http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/columns/story?columnist=howard_johnette&id=5078659 Good night, New England. It was a nice run while it lasted, right? Tom Brady likely got a Hall of Fame plaque and got Gisele Bundchen. Bill Belichick cemented his genius label and perfected the dead-fish handshake. The Patriots got a few championships. But it's over now. Done. Thanks for the memories. What the Giants started with their Super Bowl XLII upset of the Patriots' 18-0 team, another New York club -- the Jets -- is about to finish. Rex Ryan Rex Ryan must be smiling after his team's recent acquisitions. Whatever pretentions the Patriots have about even hanging on to their AFC East title ahead of the Jets, let alone contending for the AFC's Super Bowl berth this season, faded to black around midnight Sunday because of yet another offseason move the Jets made. And because of what the Patriots haven't done. Jets coach Rex Ryan wasn't kidding when he hit New York promising he wasn't about to kiss Belichick's rings. The Jets' acquisition of Steelers wideout and former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes in the wee hours of Monday morning made the already eventful makeover the Jets have undertaken since Ryan came to town look even more breathtaking and edgy. Has Ryan really been here only one season? Has it really taken less than a year for the Jets to roll out a new stadium, a new franchise quarterback and a swaggering, smashmouth, extravagantly talented team that will be a trendy pick to win it all in 2010? The Jets aren't just stronger Super Bowl contenders now than they were when they and the Patriots went to sleep Sunday night. With Ryan around, it's fair to ask whether anything scares the Jets. The Jets now have taken on three stars -- wideout Braylon Edwards, cornerback Antonio Cromartie and Holmes -- despite the legal baggage that followed all three into town. The Jets invited HBO's "Hard Knocks" series into training camp this summer, unworried about what else might be revealed (one lock: more bulletin-board material from Ryan). A few weeks ago, Jets owner Woody Johnson got into a public hissing match with the Giants and then NFL commissioner Roger Goodell over who would get the first regular-season game at the new stadium. And Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum has continued to chug along as one of the shrewdest, most aggressive dealmakers in the NFL. All of which New England answered over the winter with, well, what? A few updates on slot receiver Wes Welker's rehab on his ACL. Word that Randy Moss played a lot of this past season with a separated shoulder and that he doesn't expect to be re-signed after this season. A lot of reminders that Belichick has some extra second-round picks to play with in the draffffffffffft. Sorry. Fell asleep with my finger stuck on the "F" key. Belichick will need those extra picks. Loathe as he or any of the Patriots is to say this, New England is rebuilding now. Brady should be better in his second season back from his knee surgery. But the Patriots now are five long seasons removed from their last Super Bowl title, and their struggles to win on the road and beat good competition this past season were glaring. Despite the unsentimental purge of Super Bowl-era veterans like Richard Seymour that Belichick undertook last year (to the consternation of some remaining stars in his locker room), New England still needs help at receiver, linebacker, offensive line and defensive line, especially at pass-rusher. Jets blog Jets Looking for more information on the green and white? ESPNNewYork.com has you covered. Blog Welker, the Pats' best offensive player in 2009, won't be back until well into the season. Even worse for the Patriots, they don't have the sort of shutdown corners to play with the other top teams in the NFL. But the Jets now do with Cromartie and Darrelle Revis. That's critically important because -- as the Jets clearly recognize -- the NFL's best teams all have superior passing attacks. What this means for Belichick? Just to win the AFC East, New England suddenly has to defeat a Jets team that features the best defense in football from this past season and an offense that should be among the top three or four in the league if second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez doesn't muck it up. Belichick is good. But not that good. Night already had begun to fall on the Pats' dynasty last season. This season, the Jets will make it complete.
Dammit. Until we win the division the Patriots reign is not over. I can, however, see it ending this season.
We'll be inundated with the hype machine, especially from toilet bowls like ESPN, until the Jets actually live up to the hype. I'm not even going to pay attention to most of it.
The funny thing is, you know they are already writing the follow up stories where they talk about how we fucked up because we failed with so much talent like in 2008. We've seen this every time the Jets get hyped.
The funny thing is that Jets fans have absolutely no idea how to react to this type of hype. We've never had to deal with it before.
i also dont believe the pats are done until we win the division but i also fully expect us to do so. with that said it was a great read and got me pumped up
If we don't win the division, we are clowns. Yea we still have to go out and win it obviously. That doesn't mean it is such a terrible thing to be the favorite to do so. I mean I know we aren't use to being winners and god forbid we have high hopes but I'm done with the Same 'Ol Jets shit. This is a new era, one that I feel favors us over them. After the draft we will see where everyone is at but us picking up proven talent vs the Patriots picking up a bunch of rookies isn't going to frighten me. Unless the draft is rigged like NBA playoff games and Suh, Spiller, Bryant, and other top 10 talents fall to their picks, we will still have a better roster then them. Thats how much of an advantage we currently have over them talent wise. Having BB and Brady is huge but we have handled Brady better then most in the past and while Ryan isn't on BBs level he is no slouch himself. Fuck the Patriots.
its so true. i mean don't get me wrong im extremely excited for the upcoming season but none of this really matters and no one is dethroned until the upcoming season happens. we, as a fanbase, cant be jinxing it by punching super bowl tickets in april. anything can happen from now until superbowl 45 (that is the next one right?). the jets are positioned for one of the most successful seasons in the history of the franchise, but they still have to play the games to make good on all these moves
this thread screams "putting the cart before the horse". fucking hilarious. let's play the season first, guys
I'm not ready to say the jets are the best team in the division but it wouldn't surprise me if they're significantly better than the pats
I'm waiting for the day that we can proclaim the Jets being better than the Pats....in every capacity. Until we dominate them on a regular basis....regular season and playoffs.....we really shouldn't be making any preconceived proclamations.
Sort of funny observation: Jet fans get mad when the media over-hypes us, but also if they underestimate us. Would we rather have them not make predictions at all? Would we respect the stories more if they said "Jets are going to be better but the Pats will still win the division"? I think that would make people even angrier. Come on guys, its ESPN's or whatever media source was quoted job to make predictions, at least they are on our side this time!
Exactly! We still have to play the game and beat the Patriots' like a rented mule just to prove that we are indeed, the class of the AFCE.
