SUPER BOWL XL
It's been a forgettable NFL season for me, about the only good thing to come out of it is a brand new Super Bowl matchup. So I can cross Seattle-Pittsburgh off my list (yes, there is a list...actually a spreadsheet) and hope that next year the Jets are the ones involved in another new Super Bowl matchup. (For those of you unfamiliar with my obsession, I want every NFL team to face every other NFL team, in their respective conferences, in the Super Bowl. Same goes for the World Series.)
I know there's a lot for me to weigh in on, what with the Jets' coaching debacles...I mean, changes...but I just want to put this season behind me for a bit. So I'm here to make a Super Bowl prediction, and then move onto johnnymets.blogspot.com for a while.
Back at the beginning of the post-season, I trashed Shaun Alexander as an MVP and said he'd probably cost his team a playoff game due to a fumble. I guess that hasn't happened, but he did fumble against Washington when he got knocked out...it just didn't cost the team the game (but shouldn't an MVP being knocked out of a playoff game cost your team the game...maybe he's not so V. Just a thought.)
That said, hopefully Alexander will NOT fumble and cost his team this game, because I am picking the Seattle Seahawks to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL. It's been a long road for the Steelers. I know they have a lot of emotion going into this game, what with Jerome Bettis and all, and there are going to be a lot of Steelers fans in Detroit. I know that. I didn't think the Steelers would be able to win in Indy...and then I did not think they'd be able to win in Denver. But the road's gotta catch up to them eventually. This is where it will.
Seattle is on the road too, which isn't the greatest thing. But this is a different Seattle team than the one that stunk on the road last year. Granted they weren't great away from Qwest this year, but they're a very good team. I can't believe Seattle is actually the underdog. I would take Seattle getting the points in this one easy.
I think the quarterbacks in this game are pretty evenly matched - but the edge might actually go to Pittsburgh because Ben Roethlisberger has a better set of receivers, I think, than Matt Hasselbeck. I think Seattle's got a better running game (Bettis isn't a threat until the Steelers are inside the 20), and I think people are going to be surprised by how well the Seattle defense plays tomorrow night.
I'm going with Seattle, 27-21.
I'm rooting, in a player pool that I'm in, for Jerome Bettis to score two more touchdowns than Shaun Alexander. I also need neither of the quarterbacks to throw a touchdown. I'm not sure how my pick will happen, with me still winning the pool...so I have a couple of different rooting interests in this game. I can root for the kickers to have good games. 9 field goals for the Seahawks, 3 touchdowns for Bettis.
I find it funny (or pathetic) that the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl this year as a 6 seed when, at the beginning of the year, filled with naive hope, I wrote that the Jets would need to win the division, because it's near impossible for a team to make the Super Bowl without playing a post-season home game (or even without home field advantage throughout). This was after the Jets lost in Pittsburgh, after winning in San Diego in last year's playoffs. So the Steelers have accomplished a lot already, just by getting to the big game. But I think, sad for them, it's all over tomorrow night. Let the record show that I think, at this point, I am rooting for the Steelers to win. But I'm picking the Seahawks to beat them. See you in baseball season.
Showing posts with label Shaun Alexander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shaun Alexander. Show all posts
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Welcome back to 1992. Or 1993. Or 1995. Or any other hopeless time in the history of the Jets. Because that's where we're again headed.
I don't know why I trust sports figures. Not just athletes now, but coaches as well. I believed Herman Edwards when he said he wanted to be head coach of the Jets for the next 10 years - way back at the beginning of the season when the Edwards-to-K.C. rumors first started swirling. I believed him again at the end of the season, when Dick Vermeil had announced his retirement, and the rumors kicked up again, and Edwards said he didn't plan on going anywhere. But money speaks loud, very loud, I suppose. And despite Terry Bradway's claims that he wanted Edwards back, lately, he didn't. So Herman Edwards is gone, and all the Jets have in his place is a fourth-round draft pick.
The departure of Edwards isn't the only shoe to drop. No, so many shoes will be dropping in the Jets' offices it will be like an earthquake hit a shoe store. First of all, the players had a very good rapport with Edwards. I'm willing to bet 75% of the players who would have come back to the Jets while Edwards was still head coach will now look elsewhere (some of them may very well consider joining the Kansas City Chiefs). Those who are left behind will toil under a new head coach they will not like nearly as much, and will have to adjust to a new system.
