2012 New York Jets: Playing Us For Dummies

"So you're telling me there's a chance." ~ Lloyd Christmas, Dumb and Dumber

At 6-7 and headed into a Monday Night game in Nashville, the Jets have a chance, and they're better than the one-in-a-million that Mary Swanson quoted Lloyd. But do we buy it? And why exactly should we?

The Jets finish at Tennessee (4-9), home for San Diego (5-9), and at Buffalo (5-9). All three teams have already thrown in the towel and the Jets could win them all, especially the finale. There's an old expression in the AFC East that applies there:

"As long as they've got Chan Gailey, we've got a chance."

So the Jets need to win out and then need help. It's not as preposterous a situation as you might think and the Jets have been in this position before, backing into the playoffs in 2009 and then making a deep run, leading 17-6 in the AFC Championship game before falling to Peyton Manning in Indy.

The simplest route (assuming the Jets can win out and finish 9-7) is for the Bengals to beat the Steelers this weekend, then lose the final week to the Ravens. The Jets would win a tiebreak with the Bengals, but not the Ravens or Steelers. The Jets would get further help if the Colts lost out and met them at 9-7, but they've got a game at KC this weekend so that's unlikely.

This is all assuming the Jets can sweep to the finish, making 5 straight wins to close the season. Which is a dumb assumption.

A Big Blue and Gang Green Weekend

It was the culmination of an all-time sports week, whether I had to work or not. First Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday, then Rupp Arena on Saturday. They are two of the meccas of college hoops, and currently house the top two teams in the nation as well.

While I take the history of Kansas' home court above all others, Kentucky's home is something to behold for other reasons. The deluge of blue all day along is unrelenting - from the food court to the convention center to the Hyatt, which are all connected to Rupp. And they are real fans that have been born into the tradition and the passion ("Bluebloods?").

On Saturday, the Wildcats took on historic rival Arkansas, who is a little down this year. Kentucky led 10-0 and never looked back. They even led 71-29 at one point, and nobody left - even after a resounding victory that launched the unbeaten 'Cats to the #1 ranking.

...And the crowd still wouldn't leave. The below picture was taken after the blowout win as the masses stayed to watch Coach Calipari on the Big Blue postgame radio show.

After a terrific dinner at Pazzo's, I woke up the next morning and piled all my stuff in for my 3-hour pilgrimage from Lexington to Indy, where I was certain to see a lot more blue at the AFC Championship game. My sub-standard Ford Focus rental had Sirius Radio but no cruise control.

It rained for the majority of my ride, but after I parked strategically (for my postgame getaway - a learned trait in all TV production types), and I took the bright sun emerging over the enemy battleground as a great sign.

And there were a ton of Jet jerseys out on the street. The New York/New Jersey/Long Island posse represented well in Indianapolis. They all, much like Rex Ryan and myself were feeling giddy about our chances.

It's a beautiful new stadium, and I perched myself in the Jets radio booth - miles above sea level, but dead-center.

The rule is no cheering in the press box, but I didn't stand a chance. After some early pressure on Peyton Manning and some great play calls by Brian Schottenheimer, the Jets had a 17-6 lead. I had dreams of going straight from my Gainesville game on Feb. 6 straight to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV, though I would not speak of it.

But it ultimately didn't matter what I did or said, it was about what Peyton Manning did and said, in a clinic on how to play QB on the biggest stage.

The Jets' run was epic, but it was over - much like my week on hallowed sports ground.