2021 Jets vs. 2009 Jets (heading into the season).

[Defense Wins Championships]

I maybe should've compared Saleh's 2021's Jets coming off a 2-14 nightmare (under Gase) to Parcells 1997's Jets who were coming off a 1-15 trainwreck (under Kotite).  

• HC: Robert Saleh vs. Rex Ryan = wash/tie.

Because both are/were first year HC's who had tremendous success as NFL Defensive Coordinators. 

• OC: Mike LaFleur vs. Shotty Jr. = wash/tie. 

I'm leaning towards Mike LaFleur (due to creativity) but since both are/were 1st years OC's I'd like to consider this as an even draw.

• DC: Jeff Ulbrich vs. Mike Pettine = wash/tie. 

Both are/were 1st year DCs so therefore I've considered this an even draw especially since Saleh has the back of Ulbrich as Rex once had the back of Pettine. 

• QB: Zach Wilson vs. Mark Sanchez = wash/tie. 

I'm leaning towards Wilson due to having a much better 2020 NCAA season than Sanchez's 2008 NCAA season however since they are/were both 1st year Rookie's I'd like to consider this an even stalemate while heading in.

• RB: Michael Carter vs. Thomas Jones = 2009 Jets.

This was a hard decision for me. I love Carter's electricity as a soon to be Rookie but Thomas Jones feasted for over 1k rushing yards during 2008 before heading into 2009 so therefore I've gotta give a slight edge to the proven NFL back.

• FB: Trevon Wesco vs. Tony Richardson = 2009 Jets. 

Not many have ever done it better than Tony Richardson and to be truthful I have no idea who this Wesco guy even is.

• WR's: Corey Davis, Denzel Mims, Elijah Moore, Jamison Crowder and Keelan Cole vs. Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, David Clowney, Chansi Stuckey and Brad Smith = 2021 Jets.

And by a landslide too (which should give Zach a rookie advantage over Sanchez when scanning the field for weapons and playmakers).

• TE: Chris Herndon vs. Dustin Keller = 2009 Jets. 

I'm not high on Herndon Jr (anymore) and hopefully a new offensive system and locker room culture can prove me wrong here in 2021 and believe it or not but Keller is actually my favorite pass catching TE of my generation. 

• O-Line: Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Connor McGovern,  and Morgan Moses vs. D'Brickishaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, Brandon Moore and Damien Woody = 2009 Jets. 

But not by a landslide (both O-Lines utilized zone blocking schemes too). However I'm being forced to favor 2009's O-Line due to mostly experience. I believe Becton has D'Brickishaw potential when healthy, Vera-Tucker @ LG has Mangold @ Center potential and Moses is even better than an awesome Woody was @ RT but both of Faneca and Moore makes me select 2009's O-Line (but not a knock on JDs rebuilt 2021's) 

 ✓ I'm giving 2009's offense a lot of wins but I'm really fired up about 2021's Offensive potential heading into our season and I believe it'll end up scoring a lot more points than 2009's ground and pound offense (which ranked dead last in passing attempts).

• D-Line: 4-3's Carl Lawson, Quinnen Williams, Sheldon Rankins and Kyle Phillips vs 3-4's Marques Douglas, Sione Pouha (Kris Jenkins got hurt week 6) and an aging Shaun Ellis = 2021 Jets. 

And by a landslide too. Not only does our 4-3 scheme automatically favor our 2021 D-Line over 2009's 3-4 D-Line scheme but our D-Line depth with Folorunso Fatukasi and John-Franklin Myers is almost unreal and we're truly a 4-3 pass rushing DE opposite of Lawson and alongside QW away from featuring our next Jets Sack-Exchange. This D-Line position is the position I'm most looking forward to. 

• LB's: Hamsah Nasirildeen, C.J. Mosley and Jarrad Davis vs. Bryan Thomas, David Harris, Bart Scott and Calvin Pace = 2009 Jets. 

By a landslide too. I'm super fired up for Nasirildeen because I'm an FSU fan and a healthy C.J. Mosley @ MLB has more accolades than Marvin Jones/Vilma/Harris combined but those 2009 LBs were absolute dogs and I'm not favoring anyone over then + 4 on 3 means you're getting jumped in a fist fight. 

