Here is what I learned from watching the Jets play the Patriots in their home opener yesterday at Giants stadium:
1.  The Jets have more road ahead of them than behind them.  After two games it is clear that this team is not on the same page on offense-yet.  This is only the second game of a long season, nothing in football is decided in the first four weeks.  In time, our line will work better and our quarterback will be more in tune with his receivers.  He is still holding on to the ball too long, and last night got his bell rung a couple of times including one ugly sack that cost our team about 15 yards.
2.  The defense is better than the offense.  Our front line for the most part was very effective, sacking the quarterback 3 times and for the most part, controlling the running game-holding the Patriots in check until late in the fourth quarter.
3.  The kicking game needs work-on kickoffs Feely shot one through the end zone but missed an easy field goal in the first quarter that would have made the game more competitive.  Ben Grahm was erratic and inconsistent, showing his ability to kick it downfield on some plays, and then shanking a ball under 30 yards on others.
4.  The AFC east is going to be a war zone-with the Patriots, Bills and Jets fighting it out, I am expecting a very competitive season.
5.  Don't write a blog early Monday after a game-the Jets don't have the stats up on their site yet and I can't get to the information that I need.  Come on guys!  What are you doing?  If I can write a blog on a train from Madison to Hoboken, and post if before I get to Newark, whay can't your organization do a better job updating your web site ten hours after the game?
6.  Penalties are killing us.  Statisticly, the game was very close-each team gathered about 260 yards on offense, but the Jets had 6 penalties for a whopping 60 yards, while the Patriots had only 2 penalties for 10 yards.  Each team ran the ball for 104 yards, Coles and Welker each gained 72 yarde on the day.  Weird.  I do not remember any game where the state were so close.
Next week the Jets face an 0-2 San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football.  The Chargers are a team that is desperate for it's first win of the season.  They will be out for blood and the Jets will be in their crosshairs.How far along will the Jets be when they face off next week?  Will our quarterback improve his chemestry with his recievers?
Phillip Rivers threw for 377 yards and 3 touchdown yesterday against denver and lost by one point.  In the season opener, the lost to Carolina in the last play of the game.
The Jets better be ready.

Before I write my preview pages I check out the injury reports for each team to see how it affects my prediction.
I guess you know where this is going.
Not that it means so much in the whole grand scheme of things, but this time there is an exception.
I am sure that you know where this is going.
The injury report-it's ugly this week for one of the teams.
Yes, I am going there, that place everyone else has gone to, that sweet spot of sports writing, the catastrophic injury that inevitably changes the season for a team. That irresistible headline that has grabbed the sports section of every newspaper, magazine, sports report and blog for the last week.
In case you missed it, here is the big headline: The game this Sunday, at the Meadowlands will be missing an all important, clutch player for one of the teams.
Mike Nugent is out for the Jets.
Normally this would not be a big deal because in the last seven years, the kicking game has been a non factor in deciding an outcome between these biannual contests, but this time, it might come down to an extra point or two, or a missed field goal.
In fact, the spread in this game is so close, the Jets might not pull out the win-at least not according to those who are interested in what Las Vegas has to say about it.
The burning questions for this game are:
1. Will the Jets pass rush get to the still wet behind the ears quarterback and keep him off balance enough for him to feel the pressure and loose his first start as an NFL pro?
2. Can the well-worn, future Hall of Fame iron man of the NFL shake off the rust, get rid off the ball quickly (and accurately) without throwing it to the other team?
3. Can the Jets defense, who held Miami to under 50 yards rushing last week do the same to the Patriots (can they stop Lamont Jordan???)?
4. Can Revis Rhodes and Lowery keep Randy Moss and company from finding the end zone?
If you answered "YES!" to all of these questions then congratulations! You are correct!
Simply put, the Jets are a team on the upswing and the Rats are an aging, older, slower team that can not protect their quarterback and are 15 game away from a major "rebuilding".
Prediction: (against the advice of my train conductor) Jets 24, Patriots 17.
Now let's take a look at Meredith from the Jets Flight Crew at a recent Maxim photo shoot:



Next week: the Flight Crew premier their new uniforms!

