Week 201. Just as the '82 and '98 Jets, the 2009 Jets could not win and advance to the Super Bowl.
2. Jay Feely really let the Jets down today. His misses came after strong drives on the Jets' 1st and 3rd quarter opening possessions. Feely's 3rd quarter miss gave the Colts excellent field position, leading to their go-ahead touchdown.
While Feely's missed field goal attempts were hardly chip shots, in a dome in the AFC Championship against a powerful Colts offense, these are kicks he needed to make.
3. While Feely did kick a 47 yard FG late in the 2nd quarter, those points came after a Jets fumble recovery at the Indy 30. Had the Jets gotten a first down, they could have run out the half. Instead, their 3 and out allowed Peyton Manning to drive right down the field, making it a 17-13 score at halftime with momentum having shifted to the Colts.
4. The injury to Shonn Greene really hurt the Jets offense in the second half. Thomas Jones was not impressive today to say the least, nor in recent weeks.
5. Bad 12 men on the field penalty in the 2nd quarter with the Colts facing 3rd down and 5 from their own 25. I don't know if the penalty was the fault of Bart Scott or the coaching staff.
6. Mark Sanchez looked very good today and during the playoffs. In contrast to Richard Todd and Vinny Testaverde, veteran QBs who after career seasons imploded during the AFC Championships, Sanchez gave the Jets a chance to win.
7. The Jets defense simply was badly beaten today. The secondary was lousy all day, and during the 2nd half, the linebackers and defensive linemen got pushed around.
8. For most of the season, as the Jets lost numerous close games, I agreed with phan that the Jets were a mediocre team. But phan's arguments that the Jets are no more talented than the Bills and that this is the Jets' least talented playoff team, were proven wrong.
A few days ago, phan appeared to expand his definition of mediocre, which, he said, includes the 2007 Giants and 2008 Cardinals.
But those were good teams. Not great teams, but better than mediocre.
9. The Jets are not an elite team - the Colts are - but they do have some good young players on both sides of the ball. Will they make it back to the playoffs next year? Will they be back in the AFC Championship in the next decade? Will we ever see them in the Super Bowl?
This will depend on Mike Tannenbaum's decisions, as well as luck.
10. I am typing this post on my Blackberry in my LA hotel room as the final two minutes of the Jets rollercoaster 2009 season wind down. Last Sunday, I had the privilege of being at Qualcomm Stadium for the Jets defeat of the Chargers. Everything went great that day. My flight was early, I had a ride to and from the game, and my wife and sons had a good time at the beach and boardwalk.
I don't recall entering into any Faustian bargain, but within around two hours of last week's victory, the rain started. It rained for six days in a row, a huge rarity in southern CA. I can deal with the rain, but Californians can't. On Tuesday, after a flat tire on our way, we arrived at Sea World, where it rained heavily for 3 hours. Just as the rain stopped, the park was closed 3 hours early due to "inclement weather." Sea World and Legoland were closed after that.
With the San Diego theme parks closed, I took my sons to an IMAX film about the sea - where around two minutes into the film, they both melted down upon witnessing small fish get gobbled by large fish.
A fitting metaphor for how the 2009 Jets improbable playoff run came to its end.
posted on 1/24/2010
