A Long-Winded Look At Mediocrity

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The 2008-2009 New York Jets were not so much a team as they were a traveling circus. The team acquired "retired" quarterback Brett Favre from the Green Bay Packers in a move that was supposed to propel the Jets into the playoffs. We Jets fans can all remember Favre's grin at the press conference that looked more like "What have I done?" than "Happy to be here, folks!" and deep down we all knew that Favre just wanted to show the Packers that he was still a winning quarterback.

We didn't care. We just wanted to win.

We signed Calvin Pace, Alan Faneca, and Damian Woody, while trading for Kris Jenkins. We drafted Vernon Gholston out of THE Ohio State University. We were supposed to be set.

Then the season started, and after Week One all Jets fans were ecstatic. Brady hurt his knee and the Pats season was called over before Game Two. Favre had a so-so game against the Dolphins and former Jet Chad Pennington, but we knew he would come around. The Jets went on to beat the Pats in Foxboro and the Titans in Nashville to go to 8-3 on the season.

Then the wheels fell off.

Favre had apparently forgot what the Jets jersey looked like, throwing for nine interceptions in the last five games. Mangini called games like Bizarro Superman: Going for it on 4th-and-5 in the first quarter while punting or going for a field goal on 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter. Vernon Gholston was given the nickname "Casper" by myself and other Jets faithful for his friendly ghost-esque play on the field. The team finished 9-7, missing the playoffs on the last game of the year.

This offseason saw its fair share of changes. Gone is Favre and his "awe, schucks" persona and prima donna attitude. In is Mark Sanchez, the talented former Trojan and his high-wattage smile. The kid has had more exposure than the quarterback who was drafted before him, Matthew Stafford.

Out is Eric Barton. He was a tackling machine last year, accumulating 119.

In is Lito Sheppard. Take that however you want to.

Out is Chris Baker to the hated Patriots. That's fine because the team has Dustin Keller, who can block and catch.

In is Bart Scott, a hard-hitting linebacker from the Ravens who leads by example.

The biggest change is the firing of Mangini, aka Mangenius, aka Boy Wonder. Mangini was supposed to be the savior of the Jets—and the team did go to the playoffs in his first year. However, conflict with players and management, along with the fact that the media and fans couldn't stand him in New York, made Mangini expendable.

The Jets replaced him with Rex Ryan, a fun-loving guy who was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore. He brought Bart Scott, safety Jim Leonhard (who will take over for the traded fan-favorite Abram Elam) and DE Marques Douglas with him.

What will all these changes mean to the team? I have five quick predictions and questions for the 2009-2010 season.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?