Mark Sanchez will be entering his second year as starting QB for the NY Jets.  Sanchez lead his team to the AFC championship game as a rookie which is a feat accomplished by Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco.  Not surprisingly, both quarterbacks heavily relied on a solid running game and an outstanding defense, just like Sanchez.  Roethlisberger followed up his rookie season with the worst winning quarterback performance in Super Bowl history; Flacco’s sophomore season he lead his team to a 2nd round defeat against the Indianapolis Colts.

Considering the above, it is not outside the realm of reason for Coach Ryan to have faith in the 2nd year quarterback.  I am not a believer, however.  Actually I am a firm believer that they are the third best team in their division and are deeply flawed.

While a teams previous year rarely has a definitive impact upon the outcome of the following season (e.g. the Titans going from 13-3 to starting the season 0-6), it is not impossible to divine whether a teams success was related to their schedule or whether they indeed had a breakthrough.

Only considering the Jet’s final 8 regular season games (as the defense would have an understanding of the new system installed and Sanchez would be comfortable in the system), the Jets beat Carolina, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati.  They lost to Jacksonville, New England, and Atlanta.  Everyone remembers that Indianapolis elected to rest their starters mid-way through the game while they were nursing a thin lead.  Shortly after replacing Peyton Manning, Curtis Painter literally threw away the game when he was intercepted by Dwight Lowery for a touchdown.  The following week, the Jets played a lame duck Cincinnati team who rested their starters with the intent of not showing any of their game plan for the playoff game against the Jets the following week.

The team won 5 games at the end of the season and two of them were literally gimmes.  The remaining three games were against world beaters like Carolina (8-8), Buffalo (6-10), and Tampa Bay (3-13).  There is the argument that it wasn’t what the Jets did in the regular season, which is why prognosticators and Ryan are so high on the Jets.  It was the post-season.

The Jets beat the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Diego Chargers in successive weeks.  Darrelle Revis’s star had never shown brighter.  Is all this hype really based upon two wins?  Or is it based upon their 4-1 record in their final five games?  Afterall, the Jets beat a Bengals team with a quarterback nursing a sore arm, their 2nd WR playing in Seattle, and their 3rd WR resting in peace.  The Chargers lost by 3 points after Nate Kaeding missed a 40 yard field goal which kept the margin at 10 points at the time.  The Jets won those games, but it does not suggest they would win even one playoff game in January 2011.  When the Colts actually played to win (prior to Manning being benched and during the AFC Championship game) they outscored the Jets 45 to 27.

More important than what the Jets did in the 2009 season and playoffs is what the Jets have done during their off-season to prepare for the 2010 season.  The Jets signed LaDanian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Laveranues Coles, Brodney Pool, and Mark Brunell.  They also brought in Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie via trade.  Certainly it could be said that the Jets in an uncapped 2010 season have elected to bring in veteran talent to backup their front line players.  It could also be said that most of the new players are well past their prime and they simply collected a number of players who will be dominated by their opponent if they ever hit the field.

Tomlinson and Cromartie will receive a majority of the playing time out of the free agent pool along with Holmes after returning from his 4 game suspension.  Tomlinson replaces an incredibly popular Thomas Jones.  Jones wasn’t simply popular among the Jets fanbase, but he was a leader in the Jets locker room.  When Jones was cut, there was an inordinate amount of grumbling from the players who believed it was unfair and unjust of Jets management to release Jones for what appeared to be trivial financial reasons.  Especially considering that Jones had one of the best seasons of his career in 2009.  At this point, it can be assumed Jones will be nearing the end of his career partly due to age, and mostly due to playing in Kansas City.  The question is whether the 2010 version of Tomlinson can be as productive as the 2009 version of Jones.

Tomlinson is inarguably the best running back in the game… 5 years ago.  When the wheels fall off on a running back, they come off quickly.  Towards the latter years of his career, Emmith Smith was a shadow of his earlier self.  The vision, speed, quickness, and desire had dissipated.  If the Cowboys were a playoff contender during the early 00′s, Smith would have been the weak link.  As it was, Smith was still a star on a team that was bereft of talent.  A fading Tomlinson is going to a talented team with high expectations.  If the Jets expect to improve upon their 2009 season, they will have to rely on Shonn Greene or Joe McKnight.  Leon Washington is in Seattle and as previously indicated, Jones is in KC.  What the Jets may be missing is the explosiveness of Washington (when healthy), and the heart of Jones.

For Tomlinson, it may be unfair to say that many of his Charger teammates do not miss him.  Tomlinson and Philip Rivers have acknowledged that it was the right time for him to leave San Diego, and other teammates stated Tomlinson wasn’t a team first player.  What should concern Jets fans is that they not only lost an offensive leader, but swapped for a selfish player who sucks energy from a team.  This storyline will play out over the season.

Cromartie will play well in 2010.  He is in the last year of his contract and is looking to be paid commensurate with his hype.  He was perceived to be a lazy player in San Diego.  While this may or may not be the case, he should have a good 2010 season.  As for Holmes, he was a Super Bowl MVP.  He’s a good WR, and the best WR on the Jets squad.  I have also believed him to be a very good #2 WR.  Unfortunately for the Jets, I believe Braylon Edwards is also a very good #2 WR.  Tom Brady won several Super Bowls with #2 and #3 WR’s, so it can be done, though Sanchez has quite a way before he can spoken of in the same sentence as Brady.

