The New York Jets: Why I'm Not a Non-Believer

This video alone brings out a large indication of why unlike the majority of the country, I am not ruling out the New York Jets in tomorrow's AFC Title Game (6:30 pm, CBS). Rather, I actually think the Jets are going to win. For one, Bart Scott, as brash and blunt as he is, just made a statement that embodies what this 2010 New York Jets team is. That's mad. Mad at the world, with the feeling that they're being disrespected, and in a way... they have been.

You're talking about a team that took a 9-7 record, and a small hope of making the playoffs last season (a hope that even their Head Coach, the outspoken Rex Ryan, at one point thought was gone) and ran with it. The Jets capitalize on everything. Any opportunity, any chance, and they have made the most of it. You're talking about a team that stumbled into those playoffs then rattled off playoff wins in Cincinnati, and in San Diego. They competed in last year's AFC Title Game against the Colts, led at the half, and looked in control until RB Shonn Greene went down with an injury that ended his game.

Those games were important, the Jets grew, they became a competitive team, and they learned, as Scott said "Anyone can be beat". They added of some extra pieces to an already talented team, including more playoff experience in LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie, and former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes in the offseason. More talent and a confident football team led to the Jets coming out gangbusters. They started 9-2 and 2nd year QB Mark Sanchez looked greatly improved, keeping away from the interceptions that plagued him in the '09 regular season. Then they hit a tough stretch, they lost to New England by 42, and again the next week in division at home against Miami. The critics piped up, the fact that they hadn't beaten a competitive team since Week 2 (New England) arose. Sanchez's play declined, and people were leaving the Jets, at 9-2 for dead in terms of being a Super Bowl threat. Its been that way ever since. That's a stigma they don't deserve. They were 11-5, they beat both Pittsburgh and New England in the regular season, and had the 3rd best defense in the league to go with enough weapons to make a NRA member happy. They've proved they are worthy to be here.

Furthermore, the Jets have the intangibles. First, they simply tend to play really well in January. They arguably came one less injury away from really giving the Colts a run for the AFC slot in the Super Bowl last year. In the last 2 years, they've won 4 playoffs games, all on the road, in Cincinnati, San Diego, Indianapolis, and New England. To recap that, they've beaten Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady without playing a home game. And in those 4 wins, plus the loss against Indy as well, they averaged 20.6 per game. If you go by the old adage of "if you score 17 points or more in a game, you have a good chance to win", then their offense has been adequate. Greene shows up in the playoffs, he's run for 5 yards a game in his playoff career (90 carries for 450 yards). Sanchez does too, he's got a 92.2 QB rating in his playoff career (922 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT). Receivers Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Dustin Keller all have playoff experience and combine to make one of the most talented receiving corps in the NFL. Simply put, this time of year, the Jets offense isn't the question everyone deems it to be. And the defense doesn't need to go explained. Just this year it made both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady look foolish.That's near impossible to do at all, let alone in back to back weeks when you gave Bill Belichek an extra week to prepare through a bye week. And for those saying that the Jets won't beat a physical running team; they did it last January in the Bengals, who at the time hung their hat on running with Cedric Benson.

Lastly, the proof of the Jets capability lies in their counterpart's history, a Steelers team of the past. I feel this New York Jets team is a dang near close to a spitting image of the 2005 Super Bowl Champion Steelers. Let's look at it: they have a 2nd year QB (Ben Roethlisberger to Sanchez) who is coming of age and done his best competing in the playoffs, an intangibles guy that has done nothing but win important games. They have an experienced running back tandem, one future Hall of Famer and one young skilled back to make a tough ground game (Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker to Tomlinson and Greene). They have very solid but not perfect offensive lines on both teams. And they have 2 incredibly talented defenses that have game-changing players at DB (Troy Polamalu to Darrelle Revis), along with 3-4 defenses with skilled LBs that charge and attack the football hard. I feel these 2 teams are eerily similar, and those Steelers ended up Super Bowl Champs. If anything these Jets are more talented at the WR position, and provide for a better opportunity for Sanchez to flourish, they are predisposed to having a better chance.

These Jets are a tough, confident team that isn't going to shy away from the big moment, they never have to this point. Every week since their trouncing by New England they have been written off, but just continue to win football games when its meant the most. No one expected them to beat Indy or New England, and they did. They can and will do it again tomorrow against Pittsburgh. Its just another opportunity for Bart Scott & co. to prove themselves, and they will be up to the challenge.

Buckle up tomorrow, its going to be a tough played, violent, football game, and its a game the Jets are poised to win.

What's the baseline?
This is one more for the non-believers. The Jets are the best team in the NFL when motivated and confident, and they are both right now. The Steelers are a heck of a football team, and will give the Jets everything they can handle, but I don't see anyone right now taking the wind out of the sails of the Jets. For the heck of it, I'll put a score on it. 21-17 Jets.