Jets don’t repeat History

Article by Travis Pulver

History does not Always Repeat

Teachers like to say that having an appreciation for history is important because history will inevitably repeat itself. Someone should have told Rex Ryan and the Jets that this is not always true.

Back in 1969 a guy by the name of Joe Namath made a bold claim, unprecedented at the time, that his underdog Jets would take down the supposedly superior Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Fast forward to 2010 and the New York Jets are promoting pre-sales for AFC Championship gear prior to the game being played Sunday.

Yes, the NFL Shop takes pre-orders for all teams prior to the championship games being played. However, most teams do not promote the pre-sale, probably just so they do not give off the impression of overconfidence (or bragging, just like that Namath guy).

Odds were stacked against the upstart Jets with many experts talking about how they would not have been there had the Colts not take their starters out of their week 16 matchup with the Jets, a game which the Jets won 29-15 in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Both teams essentially had something to prove during the AFC Championship, but only one could come out on top.

During the first half it was not clear exactly who might come out on top. Indianapolis managed to get on the board first with a Matt Stover field goal, but not until the second quarter. Mark Sanchez and the Jets would take over the lead on the next play from scrimmage as Sanchez connected with Braylon Edwards on the longest play from scrimmage for the Jets this season, an 80 yard catch and run for a touchdown. The Jets would open up a 17-6 lead before Manning connected with Austin Collie on a 16 yard pass for a touchdown to close out the first half scoring.

Manning and the Colts proved to be too much for the young Jets in the second half. Indianapolis would end up dominating the half, both offensively and defensively. The Jets would only gain 167 yards in the second half, much of it after the Colts had opened up a lead and could afford to give up a few yards. Manning and the Colts mixed in just the right amount of runs versus passing plays en-root to gaining 233 yards and another 17 points in the second half.

Neither Shonne Greene nor Thomas Jones ever got on track during the game; both running backs barely cracked 40 yards rushing.

Peyton Manning’s usual favorite target, Reggie Wayne ended up taking a back seat to the two new guys Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. Wayne would end up only catching three balls for 55 yards while Garcon would grab eleven for 151 yards and a score; Collie had seven for 123 yards and a score.

The stars of both teams were definitely their quarterbacks. Sanchez had not been known for his passing ability during his rookie season especially with the Jets heavily favoring a running attack all year. The Jet signal caller ended up having one of the best games of his career with 257 yards, two TDs, and one interception on 17 of 30 passes.

Manning proved why he is the MVP by throwing for 377 yards and three TDs on 26 of 39 passes.

Tags: Braylon Edwards, Joe Namath, Mark Sanchez, New York, New York Jets, Rex Ryan, Shonne Greene, Thomas Jones