Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 4 2008

Just as we should not overreact to one ugly loss, we too should not overreact to one big win.

Just as I didn't think the poor showing against the Chargers meant that the team was doomed, I don't think the spectacular against the Cardinals means the team is destined for greatness.

This has been my theory of the NFL in this decade, that there are some weeks where a team, no matter how good they are, will get their asses whipped, and that there are other weeks, no matter how bad they are, that everything will go their way and will whip someone's unsuspecting ass.

For example, look at the Chiefs against the Broncos this past week. The Broncos will likely fight for the AFC title, and the Chiefs will likely fight for the worst record in football. But on that one day, the Broncos could do no right and the Chiefs no wrong.

And so it was with the Jets in the first half against the Cardinals - absolutely everything that could have gone their way did go their way. That's how you end up scoring 34 points in a quarter, and giving up none in a half despite giving the Cardinals the ball twice inside the 20 in the first quarter.

I think you can more or less ignore what went on in the second half. Sure, the defense played poorly in the third quarter, but you can't blame a team for maybe losing some focus after being up 34-0 at halftime.

Though it was funny watching that Cardinals mini-comeback, sitting at my usual bar with Teaneck's own Greg Kohler, who was in Chicago visiting (to see the My Bloody Valentine show the night before, which was not only awesome, but perhaps the loudest show I've ever been to.) During the first half, I mentioned to my other friend that this was not a typical experience, to sit with these two particular Jets fans and not hearing them bitterly and profanely complaining. How could we, when the Jets played close to a perfect half?

But then this mini-comeback starts, and all we could do was laugh, and say, "why can't it ever be easy?" Most teams, they go up 34-0 at half, they end up winning 41-14 or something. Not the Jets. They have to make it interesting, right? I honestly don't know how I've lived like this for the last 22 years or so.

Let's break down the good things, the ones that I think might actually be relevant to future weeks:

- The run defense was good again. When the Cardinals had the ball early, while it was still a game, the Jets completely stopped the run, forcing the Cardinals to put the game in Kurt Warner's hands, which led to all those first half turnovers. The Jets have stopped the run well in all games so far, especially early on, and that will most definitely help as the weather cools.

- The offensive line played well. They did a good job picking up the Cardinals on the blitz, and Favre didn't get hit too often. I suppose any day the QB throws 6 TD passes, you have to like the pass protection.

- Favre and the receivers seem to have found some chemistry.

- Laveranues Coles looks healthy again.

- Darrelle Revis looks like the real deal at CB.


So where are we? 2-2 going into the bye, which is exactly where they should have been given the schedule. Won the games they were supposed to win, didn't win the two tough games, which isn't a total shock since, again, this is a team breaking in a new QB, a new offensive line, and many new people on defense. No one should have expected perfection out of the first four games. They just need to avoid a 1-3 or 0-4 type disaster.

Now a bye week, a chance to regroup, and then four very winnable games out of the next five (Cincinnati, at Oakland, Kansas City, at Buffalo, St. Louis.) They have to be no worse then 6-3 coming out of that stretch, and then we can start thinking about contending.

For now, we can just enjoy that 34-0 half, and 56 total points, and allow ourselves during the bye week to dream a little of mabe having a high-flying passing attack for the rest of the year. Just a little.