Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Ride to a Championship

I'm sitting here the night before the game watching a replay of the Week 15 matchup between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers being replayed on the NFL network. The wild ride of the last month makes the most recent Jets-Steelers game feel like it was played years ago. It truly is fitting that a trip to the Super Bowl depends on a return visit to Pittsburgh, if only because Pittsburgh was where the Jets became serious contenders.

The victory over Pittsburgh on December 19 put an end to the only losing streak the Jets had all season, and, without the win over the Steelers, the Jets would have lost 4 straight games when you include the loss to Chicago in the post-Christmas game at Soldier Field. The Jets had never won in Pennsylvania before, and there isn't a long history of winning tough matchups against physical teams in December littering this franchise's history.

In fact, perhaps the most beautiful aspect of this second consecutive run to an AFC title game is watching all of the hardened Jets fans like myself come face-to-face with a team so confident that it boosts the morale of all of us collectively. If I had any remnants of a pessimistic Jets fan rattling around my subconscious, it appears that Rex Ryan has scared him away for good.

I won't rehash the last 34 years for you, except to say that I've always wanted my team to earn a spot in a Super Bowl. We have been close several times, but I feel like tomorrow's game at Heinz Field is the best chance we've had in about 28 years. Pittsburgh is a great team that is looking for a third ring in the last six years, but they are quite beatable. It will take a complete game on both sides of the ball. The Jets must be opportunistic and be ready for Pittsburgh to rally, whether it's early or late. The most impressive part of last week's magnificence in Foxborough was the response to the Crumpler TD that cut the lead to 14-11. Sanchez hit a big play to Cotchery, then threw a frozen rope to Holmes that was caught brilliantly, and the Jets never looked back.

Several things to look for tomorrow in Pittsburgh...the most important player on defense tomorrow for the Steelers is not Troy Polamalu, it's James Harrison. Harrison will mostly be locked up with D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and Ferguson must keep Harrison from changing the game with turnovers and sacks. Pittsburgh is a much better team with Polamalu, but he didn't look right last week against the Ravens, and he didn't spend as much time on the line of scrimmage.

There is a Steeler who missed the previous game against the Jets that can have an even bigger impact. Heath Miller is Roethlisberger's security blanket on broken plays and a nightmare potentially for the Jets. I didn't feel like we played that well defensively the last time we played Pittsburgh, we just made the plays we had to when it counted. I expect the run defense to be better, and if the Jets can generate the same type of pressure they got last week on Tom Brady, the Jets will be just fine.

Offensively, I feel like the Jets can throw on the Steelers, as long as Mother Nature will allow it. Sanchez was outstanding last week once he settled down, and there will be just as many opportunities this week if he's able to stand in and deliver. Pittsburgh takes so much pride on stuffing the run, and the 106 yards they gave up last time on the ground was about everything you could hope for against their front seven. I think at this point in the season, running the football is as much attitude and will as anything else. The Jets will attempt to use the run to remain on schedule with down and distance. If they are able to do that, then they will be able to throw, and they should be able to win.

If the Jets learned anything last season in Indianapolis, it should have been that these types of opportunities don't happen every day. It's difficult to make it to a conference championship, much less consecutive conference championships, especially when no one outside your locker room thought you could do it either time. Such has been the glory of the Rex Ryan era in New York.

Once again, our opponent is a solid favorite, with conventional wisdom stating that our ride ends tomorrow. I don't know why I feel like tomorrow is going to be different, I just do. I feel like it's time for the team I've followed my entire life to deliver a trip to the Super Bowl to all of us.

I feel like our time is now.

Kickoff is 6:30 pm tomorrow at Heinz Field

No comments:

Post a Comment