How could a team so determined to erase last year’s disappointment come out so flat? In sub-zero temperatures the defense played like they wanted to be home curled up on the couch rather than battling it out for the big game.

The offense came out flat and certainly did not help matters but it was really the defense that failed them. After being one of the most consistent units all year, the defensive line was terrible.

They played high, were driven off the line easily and did a shoddy job of tackling. The whole defense looked like they did not want to hit anyone. That is what the cold does - every block, every tackle hurts more but the tough teams fight through it and rise above it.

What is so surprising is that the Jets ARE a tough team. They have overcome similar obstacles in the past and it was unusual that they looked so unprepared for it this time.

Many have questioned Brian Schottenheimer’s play calling near the goal line, including myself, but that is not why they lost. The players did not make enough plays on the field to win the game.

Besides, the Jets are not particularly well built to come back from a 21-point deficit. Although they staged some dramatic comebacks this season, those were against some bad teams.

Only great teams can come from behind against the league’s best and unfortunately, the Jets did not prove themselves to be a great team this season.

Rex Ryan has gotten away with his team playing just well enough to get into the postseason and then riding a hot streak to make some noise. While that approach will work sometimes it is not a recipe for sustained success.

The Super Bowl is hard to win with shortcuts. You have to be a tight, resilient, disciplined squad to have the kind of consistency needed to go all the way. Despite their solid record, the Jets showed that they were capable of stinking up the joint, at least in one phase or another, on any given Sunday.

The game to game consistency was just not there.

Rex Ryan is not a disciplined guy and his team has taken on that trait. They played well for stretches but could not sustain it.

For the Jets to get to the next level, Ryan has to change. He will say in his press conferences that he will always be himself and that’s fine. He doesn’t have to change his public persona or how he interacts with his guys.

What must change is his approach to his job. His team won against Indy and New England because he placed more of an emphasis on film study among his coaching staff and their game plans showed it.

Ryan will have to use that same kind of discipline, that same emphasis on strategy to bring more consistency to his team next year. He also has to reinforce player technique more consistently.

His coaching staff went back to basics after a late season skid and his players responded. Ryan has to catch that stuff before the team goes 1-3 in December.

He deserves a lot of credit for changing his style in the postseason. He put his ego aside, went with less aggressive game plans against the Colts and Patriots and won as a result.

He can still be the same guy. He just has to change as a coach.

As much as I don’t want to knock him because the Jets would not have been in the championship game without him, it is hard to ignore the fact that his team was not ready to play in Pittsburgh and that always falls on the head coach.

He needs to understand why his team was unprepared. He clearly has a gift for motivating players but he does not do it on a consistent basis.

When asked if he was concerned about a letdown after an emotional week leading up to the Patriot game, he shrugged it off and replied that the championship game itself was motivation enough to get his team up.

But now, in hindsight, it is clear they let down. I am not suggesting that it was the drain from the week before but something prevented his team from rising to the moment and it was his job to make sure that didn’t happen.

For the Jets to get to the Super Bowl, Ryan has to be more consistent. He has to find a balance between his natural personality that wants to keep things fun with the reality of football that requires repetition, drudge work and teaching winning habits.

Teams are always a reflection of their head coach and to win it all the head guy has to be impeccable. The good news for Jets fans is that Ryan is honest in his self evaluations, which is usually a precursor for positive change.

The Jets had all the talent to win it all, which is why their defeat was so hard to swallow. If they could have only pulled that talent together for another win, they might have gone all the way.

2011 will be year 3 for Mark Sanchez and usually that is the year young quarterbacks make the biggest leap in their development. If that happens, the Jets’ offense will be that much more formidable and will elevate the overall consistency of the team.

This team, like most, is driven by the head coach and the quarterback and between Ryan and Sanchez, they need to grow if the Jets hope to get back to the championship game.

When it came right down to it, the Jets needed stronger resolve to win in Pittsburgh but didn’t have it. Building a team’s collective will is hard to define but it usually comes from leadership and the Jets most important people - their leader on the sideline and their leader on the field have to get better if the team is going to win the Super Bowl.

Ben Roethlisberger did not play a great game vs. the Jets but he made the necessary plays to win the game. We can get on Schottenheimer all we want but it is the quarterback that has to get his team in the end zone and make things happen. Sanchez was just not there yet.

Those plays are coming for Sanchez but this year, in this game, he could not get it done. He played a good game but the play he needed to make was the throw to Keller.

Maybe next year he makes that throw.

As hard as it is to accept, usually the lumps are necessary to get to the top. Even though the Jets have to go through another year, the trophy is still right there for them.

They did an excellent job of assembling talent this year but in the end, it wasn’t enough. The quarterback and the head coach have to get better. They have to lead better.

If they can do that, the Jets will be back in the championship game and will win.


Written by Alan Levin