Sunday, January 16, 2005
Too Many Chances
The New York Jets finished the season and post season going 4-2 in there final 3 games, the ultimate outcome of each decided in overtime. As implausible as that may seem, OK, impossible, it really is the case. Let me explain. The Jets finished the regular season with an overtime loss to the Rams. That's 0-1. They "won" last week's playoff game in San Diego when Drew Brees' 4th down pass with just seconds left fell incomplete in the end zone. 1-1. But wait! Personal foul on a Jets linebacker for clubbing Brees in the head, first down and half the distance to the goal. Kicker Doug Brien eventually won the game with a field goal in overtime. 2-1. So Doug Brien gets to be the hero for exactly one week. He had two opportunities to win yesterdays game in regulation, 3-1 & 4-1, before Pittsburgh finally kicked their own field goal in overtime to defeat the Jets once and for all. 4-2.
Going 4-2 over your last game may seem like a pretty good finish, though in reality it was a 1-2 finish. Some will argue that it was just bad breaks that put the Jets out of the playoffs. I would argue that it was just good breaks that got the Jets off to the 5-0 start that propelled them into the playoffs. I would argue that a team that had that many chances to win big games in the postseason and didn't capitalize on most of them is sitting right where it should be right now. At home. Still, they've got something to build on next year, this is a team with a future, even if their prime offensive threat (no Jets fans, not Pennington, but NFL leading rusher Curtis Martin) is the one of the oldest at his position.
Looking at the Steelers, by the way, the defeated the Jets, QB Big Ben Rothlisberger actually looked like a rookie yesterday. I know that I blogged earlier that I thought the Steelers would represent the AFC in this year's Super Bowl. I still think they're the favorite, but if they play like they did yesterday, the Patriots (assuming the Pats win today) will find a way to beat them. That's what the Pat's do.
Today's preditions:
Patriots by 3 (late Vinateri Field Goal)
Eagles by 13 (only because they're the home team)
BOJ "The Greek"
Going 4-2 over your last game may seem like a pretty good finish, though in reality it was a 1-2 finish. Some will argue that it was just bad breaks that put the Jets out of the playoffs. I would argue that it was just good breaks that got the Jets off to the 5-0 start that propelled them into the playoffs. I would argue that a team that had that many chances to win big games in the postseason and didn't capitalize on most of them is sitting right where it should be right now. At home. Still, they've got something to build on next year, this is a team with a future, even if their prime offensive threat (no Jets fans, not Pennington, but NFL leading rusher Curtis Martin) is the one of the oldest at his position.
Looking at the Steelers, by the way, the defeated the Jets, QB Big Ben Rothlisberger actually looked like a rookie yesterday. I know that I blogged earlier that I thought the Steelers would represent the AFC in this year's Super Bowl. I still think they're the favorite, but if they play like they did yesterday, the Patriots (assuming the Pats win today) will find a way to beat them. That's what the Pat's do.
Today's preditions:
Patriots by 3 (late Vinateri Field Goal)
Eagles by 13 (only because they're the home team)
BOJ "The Greek"
# posted by Blind Orange Julius @ 9:33 AM 