• Secondary: Bryce Hall, Bless Austin, Ashtyn Davis and Marcus Maye vs. Darrelle Revis, Lito Sheppard, Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes = 2009 Jets

x1,000,000 and beyond because just #24 alone and on an island absolutely destroys our 2021 secondary and single handedly too + I feel and believe our current Secondary position is the weakest and/or biggest question mark throughout our entire roster; and only a fierce D-Line pass rush can potentially save them. 

✓ I'm favoring 2009's team that ended up going 9-7 overall and sneaking into the back door of the postseason before later on making an AFC Championship Game appearance over 2021's team by the score of 6 wins, 2 loses and 4 draws. That's only on paper. Because I believe this 2021 team pound for pound has just as much potential to shock the Football world as 2009's team did while heading in.

I'm predicting 10-7 with 12-5 and/or 2009 type of untapped potential (and a Wildcard Postseason Playoffs birth).

[Lupz27]

The 2009 Jets had one of the best OL ever in team history and they also had the best Cover CB to ever play the game HUGE ADVANTAGE 2009 Jets. 

[Defense Wins Championships]

I created this thread in loving memory of the thread I created on both JN and JI about our Jets heading into 2009 as big time NFL underdogs.

I was laughed at, mocked and attacked and labeled a homer however I got to laugh all the way into an AFC Championship Game appearance. 

[Defense Wins Championships]

46 minutes ago, Lupz27 said:

The 2009 Jets had one of the best OL ever in team history and they also had the best Cover CB to ever play the game HUGE ADVANTAGE 2009 Jets. 

I made this same type of thread heading into 2009 and I remember these same exact types of responses.

Our 2021 has a huge advantage @ both D-Line and WR. 

Also Zach Wilson potentially being 10x better than Sanchez could become the greatest difference of them all (because #24 couldn't play QB). 

Also you seem to be forgetting that out 2009 Jets struggled to make the playoffs @ only 9-7 and had to sneak into the playoffs throughout the back door week 17 vs. a Bengals team who sat their starters; so let's not act like 2021's Jets can't compete with those boys...

[Defense Wins Championships]

19 minutes ago, Defense Wins Championships said:

Baby DWC said before heading into 2009...

HC-Mangini vs Rex Ryan= 2009 Jets.

Because Rex has more experience as a DC than Mangini had at the time.

• OC-Mary Schottenheimer Jr (Rookie) vs Marty's boy of today= 2009 Jets

because Marty's boy has the experience.

• QB-Chad Pennington vs Mark Sanchez = 2006 Jets

Tough one, I'll go with Pennington and thats because of his veteran experience.

• RB- Kevin Barlow vs Thomas Jones = 2009 Jets.

• RB- Derrick Blaylock vs Leon Washingon = 2009 Jets.

• RB- Cedric Houston vs Shonn Greene= 2009 Jets.

FB- B.J Askew vs Tony Richardson= 2009 Jets.

WR- Laveranues Coles vs Jericho Cotchery= 2006 Jets.

06 was was Cotchery first year as a starter and just like Clowney is today, Cotchery was an unknown.

WR- Tim Dwight vs Chansi Stuckey= 2009 Jets.

WR- Brad Smith (Rookie) vs Braylon Edwards of 09= 2009 Jets.

TE- Chris Baker vs Dustin Keller= 2009 Jets.

LT- Rookie Ferguson vs 4th year starter D'Brickishaw = 2009 Jets.

LG- Pete Kendall vs Alan Faneca= 2009 Jets.

C- Rookie Mangold vs 4th year starter Mangold= 2009 Jets.

RG- 06 Bradnon Moore vs 09 Brandon Moore = 2009 Jets.

RT- Anthony Clemens vs Damien Woody= 2009 Jets.

As you can see...

This 2009 Offense can blow away that Offense of 2006 that made the playoffs.

RDE- Kimo von Oelhoffen vs Marques Douglas= 2009 Jets.

NT- Dewayne Robertson vs Kris Jenkins = 2009 Jets.

LDE- 06 Ellis vs 09 Ellis= 2006 Jets

LOLB- Victor Hobson vs Bryan Thomas/Gholston= 2009 Jets.

3-4 IMLB- Jonathan Vilma vs David Harris= 2009 Jets.

3-4 IMLB- Eric Barton vs Bart Scott= 2009 Jets.

ROLB- Bryan Thomas vs Calvin Pace= 2009 Jets.

CB- Andre Dyson vs Darrelle Revis= 2009 Jets.

