Back in the 90\u2019s, when I lived in Connecticut, I was a New York Jets season ticket holder. This weekend, I recalled a specific game I took my father to, a late-season meaningless game against the then dynasty Dallas Cowboys. Specifically, it was December 18, 1993.\u00a0 The Jets were particularly lousy and lost 28-7. During the long and mostly silent ride home,\u00a0somewhere between the Meadowlands and Wallingford, CT my Dad said one thing. “You need to not take these games so seriously, it’s just a game”.<\/p>\n
Now, this of course, comes from a life-long Steelers fan, so what does he know about suffering, right? \u00a0You may be asking yourself, what exactly does this story have to do with the Jets 17-10 victory in Jacksonville Sunday afternoon? \u00a0It is perhaps only significant to me because I never heeded the old man’s advice. And now, for the first time in the 19 years since that car ride, it is only a game.\u00a0 The\u00a0New York Jets have won 2 in a row and 3 out of 4 games, and yet it’s only a game. The Steelers and Bengals both lost, keeping our razor thin playoff hopes alive, and still its only a game.<\/p>\n
To be honest, I cannot say exactly when I\u00a0became so ambivalent. Perhaps it’s the idea that at my age, only a team good enough to\u00a0win it all is worth\u00a0investing the passion that once caused so much angst. Maybe I have grown so wary of the Ryan and Tannenbaum show that I will not be re-energized until this ridiculousness ends.\u00a0\u00a0 What I do know for sure is, I watch every week as I have since 1980 and I love the New York Jets as much today as I did at 11 years old.\u00a0 I will continue to watch and I will continue to root, but I am finally taking my father’s advice.<\/p>\n
Rex Ryan stated that he started Mark Sanchez because he believed Sanchez gave the Jets the best chance to win. But those were not the most ridiculous words to come out of Florham Park this week. Mark Sanchez’s response of “message received” just about made me choke on my corn flakes. \u00a0What message?\u00a0 That he needed to play better? He needed to be benched to come to that conclusion? How completely ridiculous…<\/p>\n
Sanchez was efficient on this day though, going 12 for 19 and gaining 111 yards through the air. But from the 1:03 mark of the third quarter on, Sanchez threw just three times. Prior to that, his previous 8 completions were all less than 20 yards with half less than 10 yards. Until his final completion of 37 yards to Jeff Cumberland, he had compiled a measly 74 passing yards deep into the 4th quarter. \u00a0 Perhaps most telling was in the two 2nd half touchdowns drives, Sanchez threw just two passes combined, one for 7 yards the other for 10 yards. The final touchdown was all rushing. \u00a0Seven rushes in total. \u00a0Seems the best chance for the Jets to win was an effective running game and a defense that was capable of shutting down a struggling Jaguars offense. I can’t but help wonder, with that game plan, why Greg McElroy wasn’t more than capable of executing the offense? History tells us what we have in Sanchez, there is a general consensus of what Tim Tebow’s limitations are, it would be nice to know if there is one quarterback on this roster worth keeping.<\/p>\n
Obviously when the level of your opponent is one of the weakest in the league, it is difficult to assess what part of the Jets game was execution and what was the result of a poor performance by the Jaguars.\u00a0 For the moment, let\u2019s take things at face value.\u00a0 The running game, which was made up of equal parts of Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell, was exceptional.\u00a0 While it\u2019s not quite a thunder and lightning duo, their running styles are different enough to impact a defense.\u00a0 Greene being a more physical runner, while Powell hits the hole a little faster and gets to the second level with some space to run. The offensive line run blocking was very consistent and the pass blocking was adequate.\u00a0 There were a few breakdowns, but with the passing game made up of mostly 10 yards or fewer, Sanchez typically had enough time.\u00a0 The defense was by no means dominant, but they did enough to win the game.\u00a0 The lone bright spot for the Jaguars was Montell Owens.\u00a0 He ran for 91 yards, including a 32 yard touchdown scamper, which seemed to be a play where the Jets defense took a break.\u00a0 Owens could actually have walked the last 5 yards and still scored.<\/p>\n
The Jets were held scoreless in the first half, equally ineffective yesterday as they were last week against the Cardinals.\u00a0 They made a commitment to run the ball in the second half and it did pay off.\u00a0 But can this team really pull off three in a row by running the ball and playing adequate defense?\u00a0 The opponents over the next three weeks are not playoff bound, but the Titans, Chargers, and Bills will offer much more demanding tests in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n