As for the Jets’s 2010 draft class, they selected Kyle Wilson, CB, Vladamir Ducasse, OL (a very raw prospect from a small school who won’t contribute immediately), Joe McKnight, RB, and John Conner, FB.  The players may contribute on the field, but it would be surprising if the players have big rookie seasons.  There does not appear to be a Percy Harvin or Brian Cushing who will contribute immediately and impressively.  With the Tomlinson situations illustrated above, certainly McKnight may have the best opportunity to contribute.  Wilson should not have to start unless there is an injury to Cromartie or Revis.  Revis will be resigned and there will be smiles and glad-handing, until the season starts.

The Jets do have a good defense with a defensive minded head coach.  Beware those who are prone to hyperbole.  This is not the second coming of the ’86 Bears, and there is a chance the defense will regress.  The Jets do share a similarity to the Cowboys.  When the Jets do anything, the media covers it (because of the size of the New York market).  When Dallas does anything, people hear about it (because of the large national following for the Cowboys).  Players receive more recognition and consequently, more fame.  Recognition and fame does not automatically translate into improved talent though it may perceived as such.  Kenny Gant is one of the most famous Cowboys of the 90′s, but there are 15+ better special teamers than Gant in the league today who live in anonymity.

To surmise, the Jets were a 7-7 team before beating two teams who stopped caring.  They beat one wounded team, barely beat a good team who’s kicker missed what should be a gimme at the NFL level, and they have questionably better talent than the year prior.  On “paper”, the Jets play 10 games where their opponent is either as good or better than the Jets (Ravens, Patriots, Dolphins, Broncos, Packers, Texans, & Steelers).  If they sweep the 6 games where they are better than their opponent (Bills, Lions, Browns, Bengals, & Bears), they only have to win four of the more difficult games to have a playoff spot.  I don’t think they will get those four wins.  They won’t be awful, but they won’t be in Dallas in early February celebrating.

Things are starting to pick up in Dallas with next month’s draft closing in.

Over the next two days, the Cowboys are bringing in between 15 and 20 prospects likely to be taken in the draft.

Among the prospects coming in are Idaho guard Mike Iupati, Georgia Tech safety Morgan Burnett, Kentucky fullback John Conner and Cal defensive end Tyson Alualu.

Apparently, Jerry Jones likes what’s going on at Penn State, as he’s bringing in defensive tackle Jared Odrick and linebackers Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee.

What might be most interesting about the prospects receiving invites is that there are several receivers, a position that seems to have a little depth. Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant, Ohio’s Taylor Price and LSU’s Brandon LaFell will all visit Valley Ranch to meet with the coaching staff, scouts and front office personnel starting this afternoon.

These visits from receivers could suggest that Jones is not pleased with his current set of receivers. If I were Roy Williams or Patrick Crayton and saw that these young receivers could end up in Dallas after the draft, I’d be a little worried that my job could be in danger. So far, William has failed to live up to the price of his contract and the first-round pick that the Cowboys used to acquire him. Crayton, though a serviceable slot receiver, is nothing special and the Cowboys could find a more dangerous third wide receiver. More speed in the slot would make the Cowboys offense a different animal.

There are also plenty of defensive players getting some looks. There’s defensive line depth there, which the Cowboys could certainly use-although Alualu might be a candidate to make the jump to a 3-4 outside linebacker. Either one of the Penn State linebackers could be an heir apparent to inside linebacker Keith Brooking, who turns 35 this season. Ken Hamlin should be a little worried about Burnett’s visit, as Hamlin has been mentioned repeatedly as a current starter whose job is in jeopardy.

Either way, finally, some news from Dallas. Things will start to pick up in the next few weeks even more.

I say bring it on.

Tony Romo isn’t just playing golf this offseason.

He’s playing a little basketball too.

Check out this video from TMZ of Romo getting physical in a Plano, TX adult recreational league game. Not bad, Tony. Not bad.

Again, this is the most we’ve heard from the Cowboys this offseason. Check out some of the other news stories coming out of Dallas.

• The Cowboys will have a split training camp this summer. The Cowboys will practice in Oxnard and in San Antonio.
• Miles Austin would like a new contract, but it’s unlikely to happen before the 2010 season.
• The Cowboys didn’t receive any compensatory picks this year. Last year, the Cowboys turned their two compensatory picks into John Phillips and David Buehler.
• The Cowboys will likely face Texas’ other team in preseason. It’ll be one of several other events that already has happened or might happen thanks to Jerry Jones’ new, huge stadium.

• Idaho guard Mike Iupati will visit with the Cowboys, along with many other teams. Dez Bryant will also visit, as well as Kentucky fullback John Conner and Penn State linebackers Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee according to this article (I guess Deon Anderson, who got into some trouble this year, could be out of a job if the Cowboys are looking at fullbacks).

That’s all I got. The NFL draft is still slowly approaching. Hopefully things will pick up by then.