Turbulent Times For The New York Jets

 

Santonio Holmes is gone for the season and the Jets need to find answers and fast. (Image Credit – AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

I’m sitting here trying to think of something nice to write about when it comes to the current state of the New York Jets. I’d have an easier time getting the Republican Party to let Bush endorse Mitt Romney with a speech on national television.

 One month into the 2012 NFL season the Jets are the walking wounded. It’s hard to believe that this team is actually 2-2 right now and not 1-3 or even 0-4. They’ve lost their two best players on offense and defense respectively, still can’t run the ball, and a starting quarterback with no one to throw to.

 Oh … and then there is Tim Tebow.

 These are the 2012 New York Jets. This is the team that head coach Rex Ryan so proudly declared is the best team he’s had since taking the job. This is a team that is coming off a 34-0 loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers. This is a team that could very well be planning for the 2013 NFL Draft very soon.

 Injuries do happen to teams and unfortunately the Jets were hit as hard as can be hit by that this year. They lose cornerback Darrelle Revis for the year in week 3 to a torn ACL. They lose wide receiver Santonio Holmes in week 4 to foot surgery for a Lisfranc injury which has altered the playing career of many athletes. These were the Jets two best players on the roster.

 There is no replacing Revis and what he brings to the table. He’s a shutdown cornerback and one of the best in the game. However the Jets dropped the ball with their wide receiver depth. Tight end Dustin Keller has yet to play this season because of injuries and Holmes was the only reliable target for Sanchez to throw to this season. The Jets now are left with Stephen Hill, Chaz Schilens, and Jeremy Kerley. Meanwhile Plaxico Burress, Chad Johnson, and Terrell Owens are out there and available.

 Oh but wait … the Jets did sign a wide receiver. Jason Hill.

 I won’t say much more about that because I’m leaving that for my thoughts on the Tebow-Sanchez soap opera in a later post, so I’ll just finish with this …

 Deep Breath … Get Mark Sanchez someone to throw the football to!!! Someone we know !!!

 It’s not impossible that the Jets can surprise everyone and win some more ballgames. I just don’t see it happening with that current roster. Optimism is one thing, denial is another. The Jets are about as close to denial as one can be.

An Uphill Battle Without Darrelle Revis For The Jets Starts This Week Against 49ers

 

The Jets will have to move forward with the rest of the season without their best player, Darrelle Revis.

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan let everyone know before the start of this season that this version of his Jets were the the best team he’s had since taking the job. This the team without a running game, no legitimate number two wide receiver, and depending on how it’s looked at … a quarterback situation that genrates just as much headlines on page 6 as it does for anything sports-related.

 One month into the season, the Jets are 2-1 and welcome in a dangerous San Francisco 49ers team that’s coming off a surprising loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They won’t be coming into MetLife Stadium in a good mood. What makes things even more challenging for the Jets is that for the remainder of the season they will be without their best player, cornerback Darrelle Revis. Revis tore the ACL in his left knee against the Miami Dolphins in week 3. To say that losing Revis is a huge loss for the Jets would be putting things lightly. It’s a catastrophic loss.

 The Jets have enough issues going on right now on the field. Losing Revis causes all kind of problems for Ryan and his defensive scheme. He practically designed his defense around Revis because of his ability to shut down one side of the football field. It allowed for Ryan to go all-out with his blitz packages and be creative with coverage assignments. That will all be put to the test now without Revis the rest of the way.

 Alright here is even more of a reality for the Jets. They were not exactly looking like world beaters this season before Revis went down with the injury. The running game has been non-existent and quarterback Mark Sanchez has been forced to throw the football much more than he really should be for a team that’s extremely thin at wide receiver. Someone is going to have to pick up the slack, better yet a handful of players will have to pick it up.

 The 49ers will provide a good test and my gut feeling here is that the Jets are going to be in for a long day. San Francisco is loaded at wide receiver, they have arguably the best tight end in the game, and a bruising running game. Their defense is one of the more physical defenses in the league that remind me of Clubber Lang’s beatdown of Rocky Balboa whenever they make a tackle. Can’t forget either that they are angry and will want to put a beatdown on the Jets who are extremely fragile right now, no matter what they may tell us.

Football’s Back: 2012 NFL Training Camps Are Open And In Full Swing

Time will tell if Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez ends up looking over the shoulder of Tim Tebow. (Image: Ed Mulholland, US Presswire)

Training camps are underway around the NFL and that means football is right around the corner. The league had a pretty successful 2011-2012 and there were plenty of headlines off the field after the season to keep football fans in suspense for 2012-2013. Major moves were made by teams looking to position themselves for week 1 of the season.

 Time will tell many things in the upcoming season ..

 How the New Orleans Saints respond after enduring one of the more controversial offseasons in recent league history?

The Peyton Manning era has come to an end in Indianpolis, and it will be strange seeing him in a Denver Broncos jersey on Sundays in the fall.

How good will Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III turn out?

The soap opera that is the New York Jets welcomes Tim Tebow to the mix. Starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was already preparing himself for the most important season of his professional career and now he has to somehow put together a bounce back season with “Tebow Time” looming in the shadows.

The Sanchez / Tebow sub-plot will get plenty of attention, however this is a make or break season for not only Sanchez it’s also one for Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

Randy Moss is back in the league with San Francisco, Terrell Owens still is not, and Chad’s last name is still Ochocinco, however he’s now preparing to catch passes in Miami instead of taking up space in New England.

Oh and let’s not forget that the defending Super Bowl champions are the New York Giants.

Football season is back and my response to that is … can’t wait !! (Bart Scott Voice)