Jets Blog: Jets-Colts AFC Wild Card Preview
By Peter Schwartz
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"I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord. And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord."
"In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins
Okay so maybe Rex Ryan hasn't waited all his life for another shot at Peyton Manning but it has been a year.
The Jets' 2009-10 season ended last January with a loss to the Colts in the AFC Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. For the Jets' head coach, it was his second loss to Manning at the Colts in the post-season with the other coming when he was an assistant in Baltimore.
This Saturday night, Ryan is hoping that the Jets can get him in the win column when they meet the Colts in an AFC Wild Card playoff game at Indianapolis.
"Peyton Manning has beaten me twice in the playoffs," said Ryan. "It's well documented and you have all the stats. This is about this year and I've waited a full year for this. We will see what happens. I know I feel confident in the men around me."
Confidence has not been a problem for Ryan and the Jets since he took the head-coaching job before last season. While he might rub people the wrong way with his mouth and bravado, Ryan's feelings have rubbed off on the players who feed off of his enthusiasm.
Especially when it comes to facing the Colts again.
"It's an opportunity to get back at them," said tight end Dustin Keller. "We owe them one. They got us last year."
Ryan had his team believing that they were the team to beat in last year's playoffs after their rabbit's foot got them into the post-season. Then, after playoff wins over the Bengals and Chargers, the Jets' Cinderella run came to an abrupt end with a loss in the title game at Peyton's place.
Ryan is obsessed with beating Manning and wants it to happen as soon as possible.
"With Peyton Manning, I'm going to beat him," said Ryan. "I don't know when, but I want it to be Saturday. Is it personal? Yes. Is it personal against (Manning), Reggie Wayne, (Dwight) Freeney, (Robert) Mathis and (the rest of the team)? Absolutely. I want to win. That's why I'm here. They're going to (get) my best shot and our team's best shot. We know they are a good football team and we'll see if they are good enough to handle us."
Ryan has caused another stir this week by expressing his feelings about his team. Two years into his tenure as Jets head coach, we should not be surprised with what comes out of Ryan's mouth. Love him or hate him, Rex is going to be Rex and that's why the Jets hired him.
Some coaches may hold in their feelings, but not Rex. He's a straight shooter and let's everyone know how he feels.
"I think we have the best team," said Ryan. "People may argue that and that's fine. I use the old Ray Robinson quote, 'To be a champion, you have to think you can win when no one else can.' That's what I believe in and that's something that has stuck with me for my entire life. I believe in myself and I believe in the people we have here. I think if you don't, you have no chance."
Ryan's words have trickled down to the players who are very confident coming into this game. While the task of having to win three games on the road is a stiff one, the focus, for the moment, is on the Colts.
There has been mixed reaction from the players in terms of talking about last season's title game loss. Some say it's in the past and they have to forget about it and some are using it as motivation for revenge.
However you slice it, the Jets are eager for the rematch and are hoping for better results.
"It's a great match-up for us," said quarterback Mark Sanchez. "It really is. We beat them once last year, they beat us when it really counted and that's hard. That's a tough feeling, going home after a playoff game, (getting) all the way to the AFC Championship game, having the lead at halftime and then coming up short. This is a different team, very similar on their defense and guys fly around."
Sanchez took the Jets to the AFC Championship game as a rookie. He had an up and down freshman season in the NFL before playing his best football during the playoffs. This year, he's had another series of ups and downs, but over the last few weeks, he's regained a rhythm.
As he heads towards his second career post-season, Sanchez is oozing with confidence with Saturday's game approaching.
"I'm feeling better towards the tail end of my second year," said Sanchez. "I feel light years ahead of where I was last year, just mentally, knowing the schedule, understanding what a playoff game feels like, anticipating that kind of energy that you get from their crowd and how you need to be loud at the line of scrimmage. Little things that I had to experience first to understand, now I just feel a lot better (about). It's a great opportunity (for) us and I'll have a better feel for it."
What will help Sanchez during this post-season is a couple of weapons that he did not have at his disposal last season. During the off-season, the Jets added wide receiver Santonio Holmes in a trade with the Steelers. Holmes was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII making a terrific game winning touchdown catch against the Cardinals with thirty-five seconds left in the game.
Holmes, along with other key off-season acquisitions, was brought to the Jets to make them better equipped for a run towards Super Bowl XLV.
"I, honestly, think so," said Holmes. "When I got the call, the first thing Rex talked to me about was that he had a chance to win a Super Bowl and I was the guy that took it away from him. I know that he believes I'm here for one reason and that's to win championships."
Having a chance to win the Super Bowl was enough for Jason Taylor to put aside his hard feelings towards the Jets and join Gang Green. The longtime Dolphin badly wants a ring and came to the Jets to try and cap off a Hall of Fame career with a championship.
Even if it meant joining the hated Jets.
"That's the only reason I play the game anymore," said Taylor of his desire to win a title. "Really, that's the only reason I played from day one. There is a lot of great byproducts from playing at a high level, you get paid and the fame and all that, but the reason we play this game is win the Championship. You can't do that if you don't make the playoffs and this is the first step."
