We're #4! We're #4! We're #4!

The NFL Network has been counting down the 32 teams from #32 to #1 over the last month, devoting about a 10-minute segment on their nightly show, Total Access Live. This ranking was determined by a vote of the fans, so it's more of a gauge of how the rest of the football-viewing public views your team. As we progressed through the league's teams starting at #32, I expected the Jets to be considered a top 10 team through a combination of how we finished the season and the acquisitions that were made to improve the club.

The Jets finished 2009 at 9-7. Down the stretch in December and January, they played their best football of the season, and were also fortunate to close the season with two opponents that didn't share the same incentive to perform. The Colts rested their starters in the 3rd quarter of their game with the Jets, and the Jets rallied from behind to win. The Bengals followed with a half-hearted effort the following week, and the Jets rode the momentum all the way to the AFC Title game.

So, there's reason enough to be excited by my team's prospects for 2010. The fans of the NFL Network agreed and ranked the Jets at #4 entering 2010. For the teams within several spots of the Jets, the experts on set provided clear football-based reasons why they agreed or disagreed with the fan assessments.

But, when the Jets were up, the NFL Network's Michael Lombardi and Solomon Wilcots spent the 10-minute segment blasting the Jets selection. Both of these "insiders" claimed that there are too many character risks on the Jets team, too many guys with a "me-first" attitude that won't buy in to the team message when it's time to lace them up.

Lombardi wrote, "New York Jets: If Denver reminds me of Butler University, then the Jets remind me of the University of Kentucky. The Jets, like the Wildcats, are extremely talented, with many different egos who might only play together for one year and have the potential to explode at any point during the season. Jets coach Rex Ryan and Kentucky coach John Calipari might not look the same, but they both are master motivators and recruiters who don't mind handling an eclectic collection of players. The question you must ask yourself about the Jets is the same one you ask about Kentucky when you fill out the office pool in March -- can they get past the Sweet 16? I never have Kentucky in my Final Four, so I cannot put the Jets there."

While I don't begrudge Lombardi his opinion on the Jets, I beg to differ with his methodology. The Kentucky analogy is strained, simply because while the acquisitions the Jets made in the offseason may be around for only one season for cap reasons, there really isn't much of a question as to whether or not the guys the Jets signed can actually play. What will determine future success in the NFL for new Jets like Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes are not the numbers they put up, but rather how well they fit into the team concepts the Jets have developed under Rex Ryan.

And Mike Tannenbaum understands that completely.

The Jets risked very little to get Cromartie, Holmes, or vets like Ladainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor. As a rule, it isn't the risks your team takes, but rather the price they have to pay for the risk. There's a reason why most teams shy away from top-10 draft picks. If you swing and miss at the top of the draft, the price you pay for that miss is tremendous, as you now have a huge contract on your books and you're getting very little in value for your money. Tannenbaum knew that he could go after the pieces he required, and, if the pieces didn't pan out, the Jets weren't stuck with a big contract or a missing high value draft pick.

If the Jets have a successful year, win 10+games and make a deep run in January (and hopefully February), and Holmes, Cromartie, and the rest of the acquisitions are productive players, then all of the new Jets will reap the financial reward, regardless of the individual numbers. Taylor and Tomlinson only need to be efficient, neither is being called upon to play full-time, or carry the load at their position. Cromarite and Holmes only need to fit in, stay out of trouble, and play like the rest of the league knows they can. I'm sorry, I don't see how these goals run contrary to the goals of the team at large.

From my seat, as objectively as I am capable of being about my beloved Jets, the front office took a 9-7 team that made a run and significantly upgraded several positions at very little risk. The only positions that the Jets turned over that may under-perform are left guard and kicker.

Letting Jay Feely go was necessary for the Taylor signing, as the Jets had to give up a free agent to sign one thanks to the "Final Four" rules the league adopted for the offseason. Nick Folk is a question mark, but if Taylor is productive in this scheme, the front office has done the right thing. As for Alan Faneca, his pass production was slipping quickly, so it's misleading to simply refer to past Pro Bowl appearances. If second-round pick Vladimir Ducasse performs well quickly, left guard won't be thought of as a downgraded position.

The rest of the moves the front office has made are significant upgrades. The normal caveat for health aside, the Jets should be a much better team in 2010. The coaching staff, especially Rex Ryan, welcome the pressure of expectations according to all of the media exposure they've courted in the offseason.

Anyone who has followed the Jets for any length of time is fully aware of the myriad of disappointments inflicted upon the fan base, but I think, at least if the fan sites are indicative of our collective mind set, we all feel pretty good about our chances. The players report this weekend for training camp. I think we're ready.