New York Jets: Should They Take Another Page From Pittsburgh Steelers' Playbook?

Of all, the other professional football teams, the New York Jets perhaps most resemble the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet the Steelers have won the Super Bowl recently, and the Jets haven't. Perhaps there is something that the Steelers have that the Jets don't.

Both teams have strong defenses. In 2009, the Jets allowed the fewest points of any team in either conference. That's something the Steelers do in a good year, although not last year. Still, they matched the Jets' 9-7 record, although strength of schedule considerations propelled the Jets, and not the Steelers, to the postseason.

Both teams' offenses can best be described as of "mixed" quality. The Jets have a strong running game, although passing is something of a question mark. The Steelers' offense is the opposite, with a weak running game, and one that's stronger in the air.

The Jets have tried to remedy their passing by adding former Steeler wide receiver  Santonio Holmes. That's good as far as it goes, although one problem is that Holmes will have to sit out the first four games. And even when he returns, he would be only one half of the equation; the passer would be the other half.

The Steelers, on the other hand, seem to be dismantling their offense, by releasing Holmes. And like Holmes, their quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended four games. Their draft choices indicate that they seem to be trying to make up for offensive weakness by strengthening their defense and offensive lines.

In fact, the key difference between the Jets and the Steeler is quarterbacking. Roethlisberger isn't quite in the same league as say the Patriots' Tom Brady, the Colts' Peyton Manning, or the Saints' Drew Brees, but he's "good enough" when the rest of the team is at full strength.

Perhaps Mark Sanchez isn't really in the "good enough" category. Last year, as a rookie, he was mainly a role player. The fact that the Jets got to the Playoffs was due to luck, as much as anything else.

They may get lucky again this year. But once there, they won't beat teams on the way to the Superbowl led by the likes of Brady, Manning, or Brees, even with football's best defense, if the offense can't score more points than the defense allows.

If that's the case, the logical move for the Jets might be to take the Santonio Holmes acquisition to its logical conclusion, and go after Roethlisberger.

The Steelers may, in fact, be moving on to a future without Roethlisberger. Nothing against him has been substantiated. But the fact that charges can be plausibly laid against him on more than one occasion has disquieted his home town, which is more of a "Peyton Place" than New York City will ever be. Even former quarterback Terry Bradshaw has called for Rothisberger's ouster.

Yesterday, we saw what such a future might look like. The Steelers gained an ugly overtime win in their opening game against the Atlanta Falcons, 15-9. That looked like a typical JETS victory, with a weak offense, and a defense that held the opponent's point count to single digits.

All this becomes moot if Mark Sanchez improves to "Roethlisberger" levels, more or less, during his sophomore year, as Roethlisberger himself did, five years ago. His defenders say that he will, that the lackluster preseason showcased his 2009, not 2010 level of ability.

A good test of that will come tonight against the Baltimore Ravens. This is a team that the Steelers beat three times (twice during the season, once in the postseason) during their last Superbowl run. This is a team that the Jets probably must beat somewhere on their path to the Superbowl.

One way or another, the Jets need a better quarterback than the one we've recently seen. But if that person doesn't show up during the season, it might be time to move on.

If the Steelers are willing to give up their quarterback after this season, the Jets ought to try to take him. They might offer Pittsburgh say, a second line position player plus a future draft choice to a team that is electing to rebuild.

Both teams could get what they want. But from the Jets' point of view, the best way to get to the Super Bowl is to acquire the "secret sauce" of a team that's already been there.