Don't Be the Underdog. Be the Better Team.

I like the idea of heart and chemistry having something to do with winning but in the end it really doesn't matter. The Cardinals didn't beat the Mets in the playoffs this year because of chemistry. In the end they played better. The Mets lost even though as a team they were as together as any other Mets team I have ever witnessed.

I think we have a chance to win. I won't even make an outlandish score prediction like last week. There are some key areas where the Jets are better (and more importantly, younger) than the Pats. We have two distinct advantages.

1.) We have a very young O-Line who will take the pounding and protect their QB for a longer period during the game. I have actually seen them tire out defenses this year by simply outlasting them. They have kept Chad healthy and that's no small feat. The life expectancy of an Offensive Lineman is like 1 year so seeing that our guys are younger, I'd have to take them over the Pats guys (although they are very good too)...

2.) Special teams...Last time I checked we have a guy named Miller bringing that ball back up the gullet...and he's been about as good as anyone in the league. We have the edge with kickers too w/the aforementioned Nugent and our Aussie Graham. Like Figgy mentioned in the previous post I think the Jets need to play to their strengths.

I'll take this one step further by saying that I think they need to play the best game they have ever played. Remember this about the Pats. They don't lose at home during the playoffs and they never lose back to back. And when they have lost in the postseason at home, it was to the eventual Super Bowl Champs (Pitt 2005 & Baltimore 2000). I'm not ready to start talking about Super Bowls until the Jets can navigate the rough waters that are the AFC.

Chad has to be perfect...that means no turnovers. He didn't really have a great game last time against the Pats but he did keep the ball safe. The 3-4 has to work with the players that we have...more importantly the players have to work the defense they operate under. Vilma, Ellis, Robertson, Barton & Co. need a game where they leave it all on the field (hopefully leaving Tom "Marsha Marsha Marsha" Brady lying all over the field). Mangina has to make the defense work the Pats over, working in some wrinkles that no one has seen before...Bellicheck & Brady (the modern day Killer B's) are too smart. If you go back and show them what you have already shown them...you lose.

Lastly, I think we are going to need some luck...a couple of breaks...made breaks of course, like pass interference calls, etc., etc. We can't have touchdowns (like in Cleveland) be ruled incomplete passes, out of bounds or whatever. We need a tight game form everyone. The Pats have been the best team over the last ten years. Show them respect for now. After a win we can talk about how much hustle and heart we have...but we'll know deep down that a win only goes to the best team on the field. The Pats may have more to lose if they can't beat the Jets...and that will only make the win that much sweeter...

Just Some Sidenotes:

How much of a loser is Nick Saban...At the onset of the season, SI did an exclusive interview with Saban and they lauded him as a quiet genius. I love to point out just how absurd it seemed to me at the time and how completely ridiculous the article seems now. Some genius...a couple of good draft picks and a last place finish. This is the state that he has left the Dolphins in and for what? SI interviewed him at his cozy million dollar lake home built on lies and deception. How many potential players entering LSU did he promise that he'd be there to see graduate? What do you think they felt like when he took big bucks and went south on them for Miami? This is why I nominate these four people/entities as my losers of the week.

4.)Harry Wayne Huizenga/The Dolphins Organization for trying to hold on to someone who is basically character zero.

3.) The University of Alabama for hiring a liar and a person of dubious character to lead and teach their kids.

2.) Sports Illustrated for propping up someone who is a total SOB. Oh, in that same issue, they picked Miami to win the AFC East with their tenacious D & great coach. What a joke...

1.) Nick Saban for leaving yet another team in a lurch because he couldn't "Buddy" Hackett the NFL. The guy is a little fickle bitch and anyone that trusts in him deserves what they get...

One more thing before you guys rev it up for an extremely exciting playoff weekend. Give our QB his due. Chad was just awarded the AP Comeback Player of the Year. I think he should also be the team MVP. Say what you want about his suspect arm or him being injury prone. His toughness has shown through and guided the Jets to the playoffs. At the beginning of the season I put it on his surgically repaired shoulders. Chad did not disappoint...The guy is a winner and in his first full season in the NFL at age 30, I hope he gets the chance to win a whole lot more.

Chad said on winning the award,"The organization has been great in providing me with all kinds of special resources to get back healthy and play at a high level," he said. "My teammates have been behind me since Day 1. For us to be able to put it together out on the field would mean a lot ... it's been such a team effort."

Chad is humble. He mirrors class. He is a good guy. But now It's time for him to show the rest of the NFL what Jets fans have known all along. The guy is a winner when it counts and that's all that matters. Lets win one when it counts.

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!