Jets' belief: We're taking off, not landing

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The usual chatter was replaced by the unmistakable sounds of duct tape, with the mood somber instead of upbeat.

The Jets weren't prepared to be cleaning out their lockers, not on this day. They'd spoken openly about their Super Bowl XLV hopes ever since training camp, but Sunday's 24-19 loss to the Steelers sent them into an offseason of uncertainty.

But even though they fell short in the AFC Championship Game for the second straight year, Rex Ryan is sure of one thing: The Jets are ascending.

"We just want to be champions," Ryan said Monday. "We know we're on the right path. You can't luck into two straight final fours. That doesn't happen. We know we're close and we're going to work to get that goal. We're not trying to rebuild. We want to get right back at it."

Before they do - besides that small matter of the lack of progress on a new collective-bargaining agreement - the Jets must make decisions about several key players. They have to figure out if they want to bring back looming free agents such as Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Antonio Cromartie.

Whether LaDainian Tomlinson - who said Sunday he plans to honor the final year of his contract - Jason Taylor and Tony Richardson will return for another crack at that elusive ring remains to be seen. Shaun Ellis and Brad Smith also are up in the air.

Ryan will have a ton of input on how the roster shapes up, and he said he'd love to bring his entire 53-man squad back. But the Jets know that's unrealistic.

"That's the NFL," Bart Scott said. "That's the business, 30-percent turnaround. You lose about 15 players a year. All you can focus on is the appreciation for what those guys gave you, and I can say every guy here's tank was empty. They gave everything they had. From 'Hard Knocks' to the adversities we had, one thing we were always able to lean on was each other.''

Now it's all about retooling and taking that next step.

"I feel like we're so close," Mark Sanchez said. "I'm proud of our guys for the way that we improved, but we're going to need a little more. That's the only thing I can think of right now, just a little bit more, out of me, as a leader, as a quarterback, just getting completions and taking care of the ball even better.''

"There is going to be more of an emphasis on taking control and assuming command of this team and this organization, that's just the way I feel. Everybody on board, the new guys that we bring in, we've got to get them right, we've got to get them playing like a Jet from day one."

All so they don't experience a third consecutive loss in the conference title game.

"We wanted this, not just for us, but we wanted it for our fans and for the 'Same Old Jet' thing," Ryan said. "Trust me, we wanted to put that somewhere. We tried everything we could. Our guys committed like nobody else in this league."

That's why Sunday's loss stung so much, leaving the players with an empty feeling.

"We have a different standard here," guard Brandon Moore said. "We want to be a better team. We want to win a Super Bowl . . . Anything other than that for me is a failure."

But Ryan is sure success is on the horizon.

"The great thing is, I think we're on the uphill climb, not the downhill," he said. "We've won 13 games this year. The fact that we beat Indy at Indy, the fact we beat New England at New England, there are a lot of positives to take from this season and things that I would be encouraged about.

"Are we guaranteed we're going to go to the Super Bowl? Maybe not. Maybe when I said that, 'Soon to be champs,' I just don't know when that [will be], but I believe it. In my heart, I believe we'll be champs."