New York Jets' Impressive Run Makes Next Season Interesting

The Pro Bowl commences today, and the Super Bowl takes place next week.

Somehow, this football viewer is not excited after being worn out by a local NFL team that convinced people to notice them in the playoffs. Football season ended after Peyton Manning performed a demo on how to throw the football against Rex Ryan's crew in the second half of the AFC Championship Game last week.

Call it a hangover, but it's hard to get excited about the Super Bowl after what took place at Indianapolis.

Now is the time to reflect and enjoy what happened this month.

The Jets expected to do well in the postseason. Ryan said so, and the diehards believed it.

For this critic, it was a hard sell. Mark Sanchez struggled, and he wondered if the Jets quarterback would all of a sudden play like a star in the playoffs.

As good as the defense was, he wondered if they would be worn out late in the game due to the Jets struggles on offense.

Special teams gave up big plays often, too.

Plus, who knew how Ryan would fare in coaching a postseason game?

All of this was proved wrong, and he was humbled by this experience. Every time Ryan says something from now on, it should be considered the gospel. Why not? His team backed it up not only these last few weeks, but during the tough times during the season.

If anything, their regular season journey was more impressive than their playoff journey if one can believe that. The rookie coach thought the Jets were done when he expressed his frustration after a terrible loss to the Falcons home.

The Jets responded by getting several victories in the aftermath of this loss.

They also responded with some wins after playing terrible against the Patriots at Foxborough.

People see character of a team when things are bad. When it comes to adversity, the Jets tend to crumble at first sight hence the saying of "Same Ol' Jets."

The Record columnist Ian O'Connor dubbed this star-struck franchise as New Bold Jets  after their divisional playoff victory against the Chargers a couple of weeks ago.

It makes sense. Times are changing for this franchise.

They are finally set with their quarterback for a decade after a lifelong search in that position. 

The defense found its identity, and as long as Ryan is coaching the team, it will never go away.

The core of their players should last for five years or so, and there is depth in the roster thanks to the work of Terry Bradway and Joey Clinkscales.

The coach knows what he is doing. That's something we couldn't say about Ryan's predecessors after Bill Parcells bailed out on the franchise.

This team looks set for a repeat next year.  They should win the division. The Dolphins and the Patriots will contend, but the defense by both teams will make them a decent team at best.

The key is trying to get home-field advantage. We saw teams get to the Super Bowl as a low seed in recent years, but the Jets can't bank on that.

Other teams playing in the cold weather here in January should give the Jets an advantage. Playoff road teams struggle when they play at Giants Stadium over the years so with a new stadium on the horizon in September, the Jets should christen it by doing everything possible to get the top seed next year.

As great as Manning was last week, let's see if he can do his work on the road. He's a great quarterback, but there's something about playing on the home field that makes the home team better.

The Jets are banking that could work to their advantage next year. That's something to play for.

Everyone expects a lot out of the team next year. They should, and it's something Ryan loves to embrace. He said as much in his press conference the day after the defeat by mentioning the Jets are the new show in town and how it's going to be Jets stadium when the new digs open up.

Hard to believe there will be complacency anytime soon. A team is a reflection of its coach, and Ryan's style suits the team well.

They need a coach who will get on them. That's how a team becomes champions.

Ryan's presence will always make football fun in this town.

These are great times.