Speaking of new systems, the coaches aren't going to be the same. Remember Mike Heimerdinger's one-year-stint as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets? Yeah, I doubt he'll be back for a new coach...he might, but I doubt it. It actually depends on who the new coach is - more on that later - but if it's an insecure guy who wants his own people in there, Heimerdinger's gone. If it's someone who's comfortable enough in what he does, maybe he'll keep Heimerdinger on, realizing that it would kill the Jets to have to learn another new offense.
Then there's defense. Donnie Henderson is probably not going to get the head coaching position, and I don't imagine he'll be sticking around for another coach. If he goes anywhere else as an assistant, he'll probably re-join Edwards in K.C. He's also being considered for head coaching positions elsewhere.
This is probably a good time to insert the current mailbag - featuring one relevant e-mail (OK, one e-mail at all):
"Johnny...
Obviously the playoff picks are important, but the Herm Edwards era is OVER in New York. I know earlier in a BLOG you said you liked him (when I questioned him), but now that he's leaving....thoughts?? How could this happen?? Are you upset?? What sort of coach should be the next coach?? Any specific names??
kevin
JJDBSDC Southern Bureau Chief"
Well, I did like Herman Edwards a lot. I really did. Yes, now that it's over, it's easier to see his flaws (get ready for clock management issues, Kansas City), but he was a great motivator, and you could see his players loved playing (and winning) for him. I liked rooting for him. He seemed honest with the media, wearing his heart on his sleeve....until recently. Clearly, I think you can tell I'm upset by this, because the Jets are spiraling into a bad time...because the Jets being the Jets, they will probably make the wrong choice for the next head coach.
The right choice for the next head coach of the New York Jets would be Mike Sherman. The former Green Bay head coach is no-nonsense, and might restore some credibility to a franchise that was heading in the right direction, but has just come crashing back to where it was 15 years ago. I also think he got a raw deal being fired in Green Bay, and it would be a steal for the Jets to be able to scoop him up.
The absolute WRONG choice for the Jets would be Jim Haslett. Here's why. The Jets under Jim Haslett:
2006: 6-10
2007: 7-9
2008: 7-9
2009: 7-9 (fired at the end of the season)
Welcome to mediocrity - or whatever lies just below mediocrity.
The right choice for the Jets would involve someone who doesn't underachieve (*cough* Haslett *cough*), and someone who can make the Jets believe they can win again. And I know I've beaten this drum before, but it has to be someone who believes in Chad Pennington's ability to bounce back and again be a good quarterback. This is probably an entry for a different day, but I saw a post-season interview with Pennington, and he said he's on track for his recovery. 32 weeks after his first surgery, he said, was opening day in Kansas City. 32 weeks after this most recent surgery, he says, will be mini-camp. So this time, he says, time will not be an issue. He's going to go out and compete with whoever else the Jets bring in to challenge him at quarterback, and I believe he's going to win out, and do well again as Jets' quarterback (there I go again, believing what an athlete tells the media). But I am shying away from the thinking that Chad Pennington's career is over.
How about this for an ideal situation, that I just thought up...Mike Sherman is hired as head coach. Pennington comes back, and wins the starting job over new backup....Brett Favre, who retired from Green Bay, but announced he was coming back to play for his old coach (I think he really liked Sherman), and agreed to back up Pennington if Pennington earned the starting job, which he did. That would be something.
