Today marks the first installment of "Fan Friday" in our blog space. Each week, I will select one person's matchup breakdown and prediction for the upcoming Jets game. This is your opportunity to get published on newyorkjets.com and Tim has the pen in Week 1.
Tim Brooklyn, NY
On paper, the 2012 Buffalo Bills easily look like the most improved team in the AFC East. Their porous 2011 defense has been totally revamped with the switch to a 4-3 front and the addition of blue-chip DL Mario Williams among others.
It all sounds good, but on opening day Sunday the Bills get a chance to prove it as they roll into MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets. The Jets took on a similar undertaking as the Bills except their main move was the installation of a new offense run by new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.
Sparano swears up and down that the he is not concerned in how abysmal this new version of the Ground & Pound offense has performed in the preseason. Not one first team offensive TD was scored. Hopefully Sparano and HC Rex Ryan have lots of surprises and backup QB Tim Tebow lives up to his hype as the Slash we are all expecting.
The 1-2 punch of 4th year QB Mark Sanchez and Tebow will need time to counterbalance one another, hopefully parlaying this hybrid offense into a defensive coordinator's nightmare or else this year could wind up being one of the worst offenses the Jets have ever fielded.
The last few years of this Bills/Jets series has been dominated by the Jets and both teams will try to work out the kinks in the season's first game. I see a low-scoring affair that will fall in the win column of the Jets, 16-14. The two division rivals will meet again on the last Sunday of the season — that I'm guessing will have all the trappings of a playoff game. I'm predicting both squads will finish around 9-7, so that game should be a tiebreaking decider with the loser going home and the winner going to the playoffs.