For Taylor, this might be his final shot. You can never be guaranteed of so much as a playoff berth so the veteran wants to take advantage of the opportunity that the Jets have this season.
He might not get back to this point.
"You know, I feel that way every year," said Taylor. "You never know in this game. You're one bad injury from having to hang it up. The older you get in your career, you realize the end is getting closer and closer. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The light is coming quicker and quicker to the point where it's not blinding yet, but you need sunglasses on. You realize the end is near."
Many people in and around the Chargers organization thought that the end was near for LaDainian Tomlinson. The production of the future Hall of Fame running back slipped over his last few seasons in San Diego and was released.
The Jets still thought that Tomlinson had something left in the tank and pushed hard to sign him. He gave the Jets a pass-catching threat out of the backfield but early in the season, Tomlinson found the fountain of youth and showed flashes of his past.
Although his numbers slipped as the season went on, Tomlinson is ready for the playoffs and needs to be effective so that the Jets offense can keep Peyton Manning and the Colts offense off the field.
"It's something that we definitely want to do, grind-out first downs," said Tomlinson. "They know what we do well and they're going to be ready for it. We're going to have to complete some passes and keep the chains moving."
What the Jets want to do is move a step closer to their goal that was vividly laid out by Ryan when he took the job and reiterated at the start of training camp.
That is to win the Super Bowl.
The journey starts Saturday against the Colts. A victory would send them to a divisional round meeting with Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Just getting back to the AFC Championship game will be a monumental feat.
GAME NOTES
*The Jets are in the playoffs in back to back seasons for the fifth time in franchise history.
*The Jets are 13-6 on the road, including the post-season, under head coach Rex Ryan.
*In two career games against the Colts, Jets running back Shonn Green has 26 rushing attempts for 136 yards, an average of 5.2 yards per carry.
*Jets tight end Dustin Keller had registered a touchdown in three straight playoff games.
*Defensive end Shaun Ellis has played in a franchise record nine post-season games. Freeman McNeil is second with eight playoff games.
*The Colts are in the playoffs for the ninth straight season. That ties them with the 1975-83 Dallas Cowboys for the longest streak in NFL history.
*Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has an NFL record eight 300-yard post-season passing games.
*Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne has scored a touchdown in eight out of sixteen career playoff games.
*Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney needs one more playoff sack to become the ninth player to reach ten career post-season sacks since 1982.
THE SERIES
The Colts lead the all-time regular season series against the Jets 40-28. This will be the fourth time that the Jets and Colts have met in the post-season. Gang Green leads the playoff series 2-1 with wins in Super Bowl III and the wild card playoff game in January 2003 at the Meadowlands.
IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE
As the sixth seed, the Jets face a tough task on their Super Bowl journey. They would have to win three games on the road just to make it to North Dallas. They came up just one game short of that last year, but as the NFL pointed out this week in a press release, the Jets can look to other teams for inspiration:
FROM WILD CARD TO SUPER BOWL: Winners in the Wild Card round have won the Super Bowl six times, and at least one Super Bowl participant in four of the past five years played a Wild Card game.
In 2008, the NFC No. 4 seed Arizona Cardinals won three games en route to a berth in Super Bowl XLIII. Three years ago, the NFC No. 5 seed New York Giants won three road games en route to a Super Bowl XLII victory. In 2006, AFC No. 3 seed Indianapolis won Super Bowl XLI. And five years ago, Pittsburgh became the first No. 6 seed to win a Super Bowl, defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
The Wild Card participants to win the Super Bowl:
1980 Oakland Defeated Philadelphia in Super Bowl XV, 27-10
1997 Denver Defeated Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII, 31-24
2000 Baltimore Defeated New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, 34-7
2005 Pittsburgh Defeated Seattle in Super Bowl XL, 21-10
2006 Indianapolis Defeated Chicago in Super Bowl XLI, 29-17
2007 New York Giants Defeated New England in Super Bowl XLII, 17-14
2011 OPPONENTS
The NFL has announced that 2011 opponents for all teams have been determined. The official schedule, including dates and times of games, will be announced in the spring.
It will certainly be easy, travel-wise, for Jets fans to see their team on the road next season. In addition to facing the Patriots in Foxboro, the Jets will visit Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington. Those are all chances to hop in the car for a not so long excursion to see Gang Green away from home.
Here are the Jets' 2011 opponents:
Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, and the Giants.
Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins.
GANG GREEN IS A PART OF HISTORY
The NFL enjoyed some interesting milestones during the 2010 season and the Jets played a huge role in the league's success.
*The Jets were one of an NFL record tying 13 teams that won 10 or more games.
*Mark Sanchez (3,291) was one of an NFL record 22 quarterbacks that threw for 3,000 yards.
Okay, its prediction time. Call me crazy but I think the Jets will finally turn the tables on Peyton Manning and the Colts.
Jets 27 Colts 21.
That's all for now. Enjoy the game!
