One down, two to go.
A perfect opportunity to put up King Diamond's "One Down Two to Go" from the album Voodoo. Who's King Diamond you say? Oh, I pity you.
OK, I know last week's win against the Bills didn't exactly raise anyone's confidence level, but it could have been worse. A lot worse.
Imagine the Jets lost that game, which really isn't that hard to do. In fact, I was in "loss mode" right before the strip and fumble. I'm sure you know that feeling. You begin to question why you believe in your team. Why you care so much. Why you waste three hours only to walk away bitter, angry and disgusted.
Anyway, if the ball didn't bounce their way (figuratively and literally) Gang Green would have been a game behind both the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots with two to play. They would have lost control of their destiny and would be riding a three-game losing streak into Seattle.
If ifs and buts were candy and nuts ...
The point is (if I have one), the Jets didn't lose that game. Who cares what the media, fans or alligators think about last week's lackluster win? I sure don't. In fact, I prefer that the Jets are flying under the radar. I wasn't too comfortable a few weeks ago when the Green and White were the flavor of the week to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Let the Dolphins (the new apple of nearly everyone's eye) get all the pats on the back.
Sure, I wasn't pleased with the way the Jets played last Sunday. The poor tackling, the lack of offensive cohesiveness after the first quarter, the special teams' subpar performance. But I'll take the ugly win over a pretty loss any day of the week.
And that's my quick, little public service announcement for all the Jet boosters who were wringing their hands after last Sunday.
So, what should the Jets expect on their fourth journey to the West Coast?
Cold and snow. Here's the forecast for Seattle on Sunday: Breezy. Snow at times ... possibly mixing or changing to freezing rain and
sleet in the morning. Highs in the lower to mid 30s. South wind 15 to 25 mph
decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.
I guess the team can leave the sun screen and flip-flops at home.
The Jets will have to battle the elements, but that won't be all. Sunday will mark Mike Holmgren's final home game as coach of the Birds. Doesn't sound like that big of a deal to me, but I'm obviously out of touch with Holmgren and his relationship with the Emerald City. Check out this quote from the
Walrus:
"What I'd like to do, if it's OK with everyone, is
when the game's over, for the folks that want to just stick around just a little
bit longer. They might leave if they have dinner reservations, you know, but I
was just going to take one little walk around the field and thank the
people."
It just seems weird to me that a coach is planning on doing a sort of victory lap after his final home game. Especially since his team is 3-11 this season. Maybe it's me.
Still, I'm sure the 'Hawks are going to be fired up and that may fire up the crowd, despite the expected sloppy conditions. Seattle is a tough place to play (although the Seahawks have only one win at home this year) and the Holmgren angle could give the fans some added juice.
Here's one Seahawks fan's take on the game and the weather.
And in case you didn't know, Brett Favre and Holmgren have had a bit of history together. I'm sure that story will be beaten to death during the telecast so I'll just leave it at that.
There's also another story in Sunday's East Coast-West Coast match-up. Thomas Jones will go against his younger brother Julius for the third time in their careers. Technically, they won't be going against each other since both are running backs, but you get the gist. The brothers locked horns last year when Julius was a member of the Dallas Cowboys. The 'Boys bested the Jets that day and Julius is 2-0 all-time against his big brother.
It's been a tough first season for Julius in Seattle. The team is the pits and he's seeing less and less playing time. Julius racked up 127 and 140 yards rushing in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively, but his carries have plummeted ever since. Julius had just four carries last week against the St. Louis Rams and zero the week before against the Patriots. Maurice Morris has been getting the majority of the attempts.
Meanwhile, TJ is putting together his finest season in the pros. Thomas was named to the Pro Bowl and was also named the Jets' Most Valuable Player for this season.
Speaking of the Pro Bowl, the Jets will be sending seven representatives to Hawaii this year. That's tops in the NFL. I'm sure you are already familiar with the names, but I'll list them anyway in case you missed it.
- Alan Faneca
- Brett Favre
- Kris Jenkins
- Thomas Jones
- Nick Mangold
- Darrelle Revis
- Leon Washington
Does Favre deserve to go? No, but I don't think anyone could argue with the other selections.
It's a far cry from last season when zero Jets made the squad. Well, almost zero. The lovely Linda from the Flight Crew made the cut.
The Jets obviously have the talent.
And they'll get a little closer to the AFC East crown if that talent pulls through on Sunday.
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