I need to vent about something, now a little bit off topic. It's the word "unbelievable". This word has taken over the sports lexicon. Watch any analyst, sports broadcast, or even news show (it's snuck its way into the news lexicon to a point), and chances are you will hear this word used to describe something or someone. I've found lately that nothing is unbelievable, because so many crazy things happen in sports, you just have to believe what you see. But there people are, describing Vince Young's performance in the Rose Bowl as "unbelievable". Or Shaun Alexander's season as "unbelievable" (Oh, by the way - another rant - people are all over Alexander these days, as 'the best player you've never heard of'. No, I've heard of him. He's still the most selfish player in the NFL. He's not an MVP. Remember, last year, Alexander got mad at Mike Holmgren for keeping him out of a one-yard run situation when he could have scored a touchdown, and then he ended up missing the NFL rushing title by a yard? Well, this year he won the rushing title and set a touchdown record, and there's peace and harmony in Seattle. I was watching the Colts-Seahawks game, when Alexander was approaching the record, and he's running in from the sidelines in a goal-line situation to get his touchdown, when Holmgren is calling him back, because he doesn't want him in on that particular play. You might say that's a guy who's excited about playing, I say, based on his track record, that's a selfish player more concerned about individual statistics than team performance. By the way - the reason Holmgren wouldn't want him in in a goal-line situation? Shaun Alexander is a fumbler. And I think he'll cost Seattle a playoff game with his fumbles this year. So there.) Anyway, I get mad at myself whenever I use the word "unbelievable" - I wish others would try to curb their use of the word.
Playoff picks: I really like Washington to beat Tampa Bay today. Tampa is giving 2, but I think Washington will beat them outright. I just think Joe Gibbs has it together there, and can beat Chris Simms in his first playoff start. Also, Washington is probably looking for revenge from Tampa's dramatic comeback win over the Redskins in the regular season. I'll say Washington, 31-10.
I don't want New England to beat the Jaguars tonight. I definitely don't. But I have a feeling they will. Jacksonville claims to be underappreciated this year - I've been calling them the worst 12-4 team ever. They'll earn my respect if they come out and beat a good team. This is a team, mind you, that could only muster 10 points against the 49ers and eke out a 10-9 win. I think Jacksonville keeps it closer than the 7-and-a-half-points in the spread, but New England (disrespected? please give me a break) wins, maybe 23-17.
On Sunday, the Giants-Panthers game is a tough call. Eli Manning is making his first playoff start against a Panthers team that is similar to the one that went to the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, but I think the Giants will win. Maybe it's because they're home, maybe because they've been playing well lately. I say Giants will cover the 2-and-a-half, and win, 27-20.
Then the Steelers visiting the Bengals. This one has Steelers written all over it. The Bengals have been struggling the past few weeks, they've reached the high of making the playoffs. I think Cincinnati will be dangerous next year, but look for Jerome Bettis to score a couple of touchdowns, and the Steelers to easily beat the Bengals, and cover the 3-point spread. I say Pittsburgh, 24-14.
My NFL New Year's Resolution - to cut down on my use of the word 'unbelievable', and realize that all sports figures, head coaches who I trust included, are not to be believed...dare I say, they are 'unbelievable'.
I don't know why I trust sports figures. Not just athletes now, but coaches as well. I believed Herman Edwards when he said he wanted to be head coach of the Jets for the next 10 years - way back at the beginning of the season when the Edwards-to-K.C. rumors first started swirling. I believed him again at the end of the season, when Dick Vermeil had announced his retirement, and the rumors kicked up again, and Edwards said he didn't plan on going anywhere. But money speaks loud, very loud, I suppose. And despite Terry Bradway's claims that he wanted Edwards back, lately, he didn't. So Herman Edwards is gone, and all the Jets have in his place is a fourth-round draft pick.
The departure of Edwards isn't the only shoe to drop. No, so many shoes will be dropping in the Jets' offices it will be like an earthquake hit a shoe store. First of all, the players had a very good rapport with Edwards. I'm willing to bet 75% of the players who would have come back to the Jets while Edwards was still head coach will now look elsewhere (some of them may very well consider joining the Kansas City Chiefs). Those who are left behind will toil under a new head coach they will not like nearly as much, and will have to adjust to a new system.
Speaking of new systems, the coaches aren't going to be the same. Remember Mike Heimerdinger's one-year-stint as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets? Yeah, I doubt he'll be back for a new coach...he might, but I doubt it. It actually depends on who the new coach is - more on that later - but if it's an insecure guy who wants his own people in there, Heimerdinger's gone. If it's someone who's comfortable enough in what he does, maybe he'll keep Heimerdinger on, realizing that it would kill the Jets to have to learn another new offense.
Then there's defense. Donnie Henderson is probably not going to get the head coaching position, and I don't imagine he'll be sticking around for another coach. If he goes anywhere else as an assistant, he'll probably re-join Edwards in K.C. He's also being considered for head coaching positions elsewhere.
