Not ready for flight

In a sense, the Jets are victims of their own early-season success, held hostage for that roaring 3-0 start that had everybody ready to crown them as the AFC's representative in Miami for the big game in February, long before the first month of the season was even in the books.

Let me explain.

Sure, the Jets' brash chatter and all the guarantees certainly fueled the crazy talk, which at one point even led some observers to laughably start the ridiculous "All New York Super Bowl" spiel that's become common these last two years with both teams opening the season in a winning fashion. The Jets probably could've benefited from a heat massage with all the congratulatory pats they received on the back, and they likely needed to have a fresh bottle of lotion handy to keep their mitts moisturized from all the "good going" handshakes and high-fives.

The Jets were up in the stratosphere somewhere along with the hopes of a fan base that's continually teased with a touch of success, only to constantly have the rug yanked out from under them yearly, making them come crashing back to earth faster than the Jets have this year by losing five of their last six and going from the Kings of New York to the Morris County Court Jesters.

But that's what their season-opening run right out of the gates did: it ramped up expectations for a team that's not ready to win this year for two reasons. Besides having a rookie quarterback, remember the Jets have a first-year head coach in Rex Ryan who's also learning directly on the job, and he's taking his lumps just like Mark Sanchez, the Jets' $50-million face of the franchise.

Really, from this vantage point, this was supposed to be a steppingstone season anyway, one the Jets would finish 9-7 in as they prepare to add a few more pieces in the offseason and likely ascend to greater heights in 2010. As brutal as it's been to watch the Jets' plight over the last seven weeks, this is their educational period, their crash course to learn how to be winners.

Their five losses have come by an average of 5.7 points.

"I wish I could tell you we got blown out," linebacker Calvin Pace said. "There's a fine line between being 4-5 or 9-0. It really is. It's the little things."

Right now, the Jets are inventing ways to lose - "It's like a comedy of errors, but it's not funny" Ryan said - and it's happening in all three phases, notably on defense. It's becoming apparent that the defensive unit, despite the mirage created with its current No. 3 overall ranking in the NFL, needs at least a season to mesh and truly understand Ryan's philosophy. We're also seeing now just how much Kris Jenkins's loss means to that unit and you can't underestimate his absence.

So before we hear any more nonsense being spewed on the airwaves or read some of the silly drivel that's been tossed out there lately, let's take a second to actually think first. Please spare me the tired "Same Old Jets" garbage. Enough with the "ghosts" of the past that supposedly keep coming back to pay a visit, as if we're watching Scrooge McDuck relive his grumpy lifestyle in "Mickey's Christmas Carol."

Now, do the Jets deserve criticism for the way they've floundered since they were 3-1 following their 24-10 loss to the high-powered Saints in early October? You're darn right. But to act like this season - with a rookie coach, a rookie quarterback and devastating injuries to two of their key playmaking Pro Bowlers - mirrors the same kind of collapse the Jets have had over the years, and the future of this team doesn't look bright, well that's just plain stupid.

Take a deep breath. Step back from the ledge. Put away the bow and arrow. Pull down the dartboard with a Jets' logo on your wall. It's going to be okay, it really is.

For anyone with a real sense of this team's pulse, as the now-famous Dennis Green postgame tirade that's been immortalized into an adult beverage commercial goes, this year's version of the Jets "are who we thought they were." (next page »)