Didn't the Jets with Mark Sanchez at QB lose to the Titans with Jake Locker at QB last year? You are looking at this very simplistically. The matchups are the Jets offense vs the opposing teams defense and the opposing teams offense vs our defense and special teams vs special teams. That's why having Sanchez or Geno or whoever plays QB just not turning the ball over and playing well enough to keep us in games could be enough to send this Jets team to 8 wins or more. Granted, like the OP said, we need luck on our side and there are a lot of variables. It's how the Jets were better than people expected in 2009. Mark Sanchez rarely outplayed the other QB, but he didn't mess up, made the open throws that were there, and avoided giving points to the other team. In turn the defense/run game/ ST did enough on there matchups to limit other QBs and the other teams units. It's not a consistent way to win to basically hide a part of your team (in our case the QB), but it can work for a year or two. I mean we see the problem the other way when a team tries to hide their D or run game behind a high flying passing attack. Same problem come playoff time, you need to lean on what isn't there so you fall. What I'm interested in that I haven't seen mentioned much is how our Special Teams units do without Mike there coaching them. I don't know how much effect Mike really had on the units and such, but he was considered one of the best if not the best in the league. If we get a big push from them, that would help.
After reading all the great feedback to this thread from many of you I'm beginning to feel even more positive than before. I don't see myself as super biased towards the Jets but certainly very optimistic so I appreciate a dose of reality from some of you guys. No question the schedule on paper is tougher than last year. No argument that on paper the competition within the division looks to have improved with Buffalo and Miami and remain as strong with the Pats. No question that on paper we will be playing tougher contenders than in 2012. But one never knows what happens once the season starts. History shows that probably many of last year post season teams might not even make it. In 2012 we had more than our share of injuries. Injuries and self inflicted mistakes are the Achilles heel of a team. We can attest to that. What's to say that a similar misfortune couldn't cripple some of the competition. The real question for me goes beyond how many games we win or lose but are we going to be better than last year's team. Are we improving at a faster rate than the competition? Will we play young talent and promise of a brighter future? . Will we field a disciplined, competitive team getting beat by better teams or will we continue to beat ourselves? As a minimum, I hope and pray we stop telegraphing plays, make stupid self inflicted mistakes and trying to incorporate sand lot offensive schemes like the wild cat that fools no one but ourselves. Yes on paper, we have a very good defense, I'm willing to say better, faster, younger and more aggressive than last year. On paper the offense appears to be healthier, with a great new OC, the making of a stronger running game and an ongoing QB battle. If either QB is able to cut the errors by half we should be competitive in just about every game. We might not have a winning season, or maybe we will, but the players, the coaches and the fans should as a minimum exit 2013 keeping their heads up high and shout: "Damn, I like what I see, for once this team might be going places" The NYJ are on the move, and 2014 cannot come fast enough" ....and ESPN begins to quiver at the though that they might have to start kissing the NYJ asses for ever more.
unexpected? who didnt predict our oline would have issue, sanchez would have issue, our running game was going to miss an option out of the backfield, and that we would struggle to rush the passer? other then revis going down and special teams sucking im not sure what was unexpected
those guys ARE all better then sanchez. ravens the only roadblock? 2 road division games arent road blocks?
we missed a huge opportuntiy to cut sanchez and take the full hit this year. had we done that we would have even more room next year. now, if he is cut, he will still count at least partially against next years cap. that blows
Compared to the amount of space we have, that hit Sanchez gives us by cutting him next year will be very small.
overall talent wise we are bottom 10. i dont think you can debate that. and we have the 34th or 35th worst qb in football.
we still have the worst starting QB in football. unless we have a top 5 defense and top 5 running game we arent getting to .500
the flaw in your argument is that while those teams arent great, we are terrible, and have a terrible qb.
we dont have a QB advantage over any team in the league id sanchez is under center. he is in the bottom tier of the league. at best, he is a push with another terrible QB.
I still think Sanchez is just soft. Sanchez needs to do a better job at avoiding big hits. A youthful line could help tremendously. Big hits seem to end his season every year or at least disrupt him for a few games in a row where you can tell he's clearly not the same guy. Remember early last season, Sanchez was on a tear. He toasted the Bills, and on the first possession against the Steelers marched it right down the field for a TD. After that he took a vicious hit that got us a roughing the passer call, but that was the end of Sanchez for a while. He stunk up the rest of that game, most of the fins game despite helping us late, the 9ers game, played alright in the Texans game but blew it at the end, got carried by the run in the Colts game. He didn't have another decent game until NE where again, he blew it in the end. It happened in 2011 as well in the Broncos game. He got straight up mangled on a hit by Von Miller (IIRC). That hit changed him, and subsequent hits made it get worse. He was terrible the rest of the game. He did play decently against the Bills, Chiefs and Redskins, but they were really bad teams at the time. Philly was the beginning of the end and he just completely unraveled at the end of the year when he kept getting lit up because of Hunter. Please Sanchez, avoid the hits this year! We need some young bucks to step up on the line.
