A Day Before the Game

Woodson Wins DPOTY

Charles Woodson winning defensive player of the year shows how ridiculous the process is.  He had a great year but no defensive player in the league meant more to his team or played better defensively than Darelle Revis and the playoff game where Fitzgerald and others burned Woodson showed that.  Revis shut down Moss (x2), Owens (x2) ,Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Chad Johnson (x2), Reggie Wayne, and Marques Colston and those are only the big names.  Hopefully this loss inspires him this weekend.

Jets v. Bengals Postgame

Jets: 24
Bengals: 14

With a 10 point victory over the Bengals the Jets have advanced to the second round of the playoffs against either the San Diego Chargers or the Indianapolis Colts.  The Jets used a superb running attack led by rookie RB Shonn Greene and an extremely efficient Mark Sanchez to put up points against a good Bengals defense.  With this win, the Jets managed to quiet a lot of critics who have criticized the team;s recent wins against teams who had "nothing to play for."  The Jets defense and running attack lived up to their reputation as the best in the league used them to dismantle the Bengals.

Thumbs Up:

• Shonn Greene controlled the majority of the running game with 21 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown.  His long touchdown on the counter pitch play was a huge play in the game and he really dominated the Bengals on the ground.  The formula is in place for the Jets the rest of the playoffs.  If Greene/Jones are able to get a rhythm established on the ground it will enable Mark Sanchez to make safe throws.  

• Mark Sanchez finished 12/15 for 182 yards and a touchdown and turned in his best performance as a pro in his biggest game.  He was extremely efficient and only made safe throws. With the running game working the way it was there was no reason for Sanchez to take risks down the field.  He made a few big throws and was careful with the ball.

• Darelle Revis played an excellent game despite getting absolutely screwed by at least 2 pass interference calls.  The refs seemed to have it out for number 24 last night as Revis was called on two pass interference penalties where there was clearly no penalty.  In fact, on one of the plays Ochocinco seemed to clearly push off.  However, despite the rash of bad calls against him Revis was still able to make an acrobatic interception as well as hold Ochocinco to 2 catches.  

•  Jay Feely normally doesn't get that much credit on here because I expect that a kicker can do his job.  However, last night Feely went above and beyond after he had to take over the punting duties with Steve Weatherford out with an irregular heartbeat.  Feely was able to nail almost half of his punts inside the 20 which was better than I could have expected.

Thumbs Down:

• Braylon Edwards dropped a clear touchdown on a 40 yard Mark Sanchez pass that just went right through his hands.  Edwards has been plagued by drops in his career and he cannot afford to make that same mistake if the Jets want to have any  hope of knocking off the Colts or the Chargers next week.  

• Referees.  The two pass interference calls against Revis were absolutely wrong which I have already gone over above.  Also, the  late hit on David Harris was absurd and gave the Bengals a free 15 yards.

• Special Teams, other than Jay Feely, did not have a good day.  The Bengals opened up the game with a long kickoff return and were able to get a long punt return soon thereafter.  Also, we gave up 3 points with two false start penalties on two consecutive Jay Feely field goals.  These are the kind of mistakes which we can't afford to make against better teams.

Game Thoughts:

That was the game I was hoping to see out of the Jets all season.  We were able to control the ball on offense with the running game and throw it just enough times to keep the Bengals off balance.  Sanchez protected the ball and made some plays when we needed it.  The run defense was poor but the overall defense was good as we did a good job holding the Bengals to 14 points.  This Jets team is going to be dangerous next week whether we play the Colts or the Chargers.  With this defense and running game this team can beat anyone if they play a good game. 

Who to Play:

Personally, I would rather go to San Diego and play the Chargers because I want to avoid Peyton Manning as long as possible. This means rooting for the Ravens to upset the Patriots tonight.  This has a few positives.  1.) We get to see the Patriots eliminated from the playoffs.  2.) It keeps alive the slim hope of a home AFC Championship game.  3.) No Peyton Manning until a potential AFC Championship game. 

Wild Card: Jets v. Bengals

The Jets travel into Cincinnati as the underdog in a rematch of a week 17 match-up.  However, little will be the same in this game as the Bengals will come into it with a lot more to play for.  Just two weeks after being written off by Jets head coach Rex Ryan the team somehow stumbled themselves into a playoff berth.  This game will feature two teams which will employ very similar strategies.  Both teams will look to utilize their strong running attacks and great defenses.  The Jets come into this game with the league's #1 ranked defense and the #1 ranked rushing offense.

What to watch for...

• Brian Schottenheimer's play calling will be huge in this game.  Schotty needs to keep the offense out of Sanchez's hands and only force him to throw when it is necessary.  I really like what he has done in the past few weeks with Brad Smith lining up in a wildcat/option formation.  This seemed to catch the Bengals off guard last week and the Jets may be able to run a similar formation successfully this week.  The key to this game on offense is establishing the run.  If the Jets can get a running game going they will be extremely difficult to stop.

