Going undefeated at home this year isn't a pipe dream and I really believe that it is going to happen, regardless of how horrid and undisciplined we've been playing over the past 3 weeks on the road.
More on the question how good is this team. Since the Jets started out 9-2 last season, they have gone 4-6 in the regular season games. 2-3 to finish last year, including losses to Miami and Chicago, neither of which are great teams. Keeping right with that pace, they are 2-3 this season. Yes the Jets went on to win two playoff games in a row, and the win over NE was in particular a defensive performance that was awesome. But add in that horrific first half against Pitt.
I could see the Jets coaching Sanchez on how to throw an innocuous pick-6 late if they needed to to avoid staring at Andrew Luck for the next decade. It'd be by far the percentage move to make if the Jets were eliminated already and the Fins were still in the Luck sweepstakes.
Although when I read this yesterday I got really upset. - Houston just lost Mario Williams, and Andre is going to be out atleast another game meaning they aren't going to be a great team. - The Steelers have way worse problems than us. - The Chargers.... are the chargers - The Bills although playing great right now could collapse at any moment, and still have to play us twice and the pats again in NE. My point is, the Wild Card spots in the AFC this year are really open. If we beat SD in two weeks we can still grab it. I know we wanted home field advantage and I know we are far away from being a playoff team, but this season is far from over.
First off, I think the Colts wind up with Luck. And Manning will play a few more years while he gets ready to grab the reigns. Second, if Miami were in the Luck sweepstakes, that's fine. So it'll be a 4 team division. So? That means one more team to beat up on the Patriots. Compare it to baseball. In the AL East, the Red Sox entered 2011 looking like world beaters. Over the course of the season, the lowly Blue Jays and Orioles played better than advertised, including Baltimore beating Boston late in the year to knock Boston out of contention. The Yankees, who many critics believed overplayed their talent, won the division with the best record in the league. That's what the Jets would have to do. Win the games you can, and hope everyone else plays competitively against each other and splits. Then it comes down to who you beat outside the division, which is the best you can ask for.
A replay of the first half 80's in the AFC East is not where I hope we wind up in the end. Luck in Miami would give them a good chance of dominating the division the way the Dolphins did from 81 to 85 when the Jets were second best and the Pats went to the Super Bowl also. I've just gotten used to the Fish being bad. I was kind of hoping the Pats would join them there after Wonderboy retired and leave the Jets with a clear path to the top.
Don't get me wrong, I love when Miami fails. I love when Buffalo fails. I love when the Pats fail. My two favorite Super Bowls are the ones where the Giants beat the Bills and the Patriots. If Miami improves though, we have to beat them. Would it suck to have our Sanchez against a Brady and Luck? Sure. But in the end, we have to find ways to win. If the Jets throw a game just to prevent a team from getting a player though, I'll be disgusted. Win. That's what you get paid to do.
Thats it in a nutshell. You really can't factor in what another team might or might not do, and do as you say...find a way to win. Dare I say it, but thats what Belichick has been doing for years.
I cant get too excited about where Luck lands - the only thing that is certain in the NFL is that there is absolutely no such thing as a can't miss prospect.