CB- David Barrett vs Lito Sheppard= 2009 Jets

CB- Justin Miller vs Dwight Lowery= 2009 Jets

S- Kerry Rhodes vs Kerry Rhodes= 2009 Jets

(Experience)

S- Eric Coleman vs Jim Leonard= 06 Jets

If that 2006 team made the playoffs, with a rookie HC, a 1st year OC along with a Noodle arm QB, no rushing attack, two rookies on the O-Line, D-Robertson as our 3-4 NT, Dyson and Barrett as our 1-2 punch at CB, Hobson and Thomas as our OLB's, Vilma and Barton as our 1-2 punch @ MLB, an unknown as our #2 WR, Baker as our TE, Clement as our RT, with Kimo as our DE?

Please...

How about we give this 2009 New York Jets team a chance with Rex Ryan as our head coach, a potential Franchise QB in Sanchez, a strong rushing attack, a solid O-Line, Kris Jenkins as our 3-4 NT, Revis and Sheppard as our 1-2 punch at the CB position, Pace and Gholston as our OLB's, Harris and Scott as our 1-2 Punch at MLB, an unknown as our #2 WR, Keller as our pass catching TE, Woody as our RT with Douglas as our RDE; before we call this Jets team an 8 or 9 Win team "at best".

Who wins during a 4 Quarter game?

The 2006 Jets that made the playoffs...Or this 2009 Jets team? Exactly.

I'm predicting 11-5 with 1998's 12-4 type of potential [/quote]

 

And for what it's worth if I were to have compared 2021's Jets under coach Saleh vs 2006's Jets under Mangini I believe we'd beat the all gas no breaks off of that 2006 Jets team (especially during the 4th Quarter) with almost just as many 2021 Jets in black bold (as 2009's Jets dominated the black bold. 

[Bruce Harper]

Sanchez had a way better OL but QB is 85% of the equation. Zach’s college tape is way better than Sanchez but it probably will take a couple years to come together for Zach.


Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

[MichaelScott]

I can def see the comparison you're going for as far as the similarities of where each team is prior to the season and the extent of the changes that took place with both teams in the offseason. 

Unfortunately (as you pretty much pointed out) the presence of possibly the best shutdown CB ever in his prime and possibly the best oline in football at the time immediately stops any comparison of the two rosters before it even begins. 

It's not even possible to overstate what that Oline was in 2009. I'd go as far to say that it would be extremely hard, if not nearly impossible to assemble THAT kind of oline in today's game. Not with the way top olineman get paid in today's game. Considering that 3 of the 5 were veteran signings. I'm not looking it up but I'm going to guess that Brick/Nick were still finishing their rookie contracts in 09. Today, the signing a Faneca and Woody would have been the equivalent of the contracts Thuney and Ryan Ram/Conklin got in free agency. Both those contracts alone would likely be impossible today but consider both of them ONTOP of a 1st round LT&C at the end of their rookie contract, what they would be making besides the fact that signing a top FA G and RT would make it functionally impossible to resign your top 5 in the league LT and top 3, if not best in the league center. An Oline like what we had in 09 would be impossible today. 

I'll go a step further and point out how incredible it was that we kept Brick/Nick for their entire careers and resigned them both multiple times. There was a time in their careers where they were both top 3 in the league at their position and Nick was probably best in the league for the majority of his career. Imagine what Big-ticket is going to cost if he stays healthy and becomes a top 5 LT. It doesn't matter if he is #5 - If he is top 5 when his contract is up he is going to become the highest paid LT. That's the way the league works now. Whoever gets paid last gets paid most. At the same time imagine AVT becomes a top 5 or 3 G in the league and needs to be resigned a year later. Same principal applies and resigning him makes him the highest paid G in the league. Or even for argument sake, say he doesnt reset the market but falls somewhere in the average of the top 3 in the league. How difficult do you think it'll be to resign them both if we are blessed and they both somehow become what Brick and Nick was for us? 

I'm not sure it's possible tbh. And if we get even luckier and Zach needs to be resigned at the same time? You could have 50% of your cap in 3 players lol. But that'll be one of those high class problems we should be so lucky to have 4 years from now lol 

That's why I would be all for drafting oline every single year with a minimum of a 3rd-4th round pick regardless of how the position looks at the time. If you have your FQB, you can't sustain a good oline if 3/5 or more are playing on veteran contracts.