I?m very optimistic about the jets future for 2 reasons (For me, this year is a shakedown year and I look for a 8-8 season). Firstly, I again have confidence that my QB can sustain drives in crucial points in the game. It?s a team game to be sure, but when push comes to shove most often it comes down to the QB getting the team down the field towards the end of the game. Penny proved to me he could once again do this. I cannot imagine the other QB?s on the team being capable of this. This kind of QB keeps us in every game and gives us a chance to win. Second, I have high expectations for EM. I cannot offhand recall a single game where the jets under HE won a game they were not expected to. I don?t mean where they were underdogs by a few points, I mean where they really had no business winning. I can recall many games where the jets lost when they were not supposed to. In other words, I do not believe HE ever made the team more than the sum of its parts, and sometimes got them playing less than the sum. Although only 1 game, and against a team that might actually be worse than the jets, it was an away game with all kinds of personnel questions-penny,rookies,runners and so on, yet we won. This is the kind of game HE teams would lose. I also think EM has a great handle on our offensive capabilities. He was part of a team at New England that analyzed our offense twice a year. He saw, perhaps better than anybody, the strengths and weaknesses of our offense. Of course, this also applies to Miami and buffalo-he should know them very well. As a defensive coach, he knows what constitutes a great team defense and should be able to recognize the capabilities of our defensive players. All in all, he brings a different dimension than we have seen the last few years and will put our players in the best position to win the game. Of course, in the end we need the players to do the job, hence my 8-8 prediction. We need a running game and a better pass rush. I hope I don?t have to eat my words later on.