• Will David Harris play?  Harris was the Jets leading tackler and was a strong consideration for the pro bowl.  (should have made it)  However, he got injured late in the first half last week and hasn't been able to fully practice all week.  If Harris can't play it is going to open up a huge gap at the middle linebacker position.

• How will the Bengals respond?  After a 37-0 drubbing last week at the Meadowlands it will be interesting to see how the Bengals respond.  They couldn't get anything going in Week 17 and this should fuel the Jets confidence.

Who to watch for..

• Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene will anchor the Jets running attack and are the only hope of the Jets establishing a good offensive rhythm.  Look for Jones to get around 25 carries today with Greene getting around 10 as the Jets look to keep the ball out of Sanchez's hands and not forcing him to make plays until it is necessary.  One thing to watch for is whether Greene can hold onto the ball.  He runs harder than any running back I have seen since Jamal Lewis but he also has fumbling problems.  Turnovers for the Jets will kill any chance they have of winning this game.

• Darelle Revis will once again be tasked with shutting down an elite receiver when Chad Ochocinco/Johnson lines up opposite of him.  Ocho was shut down last week and held to no catches by Revis.  Look for Revis to continue doing what he has done all year, shutting down top receivers.  

• The offensive line will have to continue their efforts from last week in order to open up holes for Jones and Greene as well as for giving Sanchez time to throw.  If the running game can be established early it will help out Sanchez and put him in situations where he doesn't have to make the difficult throw.

Here we go, it seems like it has been forever since we have watched a Jets playoff game but we are finally getting one tonight.  The Jets come into this game as underdogs with a great chance to upset the Bengals.

Game Prediction:
Jets-16
Bengals- 13

Jets Make the Playoffs

The New York Jets have made the playoffs.  Amazing, Unbelievable,  Shocking are just a few words that can describe how I feel about this playoff birth.  With a convincing win over the Bengals the Jets have played themselves into the playoffs and a first round rematch against the Bengals.  The ups and downs through this season were absolutely incredible.  5 of the 7 losses came by a combined 17 points with some truly heartbreaking losses.  However, none of this matters now as the New York Jets have given themselves a chance to win a Superbowl.  The Jets will travel into Cincinnati as underdogs just a week after beating them 37-0 in the last game at the Meadowlands.  On Saturday at 4:30 we will see what Jets team we will get for this postseason. 

Jets v. Bengals Pregame

Win to get in.  This is the game that Jets fans have dreamed of having all season long.  We have gone through a lot this season with some of the most excruciating losses that I can ever remember experiencing.  However, tonight there is a chance to forget all of that and make the playoffs.  I am not going to go through my normal pregame post because 1.) It is 12:10 A.M. here and I don't have the energy and 2.) It isn't needed.  It's as simple as this.  WIN AND GET IN.

Jets v. Colts Postgame

Jets- 29
Colts- 15

Jets: 8-7

With everything to play for the Jets were able to pull off a miraculous win against the Colts to keep themselves in the AFC wild card picture.  At this point everyone knows the reason the Jets won this game.  Peyton Manning was pulled late in the 3rd Quarter in favor of Curtis Painter and the Jets never looked back.  With this win the Jets will control their own destiny next Sunday night when they return home to play the Cincinnati Bengals.  In this win and in scenario the Jets players should be pumped up in front of a loud Meadowlands crowd.

Thumbs Up:

• Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene both had outstanding games in this win.  Jones finished with 23 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown while Greene finished with 16 carries for 95 yards.  Greene seemed to control much of the running early as he punished Colts defenders.  Jones was able to eat up clock in the 3rd and 4th quarter after the Jets got the lead. 

•  Calvin Pace was able to create the fumble and was a major turning point in the game.  

• Brad Smith infused hope in me and other Jets fans with his kickoff return touchdown to start the second half.  The Jets offense looked dead throughout the first half and this kickoff return really put the life back into the team.

Honorable Mention: Jim Caldwell for pulling Peyton Manning.

Thumbs Down:

•  Brian Schottenheimer.  As has been said many times before and will probably continue to be said Schottenheimer gets way too "cute" with his playcalling.  The Jets opened the game backed up against their own endzone with three straight pass plays.  When the Jets got a drive going in the first half Schotty killed it by calling a reverse to Clowney which resulted in a 15 yard loss.  The tools are there for the Jets to be a strong, power running team and Schotty has to rely on that attack.

• David Clowney can't make run 15 yards backwards on that reverse play.  He needs to realize when the play is blown up.

Game Thoughts:

The Jets need one more win to get in.  Jets v. Bengals next week at 8:30 will decide out playoff hopes.  I wish I was going but instead I will be in front of a computer in Ireland at 1:30 A.M. praying for a win.  LET'S GO JETS.

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