Jets 2010-2011 Outlook

The Jets are looking to build off of a stellar 1st season under Head Coach Rex Ryan and young emerging super star Quarterback Mark Sanchez.  The Jets finished strong during the 2009-2010 NFL season, going 9-7 and finishing 2nd in the AFC East.  The Jets won 2 road playoff games as the wild card seed losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. 

Heading into the 2010-2011 NFL season, the Jets envisioned themselves competing in another AFC Championship Game.  But a raucous and sometimes unflattering view of the "overly-confident" (some might say "cocky") Jets squad on HBO's mega-hit "Hard Knocks" and a pre-season holdout by the best cornerback in the game - Darrelle Revis - got the season off on a down note.  The Jets lost their home opener at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Monday Night Football -- a hard-to-swallow 10-9 loss to Ryan's former team the Baltimore Ravens.  The Jets then rebounded to win 9 of their next 10 games to set up a decisive match-up against the 9-2 New England Patriots in Foxboro, MA on Monday Night Football on December 6th.  The winner would likely secure the #1 seed in the AFC for the duration of the playoffs, while the loser would end up a wild card seed forced to play on the road in order to qualify for a berth in the Super Bowl.  Tom Brady and the Patriots pummeled the Jets 45-3 in front of a national audience and the Jets limped home by losing 3 of the last 5 games of the season to finish 11-5.  Although it was a vast improvement from 2009-2010, the Jets were still 2nd in the AFC East and they finished with the 6th overall playoff seed in the deep AFC playoff race.  

Overall, play improved on both sides of the ball for the Jets in 2010.  Mark Sanchez emerged as a quarterback who could handle the pressure and lead his team to victory instead of just "managing" the game.  Sanchez completed 55% of his passes and threw for 3,291 yards and 17 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions.  LaDainian Tomlinson (914 yards on 219 rushes) and Shonn Greene (766 yards on 185 rushes) formed a dynamic duo in the backfield.  Tomlinson also caught 52 passes on the season to give Sanchez a nice option in pressure situations.  Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes also formed a nice tandem of receivers for Sanchez to work with.  Edwards had 904 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 16 games, while Holmes had 746 receiving yards with 6 touchdowns in 12 games.  The Jets defense also lived up to the hype more often-than-not.  The Jets had the NFL's 3rd-best defense and allowed just 19.0 points per game.  David Harris, Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard led the team in tackles while Antonio Cromartie and Dwight Lowery led the team with 3 interceptions each. 

The Jets are an exciting bunch to watch.  With their fiery, cocky style, the bring out the best in opposing fans.  The Jets will have to try to match their road playoff feat from last season in order to reach the AFC Championship Game again in 2011.  A win against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card round could set up a sensational re-match against the New England Patriots in Foxboro the following weekend.  Jets tickets will surely be hard to come by during the playoffs and during the 2011-2012 NFL schedule.

Jets TV/Radio

All New York Jets football games can be seen on one of the following television broadcasts depending on the team they are playing:  Fox Sports or CBS for Sunday afternoon games; NBC for Sunday Night games; ESPN for Monday Night Football games and the NFL Network for Thursday night games.  Tune into the Jets' flagship radio station 1050 ESPN Radio - "The Voice of the Jets" on your AM dial to catch each New York Jets football game on the radio.

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New Meadowlands Stadium

The New York Jets have played in 4 different stadiums during their existence.  Currently, the New York Jets play in the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Jets played their 1st regular season home game at the New Meadowlands Stadium in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football on September 13, 2011.  The Baltimore Ravens - for whom Rex Ryan was the Defensive Coordinator for several NFL seasons - defeated the Jets in a close, hard-fought game 10-9. 

