One of my all-time least favorite squads...

The Jets have dumped 3 of their last four since my last post. They were completely exposed in New England, flat an uninspired against Miami and lost a shoot out to The Bears. They squeaked out a win in the Big Ketchup Bottle last week, but that was due to the on going heroics of Brad Smith.

In the Miami loss the defense actually looked pretty good but the offense was non-existent. In the Bears game Jay Cutler sliced our defense to pieces but the offense showed some life. In the past few weeks we have also suffered "Trip-gate" and "Foot-gate". If you add all this up you have a circus act and not a football team... certainly not a championship football team.

We may win next week and end up 11-5. We have clinched a playoff birth and will most likely face the Chiefs. KC is not a bad football team, but we are much more talented. So, we could feasibly make it to the divisional round. It really makes no difference. The two teams that will be in the AFC Championship game will be the Steelers and Pats. They are two organizations that demand a professional approach to the game and everyone on those teams understands this is a business.

For some reasons the Jets and Giants both have squads that seem to think they are a part of some summer camp for big spoiled children. They don't punch their time cards and go to work on Sunday. Instead they use the pre game warm ups to practice their celebrations and pouty faces. They must think all the cameras are around because they are shooting a sports themed sit-com... or in the cases of these two teams, a sad melancholy drama.

These rich brats need to start playing with some intensity. When I watched the 2008 Jets give up on Mangini I blamed him. Looking back Mike Tannenbaum built one hell of a team that year and they missed the playoffs. The 2010 Jets are even better and they nearly missed the tournament as well. I have been critical over the years of Mr. T but I just realized that this guy has done everything possible to field a dominate team. The problem is we lack leadership and accountability. I am not an expert on the Giants, but I would suspect it's probably the same story there as well.

Is it NYC that causes these distractions. Too many exotic women, exotic clubs/restaurants and exotic drugs? Too much media exposure? What gives???

All I know is that the Jets are the most talented team in the league. They have underachieved to say the least, and they know that if they turn it on at the end of games they can usually steal a win. They approach the game with very little fire and put in just enough effort to keep it close. Players like Shonn Greene and Darrell Revis know how talented they are and they show up when they feel like it. These are two of our most promising young players and they should be our leaders. After everything #24 put his team and the fans through this offseason he should have showed up with something to prove. He and his fat coach brag every week about how he is the best defender in the league... how about backing that up MEvis?

The harsh reality is... that with this level of talent all a team like the jets really needs is a ticket to the dance, which the Redskins handed us Sunday afternoon. They can win the Superbowl if they turn it on during the next few weeks. The big question is if I will be rooting for them.

This 2010 squad is one of my all time least favorites and Rex has worn out his welcome as far as I am concerned. I'd rather have a high character group like the 2004 Jets whos roster included guys you could root for... Pennington, Martin, Chrebet, Vilma, Mawae, and Jason Ferguson. Those guys punched their time cards and they didn't sit around pouting on the sidelines when times got tough. They were leaders. They may have only made it to the divisional round but I doubt this "new and improved" 2010 version can make it any further.

Even though Sanchez takes most of the heat because he is the QB I feel he has done some good things this season. If we do have football in 2011 he may very well start to look like a top 5 pick. I still have faith in this guy!

Random thoughts...

The pressure on Monday night is not on the Jets. We are the underdog, we have the young QB and the Pats have Jesus Christ behind center (apparently), they are the home team, we have already beat them once this season. If we get off to a quick start by forcing a turnover, and or scoring the first TD, it will be very obvious which team has their back against the wall.

Is Peyton Manning declining, or is the team just too banged up? His two biggest games in the past 12 months ended in HORRIBLE interceptions. The Superbowl last year and the Pats game two weeks ago were inexplicable. There weren't any tipped balls or sneaky coverages. Both of those ill-advised, game losing plays weren't on 4th down either. It wasn't like.. throw it up and take one final shot. He was driving down the field in both situations with a chance to win, and he tossed two Favre-esc head scratchers. Weird.

I am disgusted @ what a long leash the Commissioner has given the Steelers. They have publicly attacked him and the league rules flagrantly and without any filter week after week. That organization certainly gets special treatment. If the Jets were taking shots like this the league would be handing down some serious fines. And we would be portrayed as low life cry babies.

I am utterly shocked at the performance of Sam Bradford in his first season, as a part of a horrible team. It is remarkable. I felt that there was zero chance he could have success there. Boy, was I wrong. Matt Ryan, Sanchez Bradford, and Flacco are looking like the next generation of great QB's. The league has been waiting for a solid class of QB's for a while. It's really a sin how injury prone Stafford has turned out to be, because he would also be on that list.

Matt Cassel is ranked in the top 5 in every passing category except total yards. 22 Td's and 4INT's so far. He's sneaky good. His team is trying to prove it is the real deal... and they are still alive with 5 games left.

On the other hand, Kyle Orton is looking like the next John Elway in Mile High, and the team keeps losing games. Denver is certainly taking certain aspects of building a winning team for granted. Guys who can play at a high level at the QB position are HARD to find... to say the least. They dumped rare talents like Marshall and Cutler and replaced them with another signal caller who is capable of leading the league in yards and is top 10 in every other category.

I know McDaniels is not popular right now, but firing him would be a huge mistake. At least give the guy 3 seasons and try to encourage a little continuity. Hiring him to replace a legend... allowing him to alienate and dismantle your team... and dumping him 24 months into the experiment is just plain stupid.

Thomas Jones actually has more rushing attempts than Jamaal Charles... and JC is in second place for total rushing yards in the whole league. I have been singing this guys praises for two years, now he is starting to open everyones eyes.

The Cardinals are in the worst division in the history of the NFL, and they are in last place. Wish you were here Kerry Rhodes... we will send you a post card from the Superbowl!!!!

The Giants have a realistic chance to be the top seed in the lack luster NFC this season, and their fans are ready to fire Coughlin (which happens annually) and trade Eli. There are a huge number of Giants fans who are also Yankee fans. Sorry guys, you can't BUY a championship in the NFL. Stop crying and support your damn team!

The Bengals are 2-9 and their headcoach, who has been there for 8 years, has never won a playoff game. And... no one is calling for his head. Minnesota fans, Dallas fans and Denver fans have been calling for their coaches heads. Two towns have been successful in getting their owners to give in, and Pat Bowlen may be next. I guess in Cincinnati they just expect to lose. Thats just sad.

Finally the Raiders had a taste of success for a minute this season, and they continue to flip QB's. Obviously the person pulling the strings in Oakland has lost it. Thats an understatement, but it's beyond embarrassing at this point. Just like how in South Florida the Dolphins decide to pull the plug on Henne. Only to have their plan B go down in less than 1 minute of game time with a season ending injury and are now forced to play the guy they had given up on. There is no way these organizations put any time into big picture planning. They will keep chasing their tails and watching the playoffs from home.