Defining Success: New York Jets

I had a conversation with a colleague of mine about success of a sport franchise, more specific the New York Jets. He argued that in my lifetime the Jets have not been ‘successful’. To me, that could not be farther than the truth. This is by far the best era in Jets football and while winning is defined by championships, it is hard to argue the success of the Jets over the last 15 (including this one) seasons.

NFL Elite Eight: Week 13

 

1. New England Patriots (10-2) – Looked like the best team in the league on Monday night, embarrassing the Jets. Brady is the league MVP.

Next Up: at Chicago 4:15

2. Atlanta Falcons (10-2) – What can you say about the Falcons at this point? They continue to find ways to win and will be the Number 1 seed in the NFC.

Next Up: at Carolina 1:00

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) – Absolutely stole one from the Ravens to take control of NFC North.

Next Up: at Baltimore 8:20

4. New Orleans Saints (9-3) – The Saints offense has been great the last 5 weeks. The defense has been suspect at best.

Next Up: St. Louis 4:05

5. Baltimore Ravens (8-4) – Still have no idea why Flacco is throwing the ball with under three minutes to go, essentially giving the Steelers the win the division lead.

Next Up: at Houston 8:20 (Mon)

6. New York Jets (9-3) – Debacle. Awful. Terrible. Just a couple of words to describe Monday night. On the positive side, it is just one game.

Next Up: Miami 4:15

7. Chicago Bears (9-3) – Lost to the Lions again but the refs would not let that happen. Instead, they sweep the Lions and are 9-3. The Patriots come in, after embarrassing the Jets on Monday Night.

Next Up: New England 4:15

8. Philadelphia  (8-4) – Have a full 10 days to prepare for the surging Cowboys. Defense scares me but the offense is top 5 in the league.

Next Up: at Dallas 8:20

NFL Elite Eight: Week 8

The top AFC teams surprising struggled with the top teams in the NFC. Still need to see more out of the NFC to believe they are on par with the AFC. As we head into Week 9, we still have yet to see that dominate team.

1. New England Patriots (6-1) – I have no idea how the Patriots continue to win. Hard to ever doubt Brady and Co.

Next Up: at Cleveland 1:00

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) – Ran into a buzz saw in New Orleans on Halloween night. Another tough road test on Monday night against a desperate Bengals team.

Next Up: at Cincinnati 8:20 (Mon)

3. Indianapolis Colts (5-2) -The Colts were able to get revenge against the Texans on Monday night. The defense still worries me going forward.

Next Up: at Philadelphia 4:15

4. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – The Ravens went into their bye week coming off their worst defensive game of the year. Now play a Miami team who is 4-0 on road in 2010.

Next Up: Miami 1:00

5. New York Jets (5-2) – The Jets play calling was a joke on Sunday. 38 passes to 22 runs for the team known for “Ground and Pound” style of football. They need to get back to what they do best.

Next Up: at Detroit 1:00

6. New York Giants (5-2) – The Giants probably wish they didn’t have the bye when they did as they were playing so well. They travel to the great Northwest which has not always treated the Giants well.

Next Up: at Seattle 4:05

7. Kansas City (5-2) – Struggled a lot with Buffalo this past weekend but were able to get a win. Sometimes that is all that matters in the NFL.

Next Up: at Oakland 4:15

8. Atlanta Falcons (5-2) – Off the bye week they play a big divisional game against the 5-2 Bucs.

Next Up: Tampa Bay 1:00

Analyzing Week 8

Midpoint of the 2010 NFL Season already. Lot to go over this week. Let’s get at it.

• The clear-cut MVP thus far this year is Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers. Through the first 8 weeks, he has the most passing yards in NFL history. What’s more amazing is who he’s throwing the ball to pile up all these yards. Vincent Jackson has held out all year so far, and injuries to Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naane has Rivers throwing the ball to Antonio Gates, Patrick Crayton, Buster Davis, and a bunch of practice-squad receivers. Jackson will be active on Nov. 28 and he can only help Rivers.