If you’re wondering what will be motivating the off-season moves of the Patriots and Jets it’s pretty clear that it will be beating each other.
The last two seasons have been fairly identical in the rivalry with the Patriots taking the AFC East title, but the Jets having the more impressive playoff run. While the Jets got in the most recent blow by ending the Patriots season, both teams with continue to stand in the other’s way of a Super Bowl run.
The Patriots lost only three games in 2010, but two of them were to the Jets. The Jets meanwhile just can’t seem to sweep the Patriots, something they’ll need to do if they want to take the AFC East crown and the potential for home field advantage that comes with it.
Already this offseason we’ve heard Rex Ryan comment that while they’ve been able to beat the Patriots, no one else seems to be able to, and how it will be essential to play some home playoff games for once.
There’s no arguing that the Jets last two playoff runs have been extremely impressive, no matter how much it pains me to write that. But the fact remains that they have nothing to show for either season. They cannot expect to win three playoff road games every year to get to the Super Bowl. That’s why not only beating New England once, but sweeping them, is essential.
As for the Patriots the last two seasons they’ve flip flopped between playing flat and lifeless against the Jets to dominating them. Some of that has to do with Mark Sanchez’s corresponding performances, especially in the regular season at New England. But it’s clear that Rex Ryan’s defensive schemes give the Pats fits when they’re not firing on all cylinders.
When the Patriots traded Randy Moss, one common observation was that it was a move made specifically with beating the Jets in mind. They were abandoning the slow-to-develop deep passing game and going to more of a horizontal passing attack. It appeared to be a genius move after their 45-3 late season blow out of New York.
But after the playoff game the old voices were heard again… that the Pats needed to stretch the field to help open up that horizontal passing game. Perhaps they do. Perhaps it was more just a flat game where they couldn’t execute.
Either way each and every personnel move that these two teams make this offseason must be viewed through a prism of how it will correspond to defeating their chief divisional rival.
While the Patriots hold a distinct advantage in number of draft picks and less big-name free agents who need to be re-signed, the Jets will certainly attract high profile free agents.
For the Jets they must continue to surround Mark Sanchez with weapons, especially if they lose Braylon Edwards and/or Brad Smith. It seems to be a consensus that they will make Santonio Holmes a priority, but they must add talent around him. The Jets did not draft well in 2010, and while they were able to overcome it with some solid performances from unheralded veterans like Matt Slauson and Drew Coleman, the biggest thing that was effected was their depth.
Even in Hard Knocks it was pretty clear that the Jets lack of depth was frightening even to the coaching staff. They’ll need a good draft to start developing more talented depth.
The Patriots meanwhile had a great draft in 2010, but most would agree they went 14-2 in spite of a defense that was anything but shutdown. With Leigh Bodden and Ty Warren back in the mix they should be immediately improved, and even more so once they add another haul of draft picks.
I expect both teams to attack their off-season’s entirely differently. One will be a team whose primary focus is on free agentcy… re-signing their own and bringing in a collection of new veterans who want to play for Rex Ryan. The other will continue to add more youth via the draft, and hope for progressive improvement out of the young players who got a lot of experience in 2010.
One thing is for sure, the Patriots-Jets rivalry should reach new levels in 2011… if there’s a season.