Jets deserve our admiration

So another weekend of playoff football has passed.

I sat down Saturday and Sunday thinking to myself that the games this weekend had to be better than last weekend. I was so wrong. Again, we has to wait until the last game between the Jets and the Chargers to watch any game that had any type of intensity. Speaking of the Jets...

If you didn't have any type of admiration of the team, you should now. Head coach Rex Ryan proclaimed his team the favorite, and I'm starting to buy into it, too. How can you not? Ryan's team has consistantly backed up his words.

A lot was made about the Jets "backing in". They have proven that they belong. We'll have to see if they can carry on their trek to Miami as they visit Lucas Oil Field to clash with the Indianapolis Colts. Ironic that New York is getting another game with the Colts. The last time these teams met, the roar of fanbases wanting their team (Pittsburgh and Houston just to name a couple) to make the postseason began to scream "foul". We all know what transpired that game, so I'm not going to revisit it.

Ryan and his staff have built a team around a potent running game and relentless defense. Run the ball to keep your oppoennt's offense off the field. When the other team got the ball, stuff 'em, blitz 'em, disrupt their flow. And the Jets have worked it to perfection thus far. The defense gets all the praise, but there are a few on offense that have performed well.

Many experts state the Jets have the best offensive line in the NFL. I can't disagree. Two Pro-Bowl starters (C Nick Mangold and G Alan Faneca) provide the best anchors any O line could have. First round picks Ts Damien Woody and D'Brickashaw Ferguson keep the edges safe. And we don't hear a whole lot about undrafted G Brandon Moore. Make no mistake, Moore has more than earned his position.

Doesn't it seem that the rookie QB has been lost in the shuffle? Mark Sanchez is supposed to be an afterthought in the Jets grand scheme of things. We've seen this plan work by teams in the past. Baltimore (Trent Dilfer), Tampa Bay (Brad Johnson) and Pittsburgh (Ben Roethlisberger) have used the same template for winning the Super Bowl over the last decade. We've also heard of the wristband that's color coded to remind Sanchez of how aggresive he can be with his play.

That running game? Thomas Jones had yet another 1,000 yard season, but he's been nicked up in the playoffs. Enter, yet another rookie, Shonn Greene. Greene has picked up in the postseason where Jones left off during the regular season. Two games, two 100+ yard efforts, 2 TD. Greene's contribution has been more incredible that Sanchez'.

Leon Washington, a multiple threat out of the backfield and in the return game, went on IR after the week 7 game against the Oakland Raiders. Greene was thrust to #2 on the depth chart. And he has yet to disappoint the Jets faithful especially in the playoffs. Greene's 2 TD matches his season output, and New York has needed both of those scampers. Both of Greene's long TD runs have pretty much sealed the Jets' opponents fate.

Remember last season when this rookie TE from Purdue came to be Brett Favre's favorite receiver? That would be Dustin Keller. With Ryan determining that the Jets would be a running team, it appeared that Keller would get lost in the shuffle. During the regular season, Keller only scored twice. He's matched that in the postseason. His 2 TD in the playoffs are the only TD receptions on the Jets roster. Keller's 118 receiving yards also leads the Jets. Just yet another stat that shows how much confidence that Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has in the running game.

And Schottenheimer deserves some pats on the back here, too. His whole staff does. They are rarely in a situation where they have to put Sanchez "at risk" due to the inexperience. They also trust in the running game and it's obvious that eveyone in a Jets uniform has bought into this.

It's worked so far and there's no reason to change. Just one more step to reach Miami.

After all, didn't Rex say that was the goal?