Jets set to clear hurdle they tripped over

PITTSBURGH - It doesn't take much of an effort for the Jets to flash back to last season's walk from Lucas Oil Stadium's confetti-filled turf to their locker room, one that probably felt as if they were trudging to the end of the Earth.

They have spent the past 12 months doing everything they could to shake off the memory of losing to Indianapolis in that AFC Championship Game and replace it with images loaded with euphoria. Now the Jets are positioned to do just that.

"That wasn't a good feeling leaving that Colts stadium with a loss," wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said, "especially when that irritating confetti was falling down on you and you're walking off as a loser. That's not a good feeling. And the coach has to come in and tell you, good effort, but it just wasn't good enough. That's not a good feeling at all. So with that in mind, a lot of guys worked hard this offseason, trying to make sure that we were gonna get better and take that next step."

That next step is to get to the Super Bowl for the first time in 42 years. But to do that, the sixth-seeded Jets will have to get past the No. 2-seeded Steelers when they meet for the AFC title at 6:30 p.m. today at Heinz Field.

Now the Jets have an opportunity to back up that bold talk they've spewed since training camp in August about cementing a spot in Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 6.

"It's great," coach Rex Ryan said. "We expected to be here. I don't know if we expected to travel the road we did. That was pretty tough, but we're just the men for the job.

"We have a locker room of mighty men and we knew what the goal was. We never lost sight of the goal. We always focused on the goal, and here it is.

"The great thing is there have been a ton of doubters, which you know going along the way, that there are going to be doubters. I keep going back to that Ray Robinson quote about when everybody else doubts you, you have to believe in yourself. That is what this team has. This is what this team does. We've always believed in ourselves. We've always believed we would get to this point and beyond. We're going to find out Sunday."

The Jets stacked the decks in an effort to get back to this point. They brought in a pair of sage veterans in linebacker Jason Taylor and running back LaDainian Tomlinson. They traded for wideout Santonio Holmes, a Super Bowl MVP with the Steelers two years ago; traded for cornerback Antonio Cromartie and signed free-agent safety Brodney Pool.

"It's huge," tight end Dustin Keller said. "We're one game short of our goal of being in the Super Bowl. So far, everything has gone right. We never said that we were going to go undefeated throughout the season or anything like that. We said we were going to make it to the Super Bowl. Obviously, we haven't gotten to that point yet, but we're close.

"And as long as we keep on doing what we have been doing, we'll reach our ultimate goal."

The Steelers stand in their way, but the Jets are familiar with them, having knocked them off, 22-17, here on Dec. 19. But this time the Steelers will have playmaking All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu back. He'll command the Jets' attention after missing last month's meeting with a right Achilles tendon injury.

The Pittsburgh defense finished the regular season ranked one or two in five NFL statistical categories - second-least yards allowed per game (276.8), least rushing yards allowed per game (62.8), least yards per carry (3.0), least points allowed per game (14.5) and most sacks accrued (48) - so the Jets expect a physical game.

"We're more focused than we've ever been," safety James Ihedigbo said. "We're prepared for a dogfight. We're going in there with the mind-set to dominate . . . How do you play a physical team like this? You smack them in the mouth. You don't give them a chance to get into their rhythm. You go out there and play physical from the first play, let them know what time it is the whole time.''

It's a time - if you ask veterans such as right guard Brandon Moore - that is of the essence.

"I think that's going to get us through, understanding that this opportunity doesn't come every year, and making the most of it," he said. "I think you draw on those experiences of when you didn't make it.

"You're finally, finally at the position that you sit and dream about. It's finally here, and now it's about making the most of it."

Said quarterback Mark Sanchez: "We know we can win the game. It's going to be tough, but we can do it. We have the players to do it, we have the scheme to do it. We play right and we'll be just fine. You can't play not to lose. We've got to play to win the game, and that's what we'll do."