This is probably a good time to insert the current mailbag - featuring one relevant e-mail (OK, one e-mail at all):
"Johnny...
Obviously the playoff picks are important, but the Herm Edwards era is OVER in New York. I know earlier in a BLOG you said you liked him (when I questioned him), but now that he's leaving....thoughts?? How could this happen?? Are you upset?? What sort of coach should be the next coach?? Any specific names??
kevin
JJDBSDC Southern Bureau Chief"
Well, I did like Herman Edwards a lot. I really did. Yes, now that it's over, it's easier to see his flaws (get ready for clock management issues, Kansas City), but he was a great motivator, and you could see his players loved playing (and winning) for him. I liked rooting for him. He seemed honest with the media, wearing his heart on his sleeve....until recently. Clearly, I think you can tell I'm upset by this, because the Jets are spiraling into a bad time...because the Jets being the Jets, they will probably make the wrong choice for the next head coach.
The right choice for the next head coach of the New York Jets would be Mike Sherman. The former Green Bay head coach is no-nonsense, and might restore some credibility to a franchise that was heading in the right direction, but has just come crashing back to where it was 15 years ago. I also think he got a raw deal being fired in Green Bay, and it would be a steal for the Jets to be able to scoop him up.
The absolute WRONG choice for the Jets would be Jim Haslett. Here's why. The Jets under Jim Haslett:
2006: 6-10
2007: 7-9
2008: 7-9
2009: 7-9 (fired at the end of the season)
Welcome to mediocrity - or whatever lies just below mediocrity.
The right choice for the Jets would involve someone who doesn't underachieve (*cough* Haslett *cough*), and someone who can make the Jets believe they can win again. And I know I've beaten this drum before, but it has to be someone who believes in Chad Pennington's ability to bounce back and again be a good quarterback. This is probably an entry for a different day, but I saw a post-season interview with Pennington, and he said he's on track for his recovery. 32 weeks after his first surgery, he said, was opening day in Kansas City. 32 weeks after this most recent surgery, he says, will be mini-camp. So this time, he says, time will not be an issue. He's going to go out and compete with whoever else the Jets bring in to challenge him at quarterback, and I believe he's going to win out, and do well again as Jets' quarterback (there I go again, believing what an athlete tells the media). But I am shying away from the thinking that Chad Pennington's career is over.
How about this for an ideal situation, that I just thought up...Mike Sherman is hired as head coach. Pennington comes back, and wins the starting job over new backup....Brett Favre, who retired from Green Bay, but announced he was coming back to play for his old coach (I think he really liked Sherman), and agreed to back up Pennington if Pennington earned the starting job, which he did. That would be something.
I need to vent about something, now a little bit off topic. It's the word "unbelievable". This word has taken over the sports lexicon. Watch any analyst, sports broadcast, or even news show (it's snuck its way into the news lexicon to a point), and chances are you will hear this word used to describe something or someone. I've found lately that nothing is unbelievable, because so many crazy things happen in sports, you just have to believe what you see. But there people are, describing Vince Young's performance in the Rose Bowl as "unbelievable". Or Shaun Alexander's season as "unbelievable" (Oh, by the way - another rant - people are all over Alexander these days, as 'the best player you've never heard of'. No, I've heard of him. He's still the most selfish player in the NFL. He's not an MVP. Remember, last year, Alexander got mad at Mike Holmgren for keeping him out of a one-yard run situation when he could have scored a touchdown, and then he ended up missing the NFL rushing title by a yard? Well, this year he won the rushing title and set a touchdown record, and there's peace and harmony in Seattle. I was watching the Colts-Seahawks game, when Alexander was approaching the record, and he's running in from the sidelines in a goal-line situation to get his touchdown, when Holmgren is calling him back, because he doesn't want him in on that particular play. You might say that's a guy who's excited about playing, I say, based on his track record, that's a selfish player more concerned about individual statistics than team performance. By the way - the reason Holmgren wouldn't want him in in a goal-line situation? Shaun Alexander is a fumbler. And I think he'll cost Seattle a playoff game with his fumbles this year. So there.) Anyway, I get mad at myself whenever I use the word "unbelievable" - I wish others would try to curb their use of the word.