I want to begin by saying that I do not listen, nor do I acknowledge "hype".  Therefore I do not believe that the Jets are sudden contenders because the Patriots lost their starting quarterback for the season.
I think they had done enough in the off season to improve their position, and that nothing will be handed to them, they will get what they paid for.  A better line on offense and defense will stop the opponents from scoring, protect our quarterback, and open up the running game enough to get our receivers open.  The end result: we will score more and they will score less, no matter who they are playing.
For the Jet fans (as well as the Jets themselves) to suddenly believe that suddenly things have changed is belittling what they did in the off season and marginalizing just how good this team has become.
In football, the game is decided in the trenches, on the line of scrimmage.  You have to win the battle up front both on offense and defense.  The Jets added Alan Faneca, who will make D'brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold better, and Damien Woody who will shore up the right side.  They also brought in Tony Richardson and  Bubba Franks to give the running game more room and free up some options at tight end.   So on offense, they did a great job overall improving their situation.
On defense they added Kris Jenkins, a massive run stuffer who will clog up the middle and improve the game of  Sione Pouh, who was going to take Dewane Robertsons job anyway, and Shawn Ellis, who will return to his form and have a great year.  Then you have Calvin Pace from Arizona, who will have a terrific year along with my favorite player on defense, super-stud linebacker David Harris.  They will make things easier for Bryan Thomas and Eric Barton.  Vernon Gholston, the rookie missed all of training camp and is in over his head so he may not be a star this year, but if he can avoid making mistakes he can contribute.  Next year is his year.  Finaly, Dwight Lowery could be rookie of the year, and second year corner back Darrell Revis could shut down the backfield along with Kerry Rhodes (pro-bowl this year?).
So the Jets are not going to be successful this year because another team lost their quarterback, but the Patriots lost their quarterback (and the super bowl) because they did not do enough to protect him.  It isn't about one man.
What happened to the two quarterbacks the Jets had last year?  They didn't have enough time to throw the ball and they were sacked constantly.  No quarterback could withstand that.  The beating Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens took last year was incredible.  No matter who was back there they simply did not have enough talent around them offering protection.
The same is true for the running backs, the holes were not there to run through.
The Jets did enough to build there team in every phase of the game to become competitive in every aspect of the game, and they were competitive at the start of the season, but it took a season ending injury to Tom Brady for anyone to notice.
After the injury, everyone looked around and said "who else is out there?  What other team could contend?"
Enter the Jets.
Think about what I wrote about, think about how important it is that a football team is solid in every aspect of the game.
If you understand what I am saying then you know the Patriots troubles began before start of this season, that they did not do enough to properly address their needs and to upgrade where they needed to.  They were in trouble months ago but nobody noticed.
The Jets did what they had to do, and that is why I was able to write this post to my blog without ever mentioning who our starting quarterback is.
The people that surround him are more important.

This season has already changed dramatically in a scant 24 hours.

 If yesterday's season opening weekend was any indication of where the season is going, then we are in for a wildly unpredictable ride for 2008.  The Colts, Chargers and Patriots all took steps backwards against teams that should have given them no problems.  The Colts lost to the Bears, the Chargers lost to the Panthers, the Patriots didn't cover against Kansas City, and lost their starting quarterback.

The only thing that has stayed the same is the fact that the New York Jets still know how to win ugly, as was demonstrated in the season opener when they defeated the Miami Dolphins.   As I stated in my last post, Calving Pace was one of the stars on defense, as was Bryan Thomas, David Harris and Kris Jenkins.

On offense, Chansi Stucky introduced himself with a touchdown catch, Thomas Jones matched his touchdown total from last season (1) and the line offered plenty of protection, and Brett Favre was, well he was Brett Favre having fun and doing what he does best.

The biggest disappointment was kicker Mike Nugent, who nearly cost the Jets the game by missing an extra point and performing poorly on kickoffs.  Do you think that he was given an ultimatum at halftime?  I am guessing that he was told to go out there and kick or expect to be cut from the team.  He has been just short of a bust for the Jets.  I nearly fell off the couch when I saw Kellen Clemmons warming up for field goals on the sideline.

I noticed that Favre held on to the ball too long at times and paid the price-he was sacked for a losses on some of those plays and even coughed up the ball once.  He looked like he wasn't ready for contact football and seemed to be playing with some rust.  I don't think the Patriots will play against the same Favre that the Dolphins saw yesterday.

