Listening to the feedback I've gotten from both Charges and Jets fans, it seems to me that the concerns of the fans of each team are misplaced.

When I listen to Jets fans, all they talk about is Darren Sproles catching screen passes and circle routes out of the backfield.

Should the Jets be concerned about that? Sure they should be concerned, but let's not go overboard here. On the year Sproles had 45 receptions for 497 yards averaging 11 yards per catch. That 11 yard per catch average is certainly impressive but at least you can let him catch the ball in front of you and tackle him.

The Chargers receivers get down the field and are HUGE. Look at the size of these guys. It's like a basketball team.

• WR Malcom Floyd 6'-5", 225lbs
• WR Vincent Jackson 6'-5", 230lbs
• WR Legedu Naanee 6'-2", 220lb
• TE Antonio Gates 6'-5", 260lbs
• TE Brandon Manumaleuna 6'-2", 295lbs
• TE Kris Wilson 6'-2", 245lbs

Who's going to cover these guys? Ok you stick Darrelle Revis on Vincent Jackson, but what about everyone else? I'm very curious to see how Rex Ryan chooses to play Antonio Gates.

For years I've been hearing "what a great athlete safety Kerry Rhodes is." Well this year he went from Jets fans complaining that he wasn't voted to the Pro-Bowl to benched for blowing coverage's and tackling like a sissy. Kerry, if you want to show the nation how good you are, now is your chance. Holding Gates in check would impress all of us.

Quarterback Philip Rivers is averaging a lead leading 8.8 yards per attempt. That means every time he drops back to pass, he averages 8.8 yards (that includes the passes he doesn't complete.) That's a problem.

As far as Sproles is concerned, more than anything you need to be concerned about him in the return game. To say the Jets have been porous in the return game is an understatement. The K Jay Feely seems to be in on every tackle and often it's on the Jets side of the field.

Punts are more of a crapshoot than and organized blocking scheme and it's on the punter to make certain he provides plenty of hand time enabling the defenders to get down the field or to kick it out of bounds.

As for the Charger fans, most of you seem to be concerned about Thomas Jones.

Thomas Jones had a fantastic year running for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns, but his success has come mainly because of veteran experience exhibiting patience in the hole. The NY Jets have five first round draft picks on their offensive line and veteran Brandon Moore and that more than anything else is the reason for the Jets leading the league in rushing.

If you've followed the Jets at all you'll notice that rookie RB Shonn Greene out of Iowa is getting the bulk of the carries of late. Last week Greene had 21 rushes for 135 yards. Greene is a 5'-11" 226lbs fire plug with a low center of gravity that delivers a blow every time he touches the ball. I would suggest that that Chargers will spend at least an equal amount of time chasing Greene as they will Jones.

The thing with the Jets is that the Chargers know they are going to try to run the ball, and unless the Jets are down two or more scores in the fourth quarter, they are going to try to run it anyway and impose their will upon the opposition.

It appears as their will be some rain in the forecast for Sunday's game. How about that, rain in sunny San Diego? The wetter it is the more it favors the Jets, so the Jets are probably hoping for another "mud bowl" except this time it would work in their favor.

Mark Sanchez will obviously have to make some plays if the Jets are going to win, but he will have to be opportunistic in taking his shots. Sanchez had 20 INT's and 10 fumbles this year but has only turned the ball over one time in the past five games and none in his last three. Interestingly enough, the Jets have won all four of those games where he did not turn the ball over.

The Chargers will try to have as many in the box as the offensive formation will allow them so look for the Jets to try to spread them out and try to run the ball out of traditional passing formations.

Philip Rivers plays with as much confidence as Peyton Manning, and why should he? Rivers is good and he knows it. He's 23-3 from December on in his career and has a better career winning percentage than Manning. It will be interesting to see if Rivers' ego gets in the way and he insists on challenging Darrelle Revis trying to get the ball consistently to Vincent Jackson. I think that would be a mistake.

This isn't LT's team anymore; it's Philip Rivers' team. The Chargers will win or lose because of Rivers.

The Chargers (rightfully so) are heavy favorites. The line on this game has come down from 7.5 to 6.5 over the course of the week. Interestingly, all four underdogs are getting the majority of the action this weekend as every line has come down.

I don't often do this but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I'm pretty confident that the Jets will be to hang with the Chargers here and I think they have a 50/50 shot to pull this one off. The important thing for the Jets is to either get out to a lead or if they get behind, to stabilize the game by having 15-20 minutes of no scoring with field position jockeying.

Enjoy the game everyone. - Robert Finley

Bob has been covering college and pro football as an "interested party" for over 20 years. He's pretty darn good at it too......

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Comments (2)

This game is Saturday, not Sunday.
written by Joe4Jet's, January 15, 2010

This Game is Saturday, not Sunday.
Time: 8:15p EST/5:15p PST
GO Jets!!!

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written by Joe4Jet's, January 15, 2010

Well guess I was wrong and it's Sunday 4:40p EST/1:40P PST on CBS. Sorry for the confusion!

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