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Rex Ryan will lead New York Jets to Super Bowl XLV against Cowboys in Dallas
by Gary Myers
MIAMI - They say everything is bigger and better in Texas, so Super Bowl XLV will have an all-time first: The Cowboys will be the first team to play the game on their home field.
And their opponent? The J-E-T-S.
Seriously.
Now that the 2009 season is over, it's time for our annual day-after look at what's going to happen next season.
It would be just the Jets' luck that after a 41-year Super Bowl drought they finally make the game and then have to deal with playing in Jerry Jones' billion-dollar palace in Arlington with 80% of the 100,000 fans rooting against them.
What happens in one NFL season in the free-agent era usually is not a good forecaster for the next year - the Saints finished last in the NFC South in '08 - but with the restrictive changes in free agency in the upcoming and presumably uncapped year, player movement is going to slow down. That would allow teams a better opportunity to keep their rosters intact and build on strong finishes. Since free agency began in 1993, rosters have turned at about 30% per year.
The Jets and Cowboys each finished the regular season on a hot streak. The Jets won five of their last six games, then beat the Bengals and Chargers on the road in the playoffs and had a 17-6 lead two minutes before the half in the AFC Championship Game before Peyton Manning stepped on the gas.
That gives Rex Ryan something to build on as long as he can control himself and not flip off any more fans in the offseason. Mark Sanchez took a giant step in the playoffs and if Leon Washington is able to rebound from his broken leg and Mike Tannenbaum can find Sanchez a big-time receiver in the draft (Notre Dame's Golden Tate or USC's Damien Williams), then the Jets should be able to open up the offense.
If it's not the Jets, then I like the Steelers and Colts in the AFC next year.
Dallas finished the season by getting blown out in the divisional round by the Vikings, one week after winning its first playoff game since 1996. The Cowboys ended the regular season by spoiling the Saints undefeated season in New Orleans, then shutting out the Commanders and Eagles before beating Philadelphia again in the wild-card round.
The Cowboys are loaded with talent and if Tony Romo can play like he did in December, the Cowboys could be big-time players next season.
"I can dream that our team has a chance, and I don't think it's an empty dream, to be a big part of the process what the Super Bowl is about next year," Jones said.
If it's not the Cowboys, then I like the Packers and Falcons next year.
Super Bowl XLV prediction: Cowboys 31, Jets 20.
by Gary Myers
MIAMI - They say everything is bigger and better in Texas, so Super Bowl XLV will have an all-time first: The Cowboys will be the first team to play the game on their home field.
And their opponent? The J-E-T-S.
Seriously.
Now that the 2009 season is over, it's time for our annual day-after look at what's going to happen next season.
It would be just the Jets' luck that after a 41-year Super Bowl drought they finally make the game and then have to deal with playing in Jerry Jones' billion-dollar palace in Arlington with 80% of the 100,000 fans rooting against them.
What happens in one NFL season in the free-agent era usually is not a good forecaster for the next year - the Saints finished last in the NFC South in '08 - but with the restrictive changes in free agency in the upcoming and presumably uncapped year, player movement is going to slow down. That would allow teams a better opportunity to keep their rosters intact and build on strong finishes. Since free agency began in 1993, rosters have turned at about 30% per year.
The Jets and Cowboys each finished the regular season on a hot streak. The Jets won five of their last six games, then beat the Bengals and Chargers on the road in the playoffs and had a 17-6 lead two minutes before the half in the AFC Championship Game before Peyton Manning stepped on the gas.
That gives Rex Ryan something to build on as long as he can control himself and not flip off any more fans in the offseason. Mark Sanchez took a giant step in the playoffs and if Leon Washington is able to rebound from his broken leg and Mike Tannenbaum can find Sanchez a big-time receiver in the draft (Notre Dame's Golden Tate or USC's Damien Williams), then the Jets should be able to open up the offense.
If it's not the Jets, then I like the Steelers and Colts in the AFC next year.
Dallas finished the season by getting blown out in the divisional round by the Vikings, one week after winning its first playoff game since 1996. The Cowboys ended the regular season by spoiling the Saints undefeated season in New Orleans, then shutting out the Commanders and Eagles before beating Philadelphia again in the wild-card round.
The Cowboys are loaded with talent and if Tony Romo can play like he did in December, the Cowboys could be big-time players next season.
"I can dream that our team has a chance, and I don't think it's an empty dream, to be a big part of the process what the Super Bowl is about next year," Jones said.
If it's not the Cowboys, then I like the Packers and Falcons next year.
Super Bowl XLV prediction: Cowboys 31, Jets 20.