The Jets are only going to get better as the season goes on and the players develop into their respective schemes.   I don't know who the Patriots are going to be starting at quarterback next week, but the Chiefs brought the pressure yesterday and we can expect the Jets to do more of the same.  The Patriots could not protect Brady in the Superbowl, and they could not protect him yesterday.  The Jets had 4 sacks against the Dolphins yesterday.

New England will be bringing in Chris Simms today to audition for the team.  He is going to be tough to root against if he gets the job, but I'll find a way.  Now all of a sudden people are talking about the Jets to top the division this season.  I think that talk is premature.  The Patriots aren't going away and Buffalo looks menacing to say the least.

The Chargers also were upset in the final seconds of their game against Carolina, and now it looks possible for the Jets to (dare I say it?) go 3-0 to start the season.  They face the Brady-less Patriots at the Meadowlands this week and fly out to San Diego next week.  Both teams suddenly look beatable.

Prediction: Jets 24, Miami 17

It has been a very interesting time for me since I last posted a blog.  My team, the New York Jets has acquired a new (future hall of fame) quarterback, spent over $140 million on free agents, moved into my home town and introduced PSL's to their longtime fans.

The addition of Brett Favre  propels this team out from the depths of mediocrity and gives them a legitimate chance at making the playoffs, instilling a win-now attitude of the likes that gang green has not seen in a long time-if ever.  Jets fans often had to watch as the big name free agents went to other teams, but that has changed this year in a big way, and the improvement at quarterback gives this team a whole lot of potential.  The receivers are legitimate threats all over the field, and on every play.  There will be no "decoy" routs.  Not plays off.  The running game will open up along with more use of the tight ends-especially in the end zone.

There have been improvements along the line that was basically a joke last year.  Our quarterback will have plenty of time this week to make plays.  In the weeks to come, this line will only get better as they get to know each other and "mesh".  Expect Debrickashaw and Mangold to shine next to Alan Faneca, and I feel that Woody will do well at right guard.  All in all, this is a offensive line that is going to be unrecognizable from last year's mass.  It all looks like Christmas for Thomas Jones, who will have 1,800 yards and 10 touchdowns this year.

On defense things look much better as well with the massive Kris Jenkins stuffing up the middle.  Expect him to draw a double team when he is in there, and expect big things from Simone Pouha when Jenkins is rotated out.  This is bound to create opportunities for Sean Ellis and Bryan Thomas-who may be on his way out if he doesn't take of this year and show some vast improvement.  Calvin Pace is a tremendous addition to the team as well.  I am predicting at least 6 sacks out of him this season-a conservative number to be sure.  My guess is that he gets 2 sacks on Chad this weekend alone.

I hated to see Johnathan Vilma go, but David Harris has been better than I could possible imagine and I am predicting a pro-bowl year for this sophomore player who came out of nowhere last season to lead the team in tackles (86) and having 5 sacks for the season-despite starting in only 9 games. 

Despite my assurances from Randy Lange (who writes a blog on NewYorkJets.com) the Jets still have not put a David Harris jersey in the Jets shop.  If you want third-string quarterback Eric Angie's number 9 Jersey it's there, but no David Harris.  What a joke.

Meanwhile, my small home town of Madison NJ (right next to Florham Park) has gone completely green from the Jets moving in next door.  I have been to the new facility and I can tell you it is exceptional.  First class all around.  I hope the fans from long island understand the Jets need to be closer to the Meadowlands and aren't alienated by this move.

The Jets introduced a liberal PSL policy that left 27,000 fans with no seat license at all-quite a generous act.  I would never have guessed it.  I see PSL's as an opportunity, not a deterrent and I would have been happy to pay $1,000 per seat, but the Jets did not see it that way and left the entire upper bowl PSL-free.  More on that in future blogs.  This one is done.

This is my welcome back blog-expect more to follow.

As for this weekend, lets go Jets!  See you at the rally in New York city this Friday, september 12th at the Early Show plaza where the Jets Flight Crew will unveil their new outfits.  Until then here is Jessica (I think) in the old outfit.

Go Jets!