The "original" Giants Stadium was their home since the 1984 NFL season.  The New York Jets call the stadium “The Meadowlands” because it is named after the other NFL team that plays in New York.  The Meadowlands holds a capacity of 75,000 intense Jets supporters.  The Meadowlands is known for its extremely windy weather, the direction of which often changes throughout the game.   These unpredictable wind changes often negatively affect the quarterbacks and kickers of visiting NFL teams who are not used to throwing or kicking the football in such adverse conditions.  The New York Jets have used these windy weather changes to their advantage in winning many a close football game during the cold winter months commonly experienced in the New York/New Jersey area.

It is interesting to note that the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium, the first 2 stadiums in which the New York Jets played their games, are better known for the MLB baseball games played in such parks.  The Polo Grounds was the home of the New York Baseball Giants from 1883 through 1957, the New York Yankees from 1912 through 1922 and the New York Mets in 1962 and 1963.  Shea Stadium was built from 1961 through 1964 and hosted its first New York Mets game on April 17, 1964.  Shea Stadium has been the home of the New York Mets ever since.  

The New York Jets are a professional football team in the National Football League (the NFL). The New York Jets play in the American Football Conference (AFC) East Division with three other teams: the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. The New York Jets have won 1 AFL-NFL Championship – Super Bowl III. Giants Stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, hosts all New York Jets home games.

In 1960, the New York Titans (now the New York Jets) became one of the charter members of the American Football League (AFL). Ownership picked the “Titan” team name in order to mimic the name of the other professional football team that played in the New York City tri-state area. However, the new club did not play anything like a “Giant” as they failed to record a winning season in their first 3 years of existence. Because of that, the team experienced serious financial difficulties until a group headed by Leon Hess and Sonny Werblin purchased the team in March 1963. At that time, the new ownership group moved the team from the Polo Grounds in New York City to Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York. They also changed the name of the team from the Titans to the Jets, to honor the numerous jets flying over Shea Stadium on their way to and from LaGuardia Airport located right near Shea Stadium. The move to Shea Stadium did not have an immediate positive impact on the franchise, as the New York Jets finished with a 5-8-1 record in each of its first three seasons at Shea Stadium. A .500 season in 1966 led to the franchise’s first winning season in 1967 when the New York Jets finished 2nd in the AFL East with an 8-5-1 record. The New York Jets used that positive 1967 season as a springboard to an AFL Championship and a Super Bowl Championship the following season.

While the New York Jets have only had one AFL-NFL Championship, that Championship held great significance because it was the first time that a team from the AFL defeated a team from the NFL in a Super Bowl Championship Game. In 1968, the New York Jets finished atop the AFL East with an 11-3 record. In the AFL Championship Game, the New York Jets defeated the Oakland Raiders 27-23 behind three touchdown passes by Quarterback Joe Namath, including the game-winning 6-yard touchdown pass to Don Maynard in the 4th quarter to secure the victory. As the AFL Champion, the New York Jets then prepared for the Super Bowl III battle with the NFL Champion Baltimore Colts. And on January 12, 1969, the New York Jets led by “Broadway” Joe Namath pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history when the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts by a score of 16-7. “Broadway” Joe Namath had boldly guaranteed a New York Jets victory in the week leading up to Super Bowl III and most critics gave little credence to such prediction as the Baltimore Colts were favored by as many as 20 points in some gambling circles. “Broadway” Joe Namath’s efficient offense coupled with a stifling defense that forced 5 costly Baltimore Colts turnovers enabled the New York Jets to pull off one of the greatest upsets of all time. With the victory, New York Jets Head Coach Weeb Ewbank became the first Head Coach in professional football to win Championships in both the AFL and NFL. In 1969, the New York Jets finished in a tie for the 1st place in the AFL East with a 10-4 record. In the East Divisional playoff game to determine the AFL East’s representative in the AFL Championship Game, the New York Jets lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 13-6 on a Len Dawson 19-yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter.

