11) The New York Jets Will Miss The Playoffs
I can't find a more overrated team in the NFL than the Jets, and I suppose we should all thank jovial coach Rex Ryan for that.
... jets are coming off back to back afc championship games ... he's right about us being able to thank rex ryan for making that happen ... he's foolish with the premise that the jets will miss the playoffs ...
The problem is, as other teams in the AFC seemed to have strengthened themselves, the Jets have stayed at the same level. In fact, they may have taken steps back.
... the biggest ?'s for the jets will be answered from within ... their performance this year will be based on the following:
1 ... health - as with many teams depth is a concern in the salary cap era ...
2 ... sanchez - can he take a reasonable 5-10% step forward in year 3 (specifically with comp%, redzone efficiency, & td/int ration)
3 ... passrush - can the front 7 generate more pressure & finish at the qb (new blood has been brought in & older established vets have been moved out ... it is a reasonable gamble to have made ...
4 ... kyle wilson - can k-dub & the gang handle #3 wr's & te's over the middle. revis & cro will most likely be even better this year against the #1 & #2 wr's ... will the rest of the guys be able to handle the middle 5,6,7,8 seconds into the play? this will improve giving up 3rd & longs to allow opponents drives to continue ...
People are expecting Mark Sanchez to take a step forward and turn into a true franchise quarterback in his third year,
... i expect a reasonable 5-10% improvement in his #'s ... the heart of the jets will be as it always has been under rex - defense, defense, defense ... that is going to be the primary driver for the jets to make a superbowl run ...
but I question where exactly he'll throw the ball to. Santonio Holmes has the talent to be a No. 1 receiver, but he's only had more than 60 receptions once in his career.
... tone's #'s last season were based on missing the 1st month for suspension ... i'd expect those to increase by 25% simply by playing 16 games ... then add a bit more for sanchez improving a bit ...
... do not be fooled though, after defense, defense, defense, the jets will continue to be more of a running team than most of the other teams in the league ... run/pass ration may be around 50/50% - 45/55% ...
Plaxico Burress, while he showed flashes of his former self in his first preseason game, is 34, been out of the league for two years, and already has ankle issues.
... anyone who saw the jets/bengals preseason game who is honest with themselves knows that plax brought it ... as a jets fan i was thrilled more than my wildest hope ...
Derrick Mason was once a great receiver, but is now entering his 15th season and is clearly past his prime.
... while this is true he is not being compared to derrick mason 8 years ago ... in comparing how the jets offense will perform this season he is being compared to jerricho cotchery coming off of back surgery ... i was a big fan of cotch ... believe it was a medical decision that they didn't want to invest in someone coming off back surgery ... he also valued himself as a #2 wr and asked jets to let him go ... once he was let go he ran into a harsh dose of reality and the best he could find was fitting in as a #4/#5 wr for the steelers ...
Is this group better than the departed Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery?
... this certainly still needs to be determined ... they have shown up impressively so far .... my take is a wash at worst ... possibly will be a step forward ... still to be determined ...
Let's not forget the Jets also lost Brad Smith,
... this is just laughable to use brad smith to support a wr argument ...
For all of the accolades, Shonn Greene has not showed he's capable of becoming a franchise back and LaDainian Tomlinson is another year older. Will the run game really be as good as last year, especially if Sanchez actually does worse this year with fewer weapons?
... greene does have to prove he can stay healthy & be more solid holding onto the football ... he has shown good burst ... and a nice combo of power/speed when he's been on the field ... he can be an elite runner if he masters staying on the field ...
... if he can't expect L-T to get 1/2 of the carries this year just like last year ... even though that is not what the jets want to happen ... there are 2 young kids with talent as well in joe mcknight & bilal powell ... who are raw but have shown ability ... i'd expect the coaching staff to see if either of these guys could take some of the load off of L-T if greene didn't deliver in an attempt to save some tread on L-T's tires for the post season run ...
The Jets could fight to get another wild card berth this year for sure. But eventually, if you keep playing with fire and keep flirting with a sixth seed in the AFC, you're eventually going to get burned. I believe a team like Kansas City is better than the Jets and will take that spot away from gang green.
... the jets will battle for the afc east crown & are more likely to take the division than to not make the playoffs ... if my above keys come out in the jets favor they will take the division ...
l_j_r
....as for Maybin.. the jets figure if they can get anything from him compared to Vernon Gholston its a win.....since that ceiling was near the floor already 