Playoff picks: I really like Washington to beat Tampa Bay today. Tampa is giving 2, but I think Washington will beat them outright. I just think Joe Gibbs has it together there, and can beat Chris Simms in his first playoff start. Also, Washington is probably looking for revenge from Tampa's dramatic comeback win over the Redskins in the regular season. I'll say Washington, 31-10.
I don't want New England to beat the Jaguars tonight. I definitely don't. But I have a feeling they will. Jacksonville claims to be underappreciated this year - I've been calling them the worst 12-4 team ever. They'll earn my respect if they come out and beat a good team. This is a team, mind you, that could only muster 10 points against the 49ers and eke out a 10-9 win. I think Jacksonville keeps it closer than the 7-and-a-half-points in the spread, but New England (disrespected? please give me a break) wins, maybe 23-17.
On Sunday, the Giants-Panthers game is a tough call. Eli Manning is making his first playoff start against a Panthers team that is similar to the one that went to the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, but I think the Giants will win. Maybe it's because they're home, maybe because they've been playing well lately. I say Giants will cover the 2-and-a-half, and win, 27-20.
Then the Steelers visiting the Bengals. This one has Steelers written all over it. The Bengals have been struggling the past few weeks, they've reached the high of making the playoffs. I think Cincinnati will be dangerous next year, but look for Jerome Bettis to score a couple of touchdowns, and the Steelers to easily beat the Bengals, and cover the 3-point spread. I say Pittsburgh, 24-14.
My NFL New Year's Resolution - to cut down on my use of the word 'unbelievable', and realize that all sports figures, head coaches who I trust included, are not to be believed...dare I say, they are 'unbelievable'.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Jets 37, Seahawks 17
Ah, good ol' reliable Seattle. Nothing like a good choke job by the Seahawks to make you feel better about your team. But seriously, folks, the Jets played very well, improving to 10-4 on the season, and moving to within a win of a playoff spot. (For you non-Jets fans out there, just realize that 10 wins in a season is still a pretty novel thing to us Jets fans...we're used to double digits in the losses column.)
Chad Pennington came back from last week's disaster in Pittsburgh with an awesome game. 253 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT. Classic Chad. His throws looked as good this week as they looked bad last week. So maybe his arm isn't in as bad shape as I thought. I'll get a look in person next week against New England.
Curtis Martin rushed for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns (LaMont Jordan added 84 yards on the ground) as the Jets racked up 482 yards of offense. Very nice. The only negative spot on offense came in the third quarter when Anthony Becht dropped a touchdown pass on the goal line. He got booed off the field for the second consecutive home game. The Jets' tight ends were being talked up all week as needing to become a bigger part of the offense, and Becht had just two passes thrown his way (including the dropped TD), and Chris Baker had one catch. Maybe they'll throw Becht's way a lot more in the coming games...or they're saving it for the post-season. Either way, it doesn't look like Anthony Becht will be back in a Jets uniform next year. The good news, though, is that uncharacteristically, after Becht dropped the TD pass, the Jets went right back to the air from the 7-yard line and Pennington threw a touchdown to Santana Moss. Usually the Jets would run it into the ground and settle for a field goal in a situation like that.
On the ensuing drive, the Seahawks drove down to the Jets' 1-yard line, and the defense held, forced fourth down, and then Shawn Alexander fumbled the ball into the end zone. The defense has been playing so well...and another second half shutout - that's starting to mean something to me now. Terrell Buckley got burned again for a touchdown (so did Donnie Abraham), but if the defense keeps playing like this, who knows what could happen.
Doug Brien had a couple of hiccups, missing an extra point and a field goal, but he tends to do that once or twice a year. So I think it's out of his system.
The officiating was once again horrid. Seattle had a few gripes in that game, nothing that changed the course of the game, really, but the Jets caught a couple of breaks. I think...I'm not really positive. I have a bad feeling that someone's season this year is going to hinge on a bad call by the referees....I hate when that happens. It better not be the Jets. I just feel that no matter what, the refs tend to favor the home team, and it gets aggravating...especially when the Jets' path to the championship takes them on the road.
