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When the Jets wake up this morning and look at the NFL standings, they will find themselves sitting on top of the AFC East, even ahead of the rival Patriots.
OK, so that has more to do with the alphabet — J coming before P and all. But they should savor the moment. It is not often they are listed above the Patriots in the standings.
It feels like the Jets have become so used to it that they already have conceded the division. They don’t talk anymore winning a division title anymore. Last year, coach Rex Ryan talked about getting help from other teams beating New England so the Jets could win the AFC East for the first time since 2002.
This year? Crickets.
Maybe it is understandable, because the Jets have been runners-up to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady for a while. The Patriots have won eight of the past nine division crowns, the lone second-place finish coming in 2008 when Brady missed the season. The Jets have not won the division since 2002, playing 10 road playoff games since their most recent one in East Rutherford.
Entering last season it felt like the Jets had closed the gap with the Patriots. They had finished 11-5 in 2010 and beaten New England in that dramatic playoff game. Then, the Jets went 8-8 and the Patriots went back to the Super Bowl, and the chasm between the two teams feels as wide as I-95.
A few months ago, Ryan commented on whether the Patriots had widened the gap.
“I think that’s the perception out there,” Ryan said. “You know I don’t believe it, but there’s 29, 30 teams ahead of us if you listen to some people. I don’t think so.”
The Patriots beat the Titans, 34-13, Sunday in Nashville. Reports indicate New England’s defense looks faster and much improved. Belichick led his team to the Super Bowl last season with a defense ranked 31st in the league. Imagine what they are capable of with a strong defense?
Finding someone who thinks the Jets can win the division is tougher than sitting through a Belichick press conference. But there is one daring (delusional?) prognosticator out there.
ESPN released the predictions of 23 of their analysts last week. Twenty-two of them picked the Patriots to win the AFC East. Hugh Douglas, a former Jet, went with Gang Green to win the division. Douglas admits he’s gotten some funny looks from people when he talks up Ryan’s team.
“They look at me like I’m crazy,”
Douglas said. “They take my temperature. … Every now and then you have to step out there and people are going to call you crazy. I’ve got big shoulders. I’m not worried about that.”
Douglas’ theory is if the Jets defense lives up to its billing and Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and the offense can do just enough, the Jets will be a force.
“I like Rex Ryan’s defense,” Douglas said. “I like the fact that he has a shutdown corner in Darrelle Revis. I like the fact that Bart Scott is still a big part of that defense. … If they can figure out a way with this whole Tim Tebow thing to manufacture 21 points a game, that defense is going to keep them in the game. I’m a firm believer that defense wins championships.”
But can they win more games than Brady?
“It’s always easy to go with a sure thing,” Douglas said. “Tom Brady is a sure thing, but sometimes when you have the sure thing it doesn’t always work out.”
The Jets and Patriots first meet on Oct. 21 in Foxborough. By then the standings will reflect wins and losses more than alphabetical order, and we’ll know whether the Jets should be thinking about a division title or just hoping to secure another road playoff game.
Throw out pricey preseason
If the Jets proved one thing Sunday, it is that the preseason is completely, absolutely meaningless.
That should be good news for fans, who watched the team go 0-4 and reach the end zone once. But it’s not good if you’re one of the team’s season-ticket holders.
The NFL requires season-ticket holders to purchase the two preseason games. Those tickets are not discounted in any way. Even though, everyone from Rex Ryan to Tim Tebow has told us for the last month that you can’t take anything away from these games.
Let’s say you pay $110 a ticket and have four tickets. You’ve now paid $880 to watch a glorified scrimmage that tells you nothing about your team. If it happens to be the first or fourth game of the preseason, you’ll be lucky if you know the players without a program.
Throw in parking ($50 at Jets games if you don’t have a pass), food and maybe a souvenir, and you’re rapidly approaching what you would spend on a family vacation.
The NFL needs to fix the preseason. Fans hate it. Players hate it. Owners should hate it. The Jets wonder why they can’t sell out their season tickets. Maybe if their fans did not feel taken advantage of in August, they would fill the building in September.
Revis status up to docs
The Jets will get to see the NFL’s concussion policy in action this week with star cornerback Darrelle Revis. Unlike any other injury, Revis’ return to the field ultimately is out of his control, Rex Ryan’s control and even the trainers’.
Revis must take a series of cognitive tests this week and score as well as he did when he took baseline tests in the preseason. He must be cleared not only by the team doctor, but also by an independent neurological consultant.
Revis has told people privately that he is fine and wants to play Sunday. But unlike an ankle sprain or a hamstring pull, it doesn’t matter what he thinks.
The NFL did this to eliminate the hero factor. Most NFL players would play with a broken leg, never mind an injured brain. The league did the right thing by making sure they won’t.
The Jets waived WR Patrick Turner yesterday, leaving them with an open roster spot, is likely to return. The team also released DB LeQuan Lewis from the practice squad and re-signed LB Ricky Sapp to the practice squad.