in the United States
home, the Jets have perennially played second fiddle to the more
established, more storied, and simply, more successful New York
Giants. Multiple losing seasons (1-15, 3-15, 6-10 win-loss records
have been the norm more so than outliers) have jaded fans so much so
that any glimmer of success has been accompanied by an impeding
anticipation of disaster. So while the past few trips to the AFC
championship game have definitely provided hope and small sense of
pride to the supporters of the Green and White, most fans over the
age of 20 have learned not to build their hopes too high. For years,
the phrase that would come to most fans to describe their squad would
be “Same Ol' Jets” (or “Just End The Season”, if they were
masochistic and had a hankering for acronyms). Starting quarterback
injured on the first drive of the first game of the season? Same ol'
Jets. Using your first pick in the NFL draft on a kicker? Same ol'
Jets. Having the first player in the history of the NFL to win the
Comeback Player of the Year award twice
because he suffered season-ending injuries twice? Same ol' Jets.
High draft picks like Blair Thomas and Vernon Gholston being claimed
“savior” and never even sniffing the hype thrust upon them?
Yep... same ol' Jets.
This most recent incarnation of the
Jets, however, has given its fan base a new outlook on their team.
Third-year head coach Rex Ryan has turned the football punchline of
New York into a consistent winner. The first draft pick of his
tenure, QB Mark Sanchez, has displayed a penchant for late-game
heroics, and he has formed his defense into one of the most feared
units in the league. Between the acquisitions of big-name playmakers
(RB LaDanian Tomlinson, LB Bart Scott, and CB Antonio Cromartie among
others) and classic press conference soundbites (“I never came here
to kiss Bill Belichick's rings”), Ryan has created a team with the
talent and motivation to compete for a championship.
The 2011 team enters the season looking
to continue on the success of back-to-back trips to conference
championships. With the exception of DE Shaun Ellis, replaced in the
offseason by rookie DE Muhammad Wilkerson, the defense returns its
entire starting lineup. This continuity in Ryan's complex defensive
scheme will ensure that the Jets remain at the top of the league in
defensive efficiency. Star CB Darrelle Revis, hampered by a
hamstring injury early in the 2010 season, comes into the year
completely healthy and ready to lead his team. His take: “Last
year holding out and coming in late, yeah, my game wasn’t where it
needed to be. The first two games and then I pulled the hamstring
against Randy [Moss], and then I came back too early. I wasn’t 100
percent, but that’s no excuse; I wanted to be out on the field and
play. I picked up the second half of the season and finished strong,
but this year is kind of like a revenge thing: I’m coming back and
I’m coming back strong.” Along with veterans Scott, S Jim
Leonard, and LB David Harris, the Jets should make good on that
promise of revenge.
While the defense is clearly the
strength of the team, an improved offense is going to determine if
the Jets can improve on past years' successes. Ryan has continually
espoused the philosophy that the key to success in the league, along
with a stellar defense, is an offense which can control the tempo of
the game with an efficient and bruising running attack. To that end,
the Jets' offense has been an complete success; statistically, it has
been the most dominant unit in the league under Ryan's tenure
(averaging 2565 rushing yards in the past two seasons). In order to
prevent teams from using that obvious run-bias to their advantage,
the Jets have also made it a point to improve their passing game as
well. Sanchez has organized multiple team activities over the last
two offseasons to improve his rapport with his receivers, and working
WR Santonio Holmes and the underrated TE Dustin Keller at his “Jets
West” camps have clearly helped with his development. In addition,
the Jets replaced WRs Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith with WRs
Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason, reasoning that adding experience
(Burress and Mason have a combined 23 years in the league and over
19,000 receiving yards) can further increase the firepower of the
Jets passing attack.
A strong, if not slightly insane head
coach, stability on a top-tier defense, a more potent offense, and
the best special teams coach in the NFL (ST coach Mike Westhoff has
made the names Leon Washington and Brad Smith synonymous with “kick
return studs”) give fans of the New York Jets a serious reason to
believe that their team will once again be a serious contender for
the AFC crown. Sure, the Patriots bring back an all-time great QB
Tom Brady, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens are
regular participants in the postseason, and the Chargers finished
last year with the top-ranked offense and
defense, but Ryan said it best last season: “Yeah, same ol' Jets...
going to the AFC championship two years in a row.”...
