After signing on to become the head coach of the New York Jets in 2009, Rex Ryan’s team immediately went to two consecutive AFC Championship Games. Those 2009 and 2010 squads had tough defensive units and were propelled by an offense that was anchored by a developing Mark Sanchez. Jets fans everywhere believed that they had a team that was on the brink of competing in Super Bowls.
Because of this, 2011 served as a splash of cold water in the faces of those fans, as well as the Jets players themselves. The team went 8-8 and failed to even secure a Wild Card berth. With the NFL regular season right around the corner, now is as good of a time as any to evaluate how the new season will play out for the Jets.
What will be the most interesting story in the Jets camp as the 2012 season kicks off and progresses is the development of quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez was drafted fifth overall in 2009, and his progress up to this point has been adequate: He’s improved his passer rating each year, and last year saw him throw for career highs in yardage and touchdowns. Still, adequate isn’t good enough in the Big Apple, especially for a player drafted as high as Sanchez.
As if the seat Sanchez is sitting on wasn’t hot enough, matters are going to be made worse for the 25-year old quarterback thanks to the elephant in the room, otherwise known as Tim Tebow. The Jets traded for Tebow, who is arguably the most polarizing player in all of sports, during this offseason. Although the team has outwardly denied that they acquired Tebow to play as the primary quarterback, it’s a no-brainer that a weak start by Sanchez could lead to fans seeing a new player starting under center by October.
Wide receiver Santonio Holmes will be another player to keep an eye on this season. Holmes had a very public rift with Sanchez last season, and his capabilities as a leader were brought into question during this offseason. Whether he can be a stable option at the wide receiver position will be a strong indicator of how the offense will perform in 2012. Rookie Stephen Hill is an unknown quantity at this point, meaning that Holmes is the only sure-thing receiver on the roster when it comes to play-making ability.
With that said, the Jets did have a strong draft during this offseason. The defense was ranked fifth-overall last season in terms of yards allowed, but they were ranked 20th in points allowed with 22.7. Much of this can be attributed to the overall lack of speed on the team’s defense and its inability to close teams out in the red zone as a result. This problem was addressed with the team drafting defensive players Quinton Coples, Demario Davis and Josh Bush with three of their first four picks. The young legs should bring some speed to the defense, and the acquisition of longtime Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell should help bring some veteran savvy to the unit.
Looking at the 2012 schedule, the NY Jets have a very strong chance to rebound from their dismal 2011 campaign and make yet another deep run at a Super Bowl. Their schedule has games against Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Houston early on in the season, but beyond that every game should be a winnable matchup. Playing in the same division as the Patriots doesn’t make things any easier on the team, but the good thing about division rivals is that it’s easier to play against them even if they’re elite.
All in all, the 2012 Jets are in control of their own destiny. There are still a lot of question marks for the season, but if Sanchez plays well and Holmes returns to form, they have a very potent offense. Combined with their rejuvenated defense, the team should be able to easily put away lesser teams and compete strongly with the few elite teams that are on their schedule. There are a lot of different ways that the season could go, and this team could easily win thirteen games – or it could lose ten. That’s the excitement of the NFL, though, and the Jets will be an entertaining team to watch in 2012.
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