New Column.... 4th and Inches.

WILL THE REAL JETS (WHOEVER THEY MAYBE) PLEASE STAND UP!!!

        I feel sick to my stomach. Did that really just happen? No way, no how…it couldn’t have, NOT AGAIN?!?! Did the New York Jets, a franchise known for losing these types of game… do it again?

Why yes they did!

         Once again the Jets proved to be the franchise we all know and for some odd reason unconditionally love. It’s almost too tough to put into words the opportunity the Jets had last night to take a big step toward (albeit early) the AFC east crown.

        This was one of those Jets loses that is so bad if I were still in college I probably wouldn’t have woken up until well after they stopped running episodes of Sportscenter in the morning.

        Somehow the Denver Broncos were able to overcome their citation from the fashion police (and what seems to be an utter lack of real talent) to beat the New England Patriots. Leaving the door wide open for the Jets to seize the (early) lead in AFC east, a win last night would have giving the Jets a 1 game lead over the Pats(Hypothetically it would have been a 2 game lead due to the Jets having already beat the Pats and owing the tiebreaker). At the same time a win would have left the Miami Dolphins (and Buffalo Bills) at 1-4, and a full 3 games out of first…essentially all but out of the division race(Yes, I know the Dolphins were 2-4 last year and finished 11-5, but I don’t think this is the same Dolphins team).

        Before the season the Jets weren’t suppose to be in this position. They had a rookie coach, and a rookie QB. It seemed that they were more likely destined for a .500 season at best, then sitting about the AFC east at this seasons quarter pole. But because they took a few steps forward and the rest of the AFC east have seemingly taken a few back this opportunity was just sitting in their lap.

        To paraphrase Britney Spears…Oops they did it again! The Jets blew a golden opportunity. The Jets lost a game I didn’t think was possible to lose with a Coach like Rex Ryan. Maybe they were overconfident? Because I sure as hell know I didn’t think there was chance the Jets lose this game…Not with Rex Ryan at the helm…Not with Mark Sanchez under center…and not with that defense seemingly ready to (Especially Bart Scott, who in the October 5th issue of Sports Illustrated expressed how unimpressed he was with the wildcat offense) eat up the “wildcat” and apply an exorbitant amount of pressure on a QB (Chad Henne) who was starting only the second game of his career.

        I guess we can suspend that “Hudson” Super Bowl talk for now. The Giants still look and act the part. That was made abundantly clear after the Giants 44-7 walloping of the Raiders this on Sunday. While the Jets might to a certain degree still look the part they need to do something few Jets have rarely done… Act the part. Believe me this team is talented enough to get back to Miami for the Super Bowl. The kicker is they need to stop playing like they’re the New York Jets. If you want to win a Super Bowl you need to win the games you’re suppose to win…Something that I mentioned before the Jets in their not so illustrious history have proven rather incapable of doing.

         For some reason…perhaps unexplainable, the Jets cannot just go out there and win a damn ball game when they are the better team. It happened last year with losses to the 49ers, Raiders, and Seahawk’s. Even if they win these types of games…they always have to make it interesting.

         But, alas…I thought all that has changed under Rex Ryan. Week 1 the Jets are in the Houston to face the Texans. A very trendy playoff pick…But a team after you start to scratch away at the surface seemed to be one the Jets could crush, and perhaps should crush if Mark Sanchez could just manage his first NFL game. Sanchez more than managed the game (looking like a seasoned vet on 3 down conversions). The Jets took the early lead and never looked back.  (Rex Ryan- Right)

           I thought it was over…I thought maybe, just maybe the Jets had changed their stripes. Finally the Jets would start to win the games they should win, and perhaps win the close games against opponents of similar quality…We saw them do that in week 2 against the Pats(Yes, on paper the Pats would seem to be the better team, but you could just tell they’ve taken steps back). Then in week 3 the Jets even proved to me that maybe they were impervious to a letdown game after they simply took care of business against the Tennessee Titans. Things were looking up for the Jets; Granted in week 4 Sanchez finally looked like a rookie against the Saints. But the defense played great…Holding the most prolific passing offense in the game to zero passing touchdowns at home in their(Super)dome.

         And then came the primetime Monday Night Football game. Going into Monday night the Jets looked primed for a rebound game. Sanchez had his new toy in Braylon Edwards, and the defense was quite simply still the eleven headed monster it had proven to be thus far in the early season. But when the clock struck zero and the game was over it just wasn’t meant to be last night. Although Sanchez looked good the Jets were outplayed in every facet of the same.

         The defense looked lethargic and the running game wasn’t at the level it needs to be to make the Jets playoff contenders .Like a game of shuts and ladders the Jets are now back to stage one.

The question is NOW WHAT?

         Well the picture isn’t as grime as I may have initially painted it. It’s time for Jets fan to look at the glass half full instead of the typical analysis of it being more than half empty. And maybe it’s good the Jets learned in week 4 and 5 that they weren’t going to coast to the playoffs. Unlike last year, when with four games left they made an emergency landing back down to earth after a dreadful performance in week 13 against the Broncos at a wet and wild Giants Stadium.  (Peyton Hillis #22 during last years Bronco/Jet Game)

          The Jets are still 3-2, tied for first place in the division. They have four games ahead that are more than winnable (Home to Bills, at the Raiders, Home to Dolphins, Bye and the home to the Jags) and a bye week between them and a meeting with the New England Patriots up in Foxboro that could give the winning team the clear advantage in the AFC east race. Three home games…and a road game against the JUCO caliber Oakland (Community College) Raiders. The Jets could be and probably should be 7-2 going into the Pats game.

So what do the Jets need to do to win these next four games?

