For Bart Scott, the Super Bowl talk can wait.
The Jets’ linebacker believes the 8-5 Jets are not playing well enough to consider themselves contenders for the Super Bowl, and he is not even sure if they’re good enough to make the playoffs.
“I don’t think we’re where we need to be,” Scott said. “I don’t think we’re a Super Bowl team right now, or even a playoff team. We just have to continue to get better every week, to make sure that we’re good enough to qualify. We’re playing better football, but we’re not playing nearly the type of football that we’re capable of.”
This is a departure from the norm around the always-confident Jets. The team has felt good about itself after stacking up three straight wins and taking control of its playoff fate. The Jets face a dangerous Eagles team Sunday as they continue their quest for a third straight playoff berth, which would be a franchise first.
Scott, in his third year with the Jets, was asked what he thinks makes a Super Bowl team and what the Jets might be lacking right now.
“You have to be playing your best football,” Scott said. “We’re still trying to play our best football, we’re still trying to play completely as a team. You can be playing great as a unit one week or as a unit next week, but a Super Bowl team puts it together consistently. You have to be able to play three games — if you get in the playoffs, three great games — to get an opportunity to win the Super Bowl. You just don’t wake up and say, ‘Ah, I’m a Super Bowl team.’ You have to be able to get better, and you have to play a certain way.”
The Jets played their best game of the season last week in a 37-10 dismantling of the Chiefs. They have bounced back after getting Tim Tebowed in Denver a month ago to win three straight. That has spurred talk of the team going on a deep run in the playoffs as it has in each of the last two years.
Scott said the Jets have shown improvement, but they still have things to fix.
“Of course, that’s what we’re striving to be, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Scott said. “That’s what the last couple weeks have been, trying to tighten the focus up and get better at what we’re doing. And make sure that when we get there, we’re able to out-execute the opponent, we’re able to play smart, not get penalized, not have turnovers, not give up drives. When we get the opportunity to bury teams, we have to bury them.”
With their win over the Chiefs and losses from the Bengals, Raiders and Titans last week, the Jets took control of their playoff lives. They have a one-game lead for the final AFC wild-card spot. If they win their last three games — with the Eagles, Giants and Dolphins — they’ll be back in the playoffs.
But Scott lamented the Jets even having to worry about winning out to ensure a playoff berth.
“Those five losses hurt,” Scott said. “They put us in this predicament. We put ourselves in a tough spot not having tiebreakers against teams. We could have controlled our destiny a lot better than this. We put ourselves in this situation. We have to accept it. … Championship-caliber teams don’t put themselves in those situations.”