December Road
Sunday Paper (Year 3, Volume XLIX)
Welcome to December.
Time was, this month was the path through the cemetery, as another Jets season reached its final resting place.
Or, sometimes, it was the path to the cemetery, as a late-season collapse put the Jets in the ground.
Lately, though, December has been a launching point to the playoffs.
Under Rex Ryan, the Jets have had some December disappointments, but they've been able to overcome those downs to get to the ups and advance far into the playoffs.
Here's what has to happen in 2011 for that to take place again.
Before we get into December 2011, let's do some myth-busting. First of all, Rex Ryan has not been as great in December as he has in January. The Jets were 1-3 in December last year, including the 45-3 loss to New England and the disgusting 10-6 loss to Miami. And in 2009, the Jets were actually 3-1, but that included the equally disappointing 10-7 loss to Atlanta. (And the famous "We're out of the playoffs" Ryan quote.)
And there's the fact that the Jets kind of cast off their December demons under Herman Edwards and Eric Mangini, making some playoff runs in the early 2000s that erased some of the heartbreak of previous Jets teams.
But that's all in the past. The Jets in no way can afford a 1-3 December in 2011.
Here's a breakdown of who's on the Jets schedule and what each competitor in the AFC playoff chase is facing this month (making the following assumptions for this week - obviously this is all so fluid from week-to-week - the Patriots win the East, the Ravens win the North, the Texans win the South and the Raiders win the West):
I have a hard time believing that the Bengals, Titans, and Broncos are in this conversation, but that's the NFL. And judging by remaining schedules, I don't see any way this fight for 2 playoff spots between these 5 teams (though based on division lead it could mean different teams are involved) doesn't come down to the season's final week.
And while the wild card road doesn't seem quite as daunting with division leaders like the beat-up Texans and the streaky Raiders (or Tebow-led Broncos....I know, the Jets lost to both of those teams, so who am I to look down on them), you have to get into the playoffs in order to lick your chops at a potential first-round meeting with them.
And this year, that will all depend on how you perform in December...or maybe even the first weekend in January.
*Jets fans, in case you're not sure about copyright issues, etc., know that I 100% support you cutting out that grid above and keeping it in your pocket the next few weeks.
*I guess, with the lockout and shortened training camps and all, you kind of could have seen it coming that injuries would play a role in the playoff chase...but I don't think you could have ever envisioned what the Texans are going through. Makes them ripe for the picking in the post-season...but I don't think they'll be caught in the division.
*To be completely honest with you, I didn't see Stevie Johnson make fun of Plaxico Burress with his touchdown celebration last Sunday. (Maybe I was throwing a fit over the touchdown.) I looked up to see him doing the Jet celebration and crashing to the ground, and in spite of myself I thought it was clever. And I thought it was kind of ticky-tack that he was penalized for it. I guess the refs - and most everyone else - saw what I didn't. It wasn't until after the game and I saw all the quotes and everything that I realized what he did. How did he ever think that would be funny?
*Million-dollar-idea - I am going to try to nail down the rights to co-author Donovan McNabb's autobiography. Is there a more complex story in the history of the NFL? Maybe that's overstating it...I don't know. Seems like there's a big part of his story that we're not really hearing about.
*Bobby Valentine was introduced as the new manager of the Red Sox this week. Two things - 1) Last week I highly endorsed him. But that was before I heard that apparently the players are upset by the hiring. If he's starting that far behind the 8-ball, I don't know if he'll succeed...but of course, I don't know that anyone could in that situation. The players have to suck it up. 2) There was a story also that Valentine's commitment was lacking towards the end of his Mets tenure. He talked a little bit about September 11th, 2001 playing into that a bit. Can't blame him for that.
*Quite a week for Boston University basketball since I wrote about them last Sunday. After their 1-4 start, (0-4, actually) they're back to 4-4, including a huge win on Saturday over Boston College. (You may have seen my tweet, but this is worth repeating - I watched the game on ESPN3 using the 'Watch ESPN' app on my phone. Unreal that I can do that.) The only bad thing about that win is now we have to root for a good BC season so that it increases the value of the win for BU in the RPI stats. (RPI is still a thing, right?) Unfortunately, I think BC is just bad this year.
*And stat of the day - BU hadn't played BC since 2004. I can't believe it's been that long. And why has it been that long? Also, it was BU's first win over BC since 1974.
*Feels like the holidays with all the college football conference championship games, and the bowl games looming. Just a few more weeks until my winter break - and a few more days until I'll sign myself up for the bowl pool - one of my favorites.
*I haven't read the SI Review part of the following link yet, because I haven't read the magazine yet, but I've learned that Justin's introductions never spoil the magazine for me. So I've started to read his intros when he posts his review, then I go back to read his review when I finish the magazine. And this week's intro might be his best ever. Enjoy.
