Thinking Skins Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Glad to see that somebody agrees with me. Prediction: Watch Jets Win It All http://www.greenwichtime.com/sports/football/jets/ny-glaub063076682jan06,0,5170492.column?coll=ny-jets-print January 6, 2003 From everything we've seen of the Jets in the last three weeks, there is every reason to believe they can make it to San Diego this month. Just as there is every reason to believe they will win Super Bowl XXXVII. There. I said it. You read it. There's no turning back now. With the season on the line, they buried the Patriots. They smoked the Packers with a playoff berth at stake. They demolished the Colts in Saturday's wild-card game at Giants Stadium. The Jets are the hottest team in the NFL, and the only way they won't go all the way is if Chad Pennington has a lobotomy, or if some maniac in the Black Hole clubs one of Curtis Martin's knees. Barring such unforeseen developments or injuries to other key players, the Jets have been so dominant on both sides of the ball that it's difficult to imagine anyone keeping up with them. Or is it? Are the Jets really as good as they've looked in the last three games, in which they outscored opponents 113-34? Or are they not quite as good as those scores would indicate, because the caliber of competition wasn't as good as the records would have you believe? It's a legitimate issue, even if the Jets have whipped those three teams whose combined records were 30-15 when they played the Jets. Remember that the Patriots never recaptured their Super Bowl form after a 3-0 start that included a 44-7 rout of the Jets. Injuries finally caught up to the Packers, who went into the tank against the Jets and laid down against Atlanta at home in Saturday night's NFC wild-card game. The Colts' defense was spotty most of the season, and Peyton Manning's offense was overrated and overmatched. The Raiders have no such limitations, which is why the Jets will find out a lot about how good they truly are. Oakland secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs because the Raiders were the AFC's most consistent team in the second half of the season. Rich Gannon was brilliant in winning his first MVP. Jerry Rice and Tim Brown were ageless. The defense was efficient, if not overwhelming. "They're a hot team, as everyone knows," Jets coach Herman Edwards said. "They're playing well, playing good at home, and it will be a test for us." The Jets failed their last test in Oakland, losing, 26-20, on Dec. 2. But the Jets' offense was not functioning as it is now, and the defense is miles ahead of where it was. Even with all that, the Jets still hung with the Raiders that Monday night. It was close the entire way, and Pennington ran out of time with the Jets driving toward the potential winning touchdown. But those Jets were not playing at the same level that these Jets are. Pennington is operating with breathtaking efficiency, finding the open receiver almost every time and throwing darts the way Joe Montana used to in the 49ers' West Coast offense. Martin is running as well as he has all season, willing himself to overcome ankle and knee problems. Laveranues Coles, Wayne Chrebet and Santana Moss are doing their best imitation of the old Redskins' Smurfs. The defense is playing splendidly, with John Abraham getting a consistent pass rush, linebacker Sam Cowart dominating the middle of the field and cornerbacks Aaron Beasley and Donnie Abraham shutting down receivers such as Troy Brown, Terry Glenn and Marvin Harrison. If the Jets are as good as they appear to be, then they will handle an Oakland team that might be their toughest playoff test. Martin isn't making any predictions, but he's close. "I definitely think we are playing well enough to get [to the Super Bowl]," he said. Martin should know. He's already been to one Super Bowl, with the '96 Patriots. "We have a good team," said defensive tackle Josh Evans, who went to the Super Bowl with the '99 Titans. "We just need to take it one game at a time and, who knows, we could end up in San Diego." The feeling here: The Jets will end up in San Diego. They will get there because what we have seen during the last three weeks is no mirage, it's championship-caliber football. The Jets beat Oakland. The Jets beat Tennessee. The Jets go to the Super Bowl. Just as we called it in August: Jets-Eagles in San Diego. Except the Jets' brilliance has forced us to change the result. This time, I predict the score will not read Eagles 31, Jets 17. It will read just the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rv581 Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 If the Jets win it all, it would mark the 4th year in a row the Superbowl winning team won the prize with its backup QB. Ravens: Dilfer Rams: Warner New England: Brady Jets: Pennington??? Whoever we start at QB next year on opening day, REPLACE HIM!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 We already tried that. It didn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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