Sanchez & Ryan Give Jets Fans Hope!!

For decades whenever the New York Jet front office has made a significant move - hiring a new coach, selecting its No.1 draft pick or their starting quarterback - Jets fans have held their collective breathe and wondered, "Did they get it right.??" Since that historic night in Miami back in 1969, almost all of the answers have been a resounding NO! Well after watching the Jets complete their 2009 pre-season under yet Another NEW coach and yet another No.1 draft pick who happens to also be the NEW starting QB, this time the Jets may have gotten it right...While time and victories/championships on the field are always the true indicator as to whether a franchise has "Gotten it Right," what Jet fans have seen from rookie coach Rex Ryan and rookie QB Mark Sanchez through their first training camp, gives ALL of Jet Nation cause for optimism..
It all gets under way this Sunday afternoon in Houston as the Jets open up the 2009 campaign against the high-powered Texans..Houston will be a nice test to see if the Jets defense has mastered in some small part Ryan's complicated blitz-based defensive scheme..The Jets, however, will be a bit shorthanded as starting DE Shaun Ellis and LB Calivin Pace are both OUT as they serve their NFL suspensions....The defense will be the key if the Jets are going to be victorious on opening day for the second straight year as the offense should be pretty vanilla since it is the first NFL game for No.1 draft pick and rookie QB Mark Sanchez, who Jet fans are hoping will give them their first star at the position since the days of Broadway Joe Namath back in the 60's and early 70's....With Sanchez making his first start, look for Ryan to rely on his veteran offensive line - a strength of the team - and Pro Bowl running backs Thomas Jones and Leon Washington until Sanchez gets his feet wet...While most people aren't expecting much from Sanchez off the bat, having watched him in college - if Ryan takes "the diapers off early," Sanchez will surpise people and make plays...Sanchez also may make a few mistakes along the way, but based on everything he's shown in training camp, he has the goods to be a star...Ryan too has shown a lot of good things during his first training camp as well...Like I stated earlier, time, victories and championships are the only TRUE measure as to whether or not a team made the right choices...BUT thus far from what they've shown, Ryan and Sanchez give Jets fans hope and optimism that the front office Finally got it right!!