BOOMER BOMBSHELL: JETS WILL DERAIL STEELERS
January 14, 2005 -- CBS Sports' Boomer Esiason looks at the Jets and sees destiny. When he analyzes this Jet team he looks back to the 2001 Super Bowl-winning Patriots.
Esiason thinks the Jets picked up momentum in San Diego last week and now will drive through the 15-1 Steelers in Pittsburgh.
"I have a weird feeling the Jets are going to win, and I think it is going to be like 23-21 or 21-18, somewhere in there,'' Esiason said.
"The reasons? No. 1: The Steelers have a rookie quarterback. No. 2: The re-emergence of a confident Chad Pennington. And No. 3: The New York Jets' ability to create turnovers.''
Plus, look at the Steelers' recent past.
"[Coach] Bill Cowher has a history of losing home playoff games,'' said Esiason, who thinks the Steelers are as good as anyone in the playoffs.
"He did it to the Patriots. He has done it to the Colts. He has done it to the Chargers. Maybe the Jets - all the anxieties and all the problems - maybe they can be the 2004 version of the 2001 Patriots.''
Maybe they can come from nowhere and go to the Super Bowl.
At the least, the Jets will win this week as they confuse Ben Roethlisberger, Esiason said.
"The last time these two teams played, [Jet defensive coordinator] Donnie Henderson and the defense did a pretty good job on him [Roethlisberger],'' said Esiason, referencing the Steelers' 17-6 win over the Jets last month.
"He will struggle some. There is no question about it. I would try to confuse him in passing situations.''
On the other side, Esiason believes the real Chad Pennington will stand up.
"[Offensive coordinator] Paul Hackett deserves a lot of credit for the win against San Diego,'' Esiason said. "He was able to throw the ball down the field because he felt that Chad's confidence came back.
"If his confidence remains high, then now all of a sudden you are playing with a different quarterback, with a different mindset. That touchdown pass we saw to Santana Moss was the guy we saw before the injury and the guy who took over for Vinny Testaverde. I honestly believe that they should be able to make some big plays in the passing game.''
http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/38500.htm
January 14, 2005 -- CBS Sports' Boomer Esiason looks at the Jets and sees destiny. When he analyzes this Jet team he looks back to the 2001 Super Bowl-winning Patriots.
Esiason thinks the Jets picked up momentum in San Diego last week and now will drive through the 15-1 Steelers in Pittsburgh.
"I have a weird feeling the Jets are going to win, and I think it is going to be like 23-21 or 21-18, somewhere in there,'' Esiason said.
"The reasons? No. 1: The Steelers have a rookie quarterback. No. 2: The re-emergence of a confident Chad Pennington. And No. 3: The New York Jets' ability to create turnovers.''
Plus, look at the Steelers' recent past.
"[Coach] Bill Cowher has a history of losing home playoff games,'' said Esiason, who thinks the Steelers are as good as anyone in the playoffs.
"He did it to the Patriots. He has done it to the Colts. He has done it to the Chargers. Maybe the Jets - all the anxieties and all the problems - maybe they can be the 2004 version of the 2001 Patriots.''
Maybe they can come from nowhere and go to the Super Bowl.
At the least, the Jets will win this week as they confuse Ben Roethlisberger, Esiason said.
"The last time these two teams played, [Jet defensive coordinator] Donnie Henderson and the defense did a pretty good job on him [Roethlisberger],'' said Esiason, referencing the Steelers' 17-6 win over the Jets last month.
"He will struggle some. There is no question about it. I would try to confuse him in passing situations.''
On the other side, Esiason believes the real Chad Pennington will stand up.
"[Offensive coordinator] Paul Hackett deserves a lot of credit for the win against San Diego,'' Esiason said. "He was able to throw the ball down the field because he felt that Chad's confidence came back.
"If his confidence remains high, then now all of a sudden you are playing with a different quarterback, with a different mindset. That touchdown pass we saw to Santana Moss was the guy we saw before the injury and the guy who took over for Vinny Testaverde. I honestly believe that they should be able to make some big plays in the passing game.''
http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/38500.htm
