September 13, 2009 will be remembered as a day that Jets fans everywhere experienced more than the thrill of victory. They also felt another strange feeling... slightly familiar, but more like an anticipatory breath of fresh air. I think they call it "HOPE". The last time I remember feeling this way as a Jets fan was sometime during October of 2002 as I watched a very young Pennington start to emerge as a smart accurate QB who had a knack for winning games.
What do we know about #6 thus far? His enthusiasm and winning attitude is infectious. Thats a big part of being a leader on the field. We will learn a lot more about this young man as the season progresses. How will he respond to adversity, and how will he perform when playing from behind? As teams start to adjust to him and his style will he also continue to evolve? Brian Schottenhiemer called an amazing game on offense, but he will not be able to protect Sanchez with nifty play calling week in and week out. Next week should be very interesting.
We had 52 other players suit up for week one in Houston... who else stood out? How about a young man named David Harris. The trade rumors regarding #52 and a certain disgruntled WR from the AFC West really worried me. I love Harris and he really set the tone for our defense on Sunday.
How about the undrafted rookie FA out of Rutgers with his first sack in his first career game. Westerman is a natural football player (that would be the exact opposite of what you are Mr. Gholston?). He will need a couple of years to really emerge, but he has all the tools.
How about the trio of Cotchery, Stuckey and Keller. They all came to play, and there is something to be said about an underrated squad with a chip on it's shoulder. Stuckey had an amazing 1st down conversion on a 3rd and 10 in the 1st quarter. 'Cotch Diesel' was all over the field and kept finding the weak spots in the zone. He had a heartbreaking drop in the endzone, but other than that one miscue he played very solid. Keller had a number of big catches including the final 3rd down conversion that set up Jones for the 38 yard game winning TD.
Our running game really struggled in the first half, but Jones and Washington put up over 160 yards combined and our balanced offensive attack was the key to Sanchez's success. Washington was productive, but he didn't have any of his 'WOW' plays. He may not have put up anything for the highlight real but he "wowed" me. On a busted play in the 1st quarter he made one of the key plays in the entire game.
Sanchez dropped back to pass and two Houston defenders were in his face before he had a chance to think. He tried to scramble and avoid the blitz, and he made a real rookie mistake by throwing up a lame duck end over end pass. It floated about 25 ft in the air and a Houston LB honed in on it. It was going to be an easy interception until Neon Leon dived in and knocked the ball out of the LB's hands. You probably won't see that on ESPN as a highlight, but it was one the top key plays of the game.
I did predict this game as a win back when the schedule first came out (before we even drafted Sanchez). My main reasoning gravitated around identity. I knew Ryan would make sure that the Jets had a very clear vision of who and what they are. Kubiak has had years to accomplish that in Texas and they are still searching.
We are a hard hitting aggressive team in all three phases, and one has to be excited to think about week 5 and beyond when we have both Ellis and Pace back on the field. I still don't see us making the post season, but at least the 2009 Jets are a team that should be fun to watch.
One final thought. Bill Belichick is simply a cheater and this is a proven fact, not an opinion. He coaches his players to play dirty. Don't be surprised if one of the dozens of cheap shots the Pats take on Sanchez (most of which won't be called) ends up as an injury. I am sure Billy B will be coaching his defenders all week to try and injure #6.
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