4) Taking on the Jets (fans)

I can't believe the season is already here! Yesterday, I talked about the New England Patriots and how they will conquer the AFC East. Well, I'm staying in the same division and I'm gonna talk about the J-E-T-S. JETS! JETS! JETS! Where do I begin with team 'Gang Green'? Oh yes, the quarterback. Brett is a perennial HOF but he inherited a mediocre football team. Brett won't have a bad season, but it's not going to be like last year. I'm reminded of a Mastercard commercial that Brett once did--a kid spilled chocolate ice cream on his sweater and Brett said, " I would have gone vanilla with that sweater." Well guess what? Brett is going vanilla this year with his uniform. Vanilla, i.e., where's the excitement? I'm guessing that Brett will probably start jelling midway through the year, but it's gonna take some effort. The offensive line is above average with D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, and Nick Mangold at center. Only problem is, Thomas Jones is just average. I think that Jerricho Cotchery is an underrated receiver and he'll be Brett's main man, but look for Laveranues Coles too. Bubba Franks knows the old gunslinger well, so he'll hook up with him a lot this year. Let's take a look at the defensive side of this team. Kris Jenkins- when healthy-is dominant Shaun Ellis is ok but doesn't really jump out at you. Darelle Revis has what it takes to be a Pro Bowler, but it's only his second year. Kerry Rhodes is ok at safety. Perhaps they can benefit from a weekend camp with Neon Dion Sanders...hey, I'm not joking! They can bring along Hank Poteat, Dwight Lowery, and whoever else wants to go from the secondary, because they will be exploited. Once again, vanilla. The addition of Vernon Gohlston can't hurt the Defense, but it'll be a few games before he starts making an impact. I must admit, I do admire Brian Schottenheimer's skills as an offensive coordinator, but ~please~ leave the 'genius' off of Eric Mangini's name because he's gonna be throwing more than Razor phones at trucks this year. I hope Mike Westhoff comes back and coaches the special teams this year. Now that's one coach whose entitled to have 'genius' tacked onto the end of his name. One player who isn't vanilla on this team is Leon Washington. The Jets have got to figure out how to get him the ball more this year. A special teams playmaker indeed. Ok, The NY Jets have some players, but overall they're going be very 'streaky' in their games. Meaning, they'll win maybe three straight then turn around and lose three straight. They just wont be cohesive this year, even with Brett. Maybe towards the end of the season they'll find their happy place....nah! Vanilla man, just vanilla. My predictions for Gang Green will be a 9-7 year. Hey, it's better than 8-8. I challenge any Jets fan to disagree with my prediction. I'm signing off now. I'm craving a vanilla shake. Priceless...