Coming off a rocky 4-12 season that resulted in the firing of Coach Herman Edwards, the outlook for the 2006 season was bleak for the New York Jets. The hiring of new head coach Eric Mangini, former defensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, along with two first round picks (4, 29) ensured that the Jets were going to have yet another rebuilding year. This of course has not been the case, as the Jets currently find themselves at 8-6 and in the midst of a playoff race in the difficult AFC East.
One of the main reasons why the Jets have played so well this season has been because of the resurgence of Chad “rubber arm” Pennington. Pennington has started all 14 games for the first time since 2002, and has veteran reciever Laveranues Coles back. Coles, who refuses to play well for anyone but the New York Jets, is second in the league in receptions with 87. This passing attack is the best that the Jets have had since 2002 when Pennington posted a 104.2 QB Rating and led the Jets to the AFC East title. Another reason for the Jets offensive success has been due to the play of rookie center Nick Mangold, who has stepped in and filled the large shoes of former annual Pro Bowler Kevin Mawae. Mangold, along with rookie tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, have helped to solidify the offensive line and protect Pennington.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Johnathan Vilma has anchored a stingy defense that has played well despite featuring many unproven players such as defensive end Bryan Thomas, who leads the Jets with 7.5 sacks. Linebackers Eric Barton, Victor Hobson, and star Vilma have all played well in a unit that can best be described as underrated and unappreciated. Their improvement can undoubtedly be attributed to Mangini, who controlled a tough Patriots defense in 2005 despite having their usual amount of no-name players.
The chances of the Jets sneaking into the playoffs aren’t far fetched considering they get to show off their under the radar play against the lowly Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day followed by a week 17 matchup versus the pathetic Raiders in the Meadowlands. If they win out, a 10-6 record may be good enough to get the Jets flying high and back into the playoffs.
