Super Bowl, Schmuper Bowl

Photo by Al Pereira

----The New York Jets?  Super Bowl XLV?  Huh?  Well, as perplexing as that sentiment may be, such drivel continues to circulate.

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LaDainian Tomlinson stated, “I’ll absolutely win a Super Bowl.”

Rex Ryan stated, “We're loaded [and] it’s time to win a Super Bowl.”

And Sporting News stated, “The Jets will beat the Cowboys in Super Bowl XLV.”

Hogwash, I say.  Super Bowl, Schmuper Bowl, I say.

It’s utterly inconceivable to imagine these assumptions.  But, why?  What is so inconceivable about the Jets winning the Super Bowl?

Primarily, it’s rather difficult for a team to win the Super Bowl, ensuing a year void of the postseason.  Sure, the Jets participated in the playoffs last year, but should they have?  No.

In week 16, the Jets drew an Indianapolis Colts team which had already secured the top playoff seed.  Accordingly, Colts head coach Jim Caldwell pulled Peyton Manning and friends in the midst of the game; solely prompting for the Jets victory.

The charitable acts of Caldwell, led the Jets to a 9-7 record.  That illegitimate record, led to a wild-card berth.

Hence, the Jets should not have participated in the playoffs last year.

But who’s to say that the Jets wouldn’t have won that exhibition, regardless of the aforementioned specifics?  Uh, the Colts.  That’s who.  They can say whatever they please, as they defeated the Jets by 13 points just a few weeks later.

With that notion, it’s difficult to fathom such mediocrity transposing into such superiority in the timespan of just one offseason.  Is it not?

Well, then, fathom this.  Last season, the Jets were not even able to attain prominence within their own division.  In fact, they finished with the worst divisional record in the AFC East at 2-4. 

How is a team that finished at the bottom of a single division, plausibly favored to finish at the top of an entire league?  Fathom that!

Although, it cannot go unmentioned, that the Jets have indeed revamped their roster.  Tangibly, such acquisitions have been directly affiliated with the hype surrounding the supposed Super Bowl expectations.  But, why?

According to ProFootballFocus, Antonio Cromartie ranks 56th among all cornerbacks in the league.  Sure, he is a superb talent.  But, he is a prima donna in run support and takes too many gambles in passing situations.  

LaDainian Tomlinson ranks 59th among all half backs in the league.  In fact, only three players are ranked beneath him.  Consequently, in their efforts to replace one of the most electrifying backs in the entire league (Leon Washington), the Jets acquired one of the worst backs in the entire league.

Jason Taylor is, well, he is 35-years-old.  The key word in that fragment is, old.

And Santonio Holmes is suspended for 25 percent of the upcoming season.

Undoubtedly, it’s become apparently logical to disregard the Jets’ overhyped offseason acquisitions; however, one cannot disregard their stellar defensive prowess.

And as it is said, defense wins championships.  But, not anymore.  The league has changed.  The rules have changed.  Concurrently, the rules now favor a different aspect of the game.  The rules favor the passing game.  The rules favor the elite quarterback.

Consider this; the last time a team won a Super Bowl without an elite quarterback, was seven years ago.  It has been seven years since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers led Brad Johnson to a Super Bowl.

Subsequent to that, only the elitists of the quarterback position have raised the Lombardi Trophy: Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady.

Is the Dirty Sanchez next in that lineage?

Well, the boastful Rex Ryan claims such absurdity.

But, as George Costanza would say, “Funny, he's a funny guy!”

So, no.  Mark Sanchez is not next in that lineage.  He ranks 38th among all eligible quarterbacks in the league.  Just ponder that for a moment…

…He is 38th!  As only 32 teams exist in the league, a ranking of 38 indicates, that at best, he is the worst starting quarterback in the league.

His statistics don’t nourish the situation either, so, naturally, I will display them.

He threw for 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, while compiling 2,444 yards (just to gauge his insufficiencies, Matt Schaub threw for 4,770 yards).

And his passer rating of 63.0 is even worse than that of the infamous Tim Hasselbeck.

All things considered, it’s not looking too good for the Jets right now, is it?

Nevertheless, Bart Scott still felt entitled to compare his team to the glorious mystique that is the Los Angeles Lakers.  Comical?  Yes.  Sad?  Also yes. 

The Lakers organization has accrued a total of 16 titles.  The Jets have accrued one.

The Jets have not won since 1968.  The Lakers won last month.

Where are the similarities?  I don’t know.

Ridiculous as it may be, Scott also compared Rex Ryan to Phil Jackson.

Phil Jackson has 11 titles as a head coach.  Rex Ryan has zero.

Phil Jackson is calm and collective.  He is the Zen Master.  And I assume it’s safe to say, that Rex Ryan does not bear these same characteristics.

Bart Scott, simply put, is foolish.

But he is not the only foolish one.  LaDainian Tomlinson is foolish.  Rex Ryan is foolish.  And Sporting News, well, they are foolish.

The circulating sentiment that has prompted the Jets as Super Bowl favorites is hogwash.

It is drivel.

It is perplexing. 

It is inconceivable.

It is, laughable.

The New York Jets?  Super Bowl XLV?  Ha.