Following the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the New York Jets struggled in the NFL. The New York Jets did not record a winning season in the NFL until the 1981 season when the New York Jets finished 2nd in the AFC East with a 10-5-1 record. That year, the New York Jets lost to the Buffalo Bills 31-27 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. In the 1982 strike-shortened season, the New York Jets finished with a 6-3 record and after 2 playoff victories advanced to the AFC Championship against the Miami Dolphins for the first time in franchise history. The Miami Dolphins shut out the New York Jets 14-0, however, limiting the New York Jets to only 139 total yards of offense, and forcing 5 interceptions by Quarterback Richard Todd. From 1983 through 1997, the New York Jets endured another long stretch of poor play. The New York Jets only made the playoffs 3 times during that 15-year span, and the New York Jets never advanced past the Divisional round of the playoffs.

In 1998, the New York Jets finally secured the franchise’s first AFC East title with a 12-4 record. That season, in Head Coach Bill Parcells’ 2nd year as coach, the New York Jets signed Running Back Curtis Martin and veteran Quarterback Vinny Testaverde in the off-season and utilized the solid Wide Receiver duo of Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Chrebet, to win 10 of the team’s last 11 games and become one of the most dominant teams in the NFL. In the Divisional round of the playoffs, the New York Jets defeated the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars 34-24 to advance to the franchise’s 2nd ever AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos. And although the New York Jets enjoyed a 2nd half 10-0 lead in Mile High Stadium, the Denver Broncos outscored the New York Jets 23-0 the rest of the way to secure the 23-10 victory over the New York Jets. The Denver Broncos capitalized on 6 New York Jets turnovers and held Running Back Curtis Martin to only 14 yards rushing. On the other side of the football, Running Back Terrell Davis rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown, while Quarterback John Elway played poorly in his final home game in Mile High Stadium. The Denver Broncos went onto win their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl that year with a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII. That AFC Championship Game loss would be the last time the New York Jets played in an AFC Championship Game. In 2002, the New York Jets finished atop the AFC East for the 2nd time in franchise history with a 9-7 record. But the New York Jets would lose to the Oakland Raiders 30-10 in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

After a 6-10 losing season in 2003-4, the New York Jets rebounded with a 10-6 record during the 2004-5 NFL season and qualified for post-season play. The New York Jets upset the San Diego Chargers on the road with a 20-17 victory for Herm Edwards. The playoff magic didn't last for too long, however, as the New York Jets lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-17 in the divisional round of the playoffs, bringing the season to a crashing halt. During the 2005-6 NFL season, the New York Jets won only 4 games and Head Coach Herm Edwards resigned from the post to take the head coaching position with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Long-time New England Patriots assistant coach Eric Mangini took over the head coaching position for the Jets. Behind Mangini's innovative schemes and Comeback Player of the Year Chad Pennington's passing, the New York Jets finished with a 10-6 record which was good enough for a 2nd place finish in the tough AFC East. The highlight of the season came when the New York Jets defeated Mangini's former team - the New England Patriots - in the Meadowlands. Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichik refused to shake the hand of his former coach following the game and a feud began between the 2. Belichik ultimately exacted revenge on Mangini and the Jets with a 37-16 victory in the wild card round of the playoffs. This time, Belichik embraced Mangini following the game. Mangini's 2nd year as head coach did not go as well as the first. Pennington was either injured or inconsistent and the Jets offense failed to find its footing throughout the entire season. The Jets won only 4 games in a weak AFC east and the team failed to make the playoffs. And while the New York Jets made significant moves during the 2008 off-season (signing free agent left guard Alan Faneca away from the Pittsburgh Steelers, drafting Linebacker Vernon Gholston in the 2008 NFL Draft, and also signing Linebacker Calvin Pace, Right Tackle Damien Woody, Running Backs Tony Richardson and Jesse Chatman, and Tight End Bubba Franks), the biggest prize came in August, when the New York Jets completed a trade for disgruntled Green Bay Packers Quarterback Brett Favre. Although the team will have many new faces for its September 2008 opener, look for good things to come from this revitalized New York Jets team.

2007 Jets
2008 Jets
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2010 Jets