By Bob Bonett
Well, opening week couldn’t have gone much better for the new “Kings of New York.”
I’ll acknowledge that statement in a second. Just, for a second though, soak in how perfectly opening weekend went for Gang Green. Brett Favre looked as though he had played in the Eric Mangini system forever. Jerricho Cotchery looked like the new Randy Moss. The offensive line was dominant – save a couple of those late-game penalties. And Darrelle Revis is clearly ready to make the step up to dominant, shutdown NFL cornerback.
Oh, yea. Some guy named Brady was also lost for the season.
That’s where “Kings of New York” comes from. Yes, I know the Giants won pretty convincingly on Thursday night, in front of literally the entire nation, against a damn good Redskins team. They made a good quarterback in Jason Campbell look silly. And the injuries to the ends of the defensive line looked neutralized by a strong performance by one of the league’s best interior lineman in Justin Tuck.
Tony Romo is healthy, though. Donovan McNabb looks primed to return to the conversation of best quarterback in the NFL. Don’t count out the Redskins, either – they are a much better team than they showed Thursday night.
Gang Green, however, has a pretty sweet set up. As good as New England’s system is up in Foxboro, Matt Cassel has shown time and time again that he is, not only a sub-par option as a starting quarterback, but arguably one of the weaker backup quarterbacks in the league. The Dolphins are, well, the Dolphins. And as good as Buffalo might be, the expectations are sky-high for Trent Edwards and company, and one little slip up could send the team into a tailspin.
Okay, okay, I sound like a major Jets homer right now – not a role I’m actively looking to fill. After looking over their schedule one more time, though, 12 wins is actually not out of the question.
Will this team, one year removed from an abysmal four-win campaign, actually win 12 games? Chances are as close to slim and none as it gets.
Glance through the next 16 weeks, though. Outside of the division, their toughest home test? The daunting Arizona Cardinals, who currently have a former supermarket employee throwing passes to a disgruntled wide receiver in the most pathetic football market in the NFL.
The road schedule won’t provide much of a test, either. Yes, games against Tennessee, Seattle and San Diego don’t look too appealing on paper. Take a look at the direction all of these teams are headed, though. Vince Young went missing the other day – missing! – leaving a pretty big question mark at quarterback for the Titans, as good as their defense may very well be. Matt Hasselbeck looked more like Tim in the Seahawks’ first game of the year. And in San Diego? Say au revoir to Shawn Merriman.
Granted, it is one week into a very long season, but the prospects are quickly looking more and more appealing for Mr. Tannenbaum and company. And looking forward to next Sunday at 4:15 p.m. at Giants Stadium, the Jets will have the opportunity to officially proclaim themselves the best team in the AFC East – and maybe one of the best teams in the entire conference.
I have a pretty long history of making, shall we say, bad predictions.
What trumps that, though, is the fact that I am a self-proclaimed pessimist, especially with the Jets. Last year, I thought that New York was lucky to score even four wins behind the worst offensive line I’ve seen in my entire lifetime. With that, of course, here it goes:
New York will not only beat New England next week, but manhandle them. I’m talking a two-plus touchdown victory.
Look for New England to struggle on offense mightily. If Bill Belichick is one thing at all, it is that he is absurdly stubborn. Anybody in their right mind knows that Cassel is not a playoff quarterback. That will become very apparent this week. Randy Moss will have a long day. Wes Welker might as well not show up. And unless this Patriots ground game can somehow accumulate 225-plus yards of rushing, tag them as the underdogs.
That’s where it all comes full circle. At Giants Stadium, at the home of the older stepbrother that is coming off a Super Bowl win, New York is going to make a surefire statement. A big win over a team that hasn’t lost in the regular season since 2006. With that win will come the crowning of the new bad boys in town.
Yea. THE New York Jets.