Moving on to some other news from Sunday - the Broncos collapse has been unreal. They got whipped by the Chiefs on Sunday, and with the Jaguars and Bills winning, (and pending the outcome of Sunday night's Baltimore game), the Broncos have put themselves almost out of the playoffs. Speaking of the Bills winning, that Jets' loss to the Bills isn't looking so horrible anymore. (Although I'm still a little upset by it.) But the Bills, after starting off 0-4 (remember, I called them the best 0-4 team in football...you can look it up), are now 8-6. And I called them the best 0-4 team in football because they lost some really, really close games back in September. They could easily be 9-5, 10-4...even 11-3 right now. I think. The Jaguars snuck by them, the Jets beat them by two...Bledsoe was driving the Bills to tie against the Patriots late in the game....anyway, the fact remains the Bills are 8-6...but they're making a playoff push.
A couple of e-mails from Dave (not in Brighton this week):
"Dear JohnnyJets,
I know you eschew the Sunday morning pregame shows, so I wanted to let
you know that Chad Pennington was the guest on Fox's "Ten Yards with
TB" segment.
As a dutiful JJDBSDC agent, I took notes so you could have blog fodder in case Al takes the week off.
If you're not familiar with the segment, Terry Bradshaw gives you 2 choices, and you pick one of them. Chad's picks in CAPS.
call your own plays/COACH CALLS THE PLAYS
big arm/OK ARM
zero int's/FOUR TD'S
rhodes scholarship/HEISMAN TROPHY
rock and roll/COUNTRY WESTERN
boxers/briefs
Chad said BOXER-BRIEFS.
METS/yankees
Chad offered that he likes the Islanders, too.
namath/MONTANA
Before making his choice Chad said "Joe, I love you," which is almost as funny as "Joe, I wanna kiss you."
LARRY THE CABLE GUY/jeff foxworthy
Mets? He must be nuts. Maybe they taped it before the Pedro business.
Dave in Brighton"
Dave, thank you. But to be honest, I saw an ad for the pregame show Saturday while watching Redskins/49ers, so I knew about Pennington and Bradshaw. So I tuned in to see that. He was very entertaining...as usual. Pennington is a good interview, as is Tom Brady. Thanks for the transcript, though...and you don't know how happy I was to hear Pennington roots for the Mets. Perhaps there's a shot I'll fire up johnnymets.blogspot.com again.
Dave checked in again later in the day:
"Dear Johnnyjets,
Granted I didn't see the game because I'm out of market, but what's up
with the Jets running up the score on poor helpless Seattle? 37-14?
How offensive.
Dave in Brighton"
An interesting thing about the Jets offensive output, Dave. After the Jets lost 20-13 to the Bears in 2002, jeopardizing their playoff hopes, they reeled off games of 30, 42, and 41 points against New England, Green Bay, and Indianapolis as they won the AFC East, then their divisional playoff game. The Daily News made the comparison today, with the Jets coming off the loss to Pittsburgh, that maybe the Jets would start another offensive streak like that....so far, the Daily News is right. 37 points. Granted, it was the Seattle Seahawks defense, but it was a good game plan. I'll take it. Let's do the same thing to New England next week.
That's all I have for today...this will be a big week for the blog. Thanks for reading, and we'll do e-mails tomorrow (and the rest of the week, if there's enough e-mail).
Chad Pennington came back from last week's disaster in Pittsburgh with an awesome game. 253 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT. Classic Chad. His throws looked as good this week as they looked bad last week. So maybe his arm isn't in as bad shape as I thought. I'll get a look in person next week against New England.
Curtis Martin rushed for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns (LaMont Jordan added 84 yards on the ground) as the Jets racked up 482 yards of offense. Very nice. The only negative spot on offense came in the third quarter when Anthony Becht dropped a touchdown pass on the goal line. He got booed off the field for the second consecutive home game. The Jets' tight ends were being talked up all week as needing to become a bigger part of the offense, and Becht had just two passes thrown his way (including the dropped TD), and Chris Baker had one catch. Maybe they'll throw Becht's way a lot more in the coming games...or they're saving it for the post-season. Either way, it doesn't look like Anthony Becht will be back in a Jets uniform next year. The good news, though, is that uncharacteristically, after Becht dropped the TD pass, the Jets went right back to the air from the 7-yard line and Pennington threw a touchdown to Santana Moss. Usually the Jets would run it into the ground and settle for a field goal in a situation like that.
