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Andrew Gross' new Blog 4/18


SoFlaJets

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Which brings us to the Jets…

Last season, the Jets were predicted to be one of the worst teams in the AFC. In the spirit of full disclosure, I, myself, said I thought they wouldn’t win more than six games. But with good locker-room chemistry, an influx of younger players on the offensive line and emerging wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, some solid veterans such as wide receiver Laveranues Coles, a healthy team leader in Chad Pennington and under a thinking man’s rookie coach in Eric Mangini who, with the help of the equally-bright offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer forged a strong relationship with Pennington, the Jets defied the odds and reached the playoffs. Of course, after putting up a good battle for three quarters, they were ultimately-beaten by the playoff-tested Patriots.

This season…well, that, of course is left for conjecture.

But, I definitely think the Rangers and Jets’ lives will be parallel.

The Jets, while altering some of last season’s chemistry, are adding better players, specifically in running back Thomas Jones, which addresses one of the Jets’ dire deficiencies from last season. Like the Rangers, the Jets will no longer sneak up on anybody. And even if a tougher schedule precludes the Jets from improving on their record, I believe they ultimately will be a better team.

So, following this argument to its logical conclusion, the Jets will be much better situated for playoff success the next time they reach the postseason, which still should be this upcoming season, even if predicting the NFL postseason picture is more difficult than the NHL due to injuries, fewer teams making the playoffs and the disadvantage of a 16-game regular season. The next time the Jets are in the postseason, they should be considered one of the stronger teams in the AFC.

Super Bowl contenders? Maybe not in 2007. But I could definitely see them being predicted for a run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2008.

Two teams. Parallel lives.

The reason: Both teams have strong management pieces in place, bosses who have set a vision for the franchise. For the Jets, Mangini, GM Mike Tannenbaum and, to an extent, owner Woody Johnson, have laid out a blueprint on how to build a winner over the next few seasons. For the Rangers, assistant GM Don Maloney and coach Tom Renney implemented their plan, after convincing titular GM Glen Sather and thus goofball owner Jim Dolan that the plan would work.

on edit: The 1st half of this blog was about friggin HOCKEY-I left it out...is hockey a sport?

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The next time the Jets are in the postseason, they should be considered one of the stronger teams in the AFC.

Super Bowl contenders? Maybe not in 2007. But I could definitely see them being predicted for a run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2008.

That's got to make every Jets fan feel warm and fuzzy again.

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