         First and foremost before we get to the X’s and O’s the Jets need to get that “swagger” back. And that starts with the head coach…Mr. Rex Ryan. After his first losing streak Sexy Rexy needs to be as confident as he was following the Jets three game winning streak.

         Ryan is the face of this team, and the mouthpiece that speaks for it. The team needs to know that, and believe in him again. Ryan also needs to instill that message and belief into Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard…The two players that trust and know him best.

          I also implore Rex to stay in control. We enjoy the similarities to your father, but that is as far as we want it to go. Please…Please…Please don’t have the type of sideline meltdowns that personified your fathers coaching career. We all know you’re not here to “kiss Belicheck’s rings.” And believe me I don’t want you too…Do whatever you need to do to get your team back on track and ready for New England, without losing control of them.

           The Defense is there. While it may have gone on vacation to South Beach on Monday night we all know it is far too talented to have another week like that.

           Revis needs help. Thank you Dwight Lowery for your efforts, but as of now you should be no more than a nickel or dime back. But due to the lingering injuries to Donald Strickland and Lito Sheppard our fourth best DB(Lowery) is forced to play like he is our second.

           After Revis gave up that long touchdown pass and got burnt by Ted Ginn Jr we all need to realize he is human. Not saying he isn’t one of the best in the game, just saying sometimes the best have a bad play or two and they need more then a “serviceable” performance that a Dwight Lowery type player can provide.

           Rex Ryan finally has that pure pass rusher he so desperately coveted with the return of Calvin Pace. Figure out how to maximize his output. Pace has the talent to be to the Jets defense what Terrell Suggs was to the Raven’s Rex Ryan run defense. Unleash the beast…let the dude make some plays.

          Once Sheppard and/or Strickland come back there is no reason why this defense shouldn’t be one of the game’s best week in and week out. So what the “wildcat” ran wild over us. That’s the type of smoke and mirror offense a defensive genius like Rex Ryan loves to see a second time. (Suggs #55)

           It’s frustrating enough to lose two games in a row in the NFL. It’s even more so when the two loses are for two completely opposite reasons. That’s what made Monday nights lose so perplexing, because unlike the Jets week 4 lose in New Orleans the offense actually looked pretty good. I stress GOOD, because it was far from perfect.

           For Mark Sanchez to be successful he needs to complete more than fifty percent of his passes. “Sanchise” threw the ball 24 times last night which is probably the ballpark amount you want him to throw every game…The problem is he only completed 12 of those passes. And of course he needs to avoid any more turnover sprees similar to the one he had down in the big easy.

          The bright side is it looks like Braylon Edwards acclamation into the offense will end up being easier than initially thought. The acquisition of Edwards has already paid instant dividends in the passing game. Edwards has shown he can make the big play…hold onto the ball after the big hit…and frustrate defensive backs enough to draw multiple pass interferences calls.

          Once Sanchez gets on the same page with his three main targets (Edwards, Cotchery, and Keller), and figures out to best utilize them watch out for this passing attack. And that’s without even mentioning the screen game the Jets can have with Leon Washington.

          Speaking of Leon Washington…What happened to the “Seminole” offense the Jets ran so effectively in the first four games of the season? Just because it’s a carbon copy of the Dolphins “wildcat” offense doesn’t mean you can’t run it a few times. After all, football is a game of “imitation.” And the Jets are not nearly as dependent on the “Seminole” as the Fins are with the “Wildcat.”In order to make this offense and especially Leon Washington as effective as it possibly can the Jets need to show defenses as many different looks as it can. Don’t worry Schottenheimer… Mangini is no longer in New York, don’t be afraid to be creative and take some risks.

           This running game needs to be a lot better than it has been to make this offense go. If the Jets were a run first team with Brett Favre under center last year, then they are even more so with Mark Sanchez this year. You can’t expect a rookie quarterback to excel every week without a consistent and at times dominant running game. With the addition of potential running back of the future Shonn Green, and that offensive line this part of the offense should not be the one struggling.

           Thomas Jones needs to find the magic of ’08 season back. Sure on the surface Jones looks fine because he has 5 touchdowns and is on pace for 16. But most of those have come in short yardage situations. TJ is averaging a pedestrian like 3.7 yards per carry, while rarely showing the bursts of speed and power he displayed throughout last season. If the Jets are going to win they need to find that thunder, be it Jones or Greene to go along with the lighting part of the rushing attack that is Leon Washington.

            The special teams look pretty damn good. Feely keeps on kicking em through, and coordinator Mike Westhoff is still the same genius he proved to be o so many years ago. If I had to nit-pick… I’d like to see punter Steve Weatherford avoid the touchbacks. If Weatherford can pin the opponents deep in their own zone then that defense will be able to do what it does best….Frustrate and confuse the opposing teams quarterback beyond recognition.

          Once again the Jets have a golden opportunity ahead of them, four games that they could and most likely should win. This Jets team must answer several questions over the next five weeks. Will the Jets seize this opportunity and help erase this ugly lose to the Dolphins? Which Jets team will show up for their rematch against the hated Pats at Gillette Stadium in week 11? The one who started 3-0, and seemed to be the exact polar opposite of almost every Jets team we have ever known? Or the one who has lost two in a row and seems all too familiar for this diehard fan? Only time will be able to answers these questions…But let it be known that this diehard still believes, and knows this team has what it takes to be great. I lived through the Rich Kottie era and a 1-15 season. I will not let a little two game losing streak dash my hopes for a team that is good enough to do the same thing Joe Namath did with the Jets in the same city (Miami) as this year’s Super Bowl some 40 years ago.      (Namath Right)

- Staff Writer  Robert P Luckett