Heading into the 2006-07 season, many people are expecting the absolute worse from the New York Jets. I on the other hand, am not. With an excellent coach and system in place by rookie coach Eric Mangini, the Jets are already going in the right direction. Chad Pennington will be making his return to the team after injuring his shoulder early on last year, and while he may not have the deep-threat capabilities, which he never really had, he should still be a very good short-mid range passer. The loss of John Abraham certainly weakens the defense, but with Shaun Ellis on the other side, and Jonathan Vilma anchoring the middle linebacker position, the Jets defense will be more than mediocre.

First year coach Eric Mangini has stepped in and is treating this team as if they were legitimate preseason Super Bowl contenders. Mangini has set an early tone that this team will be all about the team, and nothing else. Last week, Mangini made it mandatory for the entire team and coaching staff to see that new movie about the Eagle fan who tried out for the team and made it. While I have no desire to see that movie, it just seems like a character and chemistry building move to enhance the comradery amongst the Jet teammates.

The New York Jets certainly have a long road ahead, and I am not locking them in as a postseason contender, let alone a team that I think will play .500 ball in the season. The Jets secondary is a complete disaster, their offensive line is full of rookies and newcomers, and Curtis Martin may be retiring. However, what I do think is that the Jets are just a bad team in a good system, which will change in about 2-3 years when they are able to draft more players and get around their Salary Cap issues. The Jets may only win 4-5 games this year, but come November/December, they will be that team that the contenders and teams on the brink will not be wanting to play.