By Jason Klein
Originally Written For The Official Steiner Sports Blog – 11/24/10
Jets fans, be thankful, not satisfied.
There is a lot for Jets fans to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. Gang Green is sitting atop the NFL with an 8-2 record, 3-0 in the AFC East, and possesses a never-say-die attitude. Their quarterback is proving to be a trustworthy leader, their wide receivers can single-handedly change the outcome of a game, and their head coach has the bravado to lead this team to their first Super Bowl since 1969.
Jets QB, Mark Sanchez, Has High Expectations
As the New York Jets get ready to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Thanksgiving night, there is certainly a lot for Jets fans to be thankful for, but now is not the time for complacency.
Two short seasons ago, the Jets took a similar 8-3 record into the final five weeks of the regular season. They won only one of those contests, finishing 9-7 and out of the playoff picture. Last year, a 9-7 record got them all the way to the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. It was an unexpected journey that ended one game prematurely, a missed opportunity.
The National Football League can be sobering for teams enjoying success one season, and fall flat the next. So many factors affect a team’s ability to win games – injuries, scheduling, weather, off-the-field distractions, etc. There are no promises a team on the rise will continue ascending towards greatness.
Teams have to take advantage of every situation that presents itself. With nothing guaranteed in the future, the 2010 Jets have an opportunity to make history over the next 2 months…the pieces are all in place.
Not since Joe Namath waggled his finger in the air have the Jets had a quarterback with this much moxie, and this much confidence. In his sophomore year, Mark Sanchez has earned his “Sanchize” nickname, along with the trust of his teammates and coaches to lead, rather than just manage the offense.
Surrounding Sanchez is a suddenly explosive offense with enough weapons to set off a metal detector. Imported receivers Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards have been dominating for the Jets, carving up opposing defenses like a Thanksgiving turkey each week. A two-pronged rushing attack, comprised of Shonn Greene and the legendary Ladainian Tomlinson, has been among the most effective in the league, running behind the most solid offensive line in football.
This holiday season, be thankful for the Jets’ aforementioned offensive talents. Appreciate their consistently dominant defensive unit and confident head coach. Be grateful for their last-minute heroics, week after week, producing the kind of heart-pounding adrenaline to snap anyone out of the deepest of tryptophan comas on Turkey Day.
But ask any player on that roster, and they will admit, they haven’t accomplished anything yet. Players, along with long-suffering Jets fans, dream of the day when green and white confetti will rain from the sky, showering a newly-crowned World Champion Jets team.
The pieces are in place for 2010 to be that special season. An 8-2 record after ten games is certainly something to be proud of, but don’t be satisfied. An opportunity like the one that presents itself right now may never come around again.
If the Jets can capitalize, it would truly be something to be thankful for.
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