Ryan Thinks New York Jets Should Be Super Bowl Favorites

NFL News - January 7th, 2010 - Written by John

New York Jets head coach said before the second week of the season that his team would be treating their match-up against the New England Patriots as their Super Bowl, and they won.

Now that the team has the potential to win the real championship, Ryan has begun employing the same tactic, and said he believes the Jets are the team to beat in the NFL Playoffs.

In a recent press conference Wednesday, Ryan reaffirmed his stance that New York should have good odds to win it all, and hasn't heard the overwhelming predictions otherwise.

"I wasn't aware of that," Ryan said when told the Cincinnati Bengals were favored this Saturday. "But to me, we should be favorites, so that's fine."

Not in the first round. Not in the AFC. In the whole thing.

The whole kit and caboodle.

"I mean in the whole tournament," he said. "You know the way that I feel."

Ryan has long said he believes his team is the class of the NFL with the league's top defense and -- ranked rushing attack. His opening statement after last week's game included an assertion that nobody should want to play the Jets from here on out.

He may have an argument about this week because New York did, in fact, drill the Bengals 37-0 in the season finale. And it found a way to beat the Patriots in that Week Two meeting.

But oddsmakers still consider Ryan's team a longshot to do anything of substance in the postseason, giving them +2000 odds to win the conference championship, and +4000 to win the league title, according to NFL Playoff Betting Lines.

And that's because despite a very good running game and killer defense, New York will still have to throw the ball from time to time, especially if it falls behind against the Indianapolis Colts, whom it would play in the second round. And Lucas Oil Stadium is indoors, meaning the elements won't factor in the game, meaning the Jets' advantage in the ground game will mean squadoosh.

Only one other quarterback (Jay Cutler) has more interceptions than rookie Mark Sanchez this year, and only three receivers have more than 191 yards on the year.

But Ryan is doing what all good coaches should do: sticking with his team when it appears they are ill-suited to make a deep run.

"I want this football team," Ryan said. "I'm not going to trade our team. If I had a choice to coach any team in this tournament, I would choose this one."

New York hasn't won a playoff game since 2004, and hasn't won the Super Bowl since 1969 when Joe Namath famously promised a win over the heavily favored Colts.