Super Bowl buzz for Jets, not Giants
It's hard to imagine a more divergent set of expectations for the Jets and Giants than the ones they face heading into this season.
For the Jets, it's Super Bowl or bust. Rex Ryan has his players -- and fans -- sky high as they attempt to take the next step after two straight runs to the AFC Championship Game. If it's Thursday, why it's time for another Super Bowl guarantee.
The Giants? Sheesh. After the post-lockout floodgates opened, they not only dumped veterans like Shaun O'Hara, Rich Seubert and Shawn Andrews, and then lost free agents like Barry Cofield, Steve Smith and Kevin Boss, but they whiffed on bringing back Plaxico Burress, who chose the Jets. And on top of that, they lost four defensive players to season-ending injuries, and Osi Umenyiora's knee is still gimpy.
The Giants to the Super Bowl? Are you out of your mind? Even though it's been only four years since the Giants actually did win the Super Bowl -- and it was in 1969 ('68 season) that the Jets won theirs -- the only real Super Bowl buzz in this town surrounds the team in green, not the one in blue.
And what does it all mean in the grand scheme of things? Well, considering the NFL landscape is filled with countless examples of over-hyped teams falling flat and under-the-radar teams pulling off shocking results, perhaps not much.
But that's what makes the NFL the best professional sports league going, because you can never truly know from year-to-year which teams will be there at the end to carry out their lofty expectations, and which ones will collapse under the weight of their high hopes.
Which is why there's no reason to think football in New York this season won't be every bit as compelling as any other year. The Jets are certainly entitled to their sense of optimism, even if Ryan does go overboard sometimes in his seemingly daily proclamations that this team is ready to win it all. The fact is a team that goes to within a game of the Super Bowl two years in a row should absolutely be thinking about taking that next step, and winning the game if they get there.
Mark Sanchez has progressed exceptionally quickly in two full seasons on the job, and even at the tender age of 24, he has at his disposal an impressive array of offensive weapons. From game-breaking wide receiver Santonio Holmes, to Burress, to running backs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson, to tight end Dustin Keller and an elite offensive line, there's no reason the Jets can't make another run at the AFC East title and get what they now covet: at least one home playoff game.
The defense should be every bit as good as the last two years, although the pass rush is still an issue. Ryan's contagious sense of confidence will serve his team well, and there's no reason to think the Jets can't make another meaningful playoff run.
A Super Bowl run? Well, I still have my doubts because the conference is filled with legitimate contenders in New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and San Diego. But you get into the tournament, and anything goes. So if Rex wants to answer his skeptics who say why the Jets and respond: why not the Jets, so be it.
The Giants? Well, let's just say we don't share their enthusiasm. Coming off a 10-6 season should be cause for optimism, but the way they collapsed at the end, the way the injuries and free agent defections piled up and the way the injuries mounted in the preseason, it just seems like a stretch to see them get in position for a Super Bowl run.
And you talk about depth in a conference; the NFC is loaded with Philly, New Orleans, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and even Dallas, which figures to bounce back. Oh, yeah. The Packers. Ya'know, the team that won it all last year and has only improved its roster from last year.
So yes, it's Jets up and Giants down in 2011. And, of course, we're prepared for any eventuality, including a complete reversal of those expectations. Remember, it's the NFL, where anything goes.
It's why we love the game.
Enjoy the season.