On the ensuing drive, the Seahawks drove down to the Jets' 1-yard line, and the defense held, forced fourth down, and then Shawn Alexander fumbled the ball into the end zone. The defense has been playing so well...and another second half shutout - that's starting to mean something to me now. Terrell Buckley got burned again for a touchdown (so did Donnie Abraham), but if the defense keeps playing like this, who knows what could happen.
Doug Brien had a couple of hiccups, missing an extra point and a field goal, but he tends to do that once or twice a year. So I think it's out of his system.
The officiating was once again horrid. Seattle had a few gripes in that game, nothing that changed the course of the game, really, but the Jets caught a couple of breaks. I think...I'm not really positive. I have a bad feeling that someone's season this year is going to hinge on a bad call by the referees....I hate when that happens. It better not be the Jets. I just feel that no matter what, the refs tend to favor the home team, and it gets aggravating...especially when the Jets' path to the championship takes them on the road.
Moving on to some other news from Sunday - the Broncos collapse has been unreal. They got whipped by the Chiefs on Sunday, and with the Jaguars and Bills winning, (and pending the outcome of Sunday night's Baltimore game), the Broncos have put themselves almost out of the playoffs. Speaking of the Bills winning, that Jets' loss to the Bills isn't looking so horrible anymore. (Although I'm still a little upset by it.) But the Bills, after starting off 0-4 (remember, I called them the best 0-4 team in football...you can look it up), are now 8-6. And I called them the best 0-4 team in football because they lost some really, really close games back in September. They could easily be 9-5, 10-4...even 11-3 right now. I think. The Jaguars snuck by them, the Jets beat them by two...Bledsoe was driving the Bills to tie against the Patriots late in the game....anyway, the fact remains the Bills are 8-6...but they're making a playoff push.
A couple of e-mails from Dave (not in Brighton this week):
"Dear JohnnyJets,
I know you eschew the Sunday morning pregame shows, so I wanted to let
you know that Chad Pennington was the guest on Fox's "Ten Yards with
TB" segment.
As a dutiful JJDBSDC agent, I took notes so you could have blog fodder in case Al takes the week off.
If you're not familiar with the segment, Terry Bradshaw gives you 2 choices, and you pick one of them. Chad's picks in CAPS.
call your own plays/COACH CALLS THE PLAYS
big arm/OK ARM
zero int's/FOUR TD'S
rhodes scholarship/HEISMAN TROPHY
rock and roll/COUNTRY WESTERN
boxers/briefs
Chad said BOXER-BRIEFS.
METS/yankees
Chad offered that he likes the Islanders, too.
namath/MONTANA
Before making his choice Chad said "Joe, I love you," which is almost as funny as "Joe, I wanna kiss you."
LARRY THE CABLE GUY/jeff foxworthy
Mets? He must be nuts. Maybe they taped it before the Pedro business.
Dave in Brighton"
Dave, thank you. But to be honest, I saw an ad for the pregame show Saturday while watching Redskins/49ers, so I knew about Pennington and Bradshaw. So I tuned in to see that. He was very entertaining...as usual. Pennington is a good interview, as is Tom Brady. Thanks for the transcript, though...and you don't know how happy I was to hear Pennington roots for the Mets. Perhaps there's a shot I'll fire up johnnymets.blogspot.com again.
Dave checked in again later in the day:
"Dear Johnnyjets,
Granted I didn't see the game because I'm out of market, but what's up
with the Jets running up the score on poor helpless Seattle? 37-14?
How offensive.
Dave in Brighton"
An interesting thing about the Jets offensive output, Dave. After the Jets lost 20-13 to the Bears in 2002, jeopardizing their playoff hopes, they reeled off games of 30, 42, and 41 points against New England, Green Bay, and Indianapolis as they won the AFC East, then their divisional playoff game. The Daily News made the comparison today, with the Jets coming off the loss to Pittsburgh, that maybe the Jets would start another offensive streak like that....so far, the Daily News is right. 37 points. Granted, it was the Seattle Seahawks defense, but it was a good game plan. I'll take it. Let's do the same thing to New England next week.
That's all I have for today...this will be a big week for the blog. Thanks for reading, and we'll do e-mails tomorrow (and the rest of the week, if there's enough e-mail).
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