The 2011 Season

Every year I find myself asking the same 2 questions about my team before the start of the season; "Is my team better this year than they were last year?" and "If so, will that translate into more victories and a deeper run in the playoffs?"

Before last season, I felt that the Jets had done enough before the season to better their roster to make them an improved team. The Jets added Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromartie, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Jason Taylor, plus their core of Revis, Mangold, Ferguson, Harris, and Sanchez were ascending as NFL players and had the experience of a deep playoff run in 2009 to benefit their development. The Jets were 9-7 in 2009 and were fortunate to make the postseason. I figured in 2010, the Jets would win at least 10 games, although I thought they could be a better team without making it back to the AFC Championship Game.

As it turned out, the Jets won 11 games and made it back to the AFC Championship Game, vanquishing both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady along the way. Unfortunately, they came out flat against Pittsburgh, couldn't tackle Rashad Mendenhall, and had the same problem they had all season, which was an inability to score points early in the game. By the time the offense woke up, they were in a 24-point hole, and a furious comeback could not save them.

Now, 2011 is upon us, with the Jets opening their campaign at the newly minted MetLife Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys. The Jets are coming off a 2-2 preseason which saw some positive developments and raised a few questions for the coming season.

Perhaps the biggest question facing the Jets in the coming season is the depth of the offensive line. Backup OL Rob Turner broke his leg in the first preseason game, and the rest of the backup offensive line struggled to protect the passer throughout the preseason. The starting offensive line is intact from last year, with the exception of RT Wayne Hunter filling in for the retired Damien Woody. RG Brandon Moore is coming off of a hip injury and barely played in the preseason. The offensive line is the strength of the Jets offense, and the Jets have been fortunate enough to stay healthy on the O-line for the last few years. If they can stay healthy this year, the depth won't be an issue, but if any of our starters go down and we're having to play inexperienced backups like Vladimir Ducasse for extended periods, the Jets are in trouble. Ducasse has shown himself to be a solid run blocker in his limited action, but he truly struggles in pass protection (to put it mildly). It was a sack that Ducasse gave up against Houston that led to Turner's injury.

More than any other issue, the continuing development of Mark Sanchez will be the determining factor in deciding how far the Jets go this season. If you are to believe what Rex Ryan and the rest of the coaching staff are saying, Sanchez is ready to make the leap from game manager to weapon. Sanchez has shown flashes of solid play in the preseason, but his last start against the Giants was like a replay of the issues from last season. Sanchez struggled to convert on third down and missed a few easy throws against a depleted Giants secondary. Working against Sanchez, at least in the beginning of the season, will be the upheaval in the receiving corps.

Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery are gone (to San Francisco and Pittsburgh, respectively) and have been replaced with Derrick Mason and Plaxico Burress. Burress was excellent in the Cincinnati game, did not catch a pass against the Giants, and battled nagging injuries to his ankle and back in training camp. The injuries severely limited his reps for the first few weeks of training camp. Mason barely played in the preseason, dealing with his own injury concerns. Burress is 34, 2 1/2 years removed from his last regular action, and Mason is 37 and clearly on the downside of his career. The Jets are not counting on 1000 yards from either guy, but they need some production from these two if they are to improve as a team from 2010. Like most Jets fans, I'm excited about rookie WR Jeremy Kerley, but if we're counting on him for production right away, it will affect Sanchez.

There are a lot of qualities to love about Mark Sanchez, namely his poise and leadership and his ability to play well when the money is on the table. However, he absolutely has to be more accurate this season for the Jets to be considered serious contenders.

As for the defense, this is probably the least concerned I've been heading into a season about one side of the ball. The starting defense looked fantastic for most of the preseason, and, barring injury, I expect them to be outstanding all season. The Jets have finished within the top 3 overall during the first 2 seasons of the Rex Ryan era, and I expect them to match that level of performance, while forcing more turnovers than they did last season. It would not surprise me to see the defense double the amount of interceptions they recorded last season while maintaining the same standard as far as yards allowed per game and per play. I also expect the Jets D to be far better on third and long, which was a problem throughout 2010.

Returning to our original questions, I think the jury is still out as far as being a better team than we were in 2010. The Jets are counting on production from several new veterans and some young players, like Muhammad Wilkerson, who will start on Sunday against the Cowboys at Shaun Ellis' old position, and Kyle Wilson, our first round pick from 2010 who should see a lot of action anytime Tony Romo spreads the field. If they get that production, they will be better than the 2010 New York Jets. If not, they will struggle to make the postseason for a third straight year, which would be a first in the history of the franchise.

One thing is certain; the Jets will need to improve from last season to play in their first Super Bowl (and win it) since the 1968 season. Can they do it? Absolutely. It's a long season. The Jets don't have to be world beaters in September, but they can't expect to let New England run away and hide, settle for a wild card, then run the gauntlet in January on the road against 3 very good teams. We've seen how difficult that is over the last 2 postseasons.

Kickoff against Dallas on Sunday is at 8 pm.