By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — The much-hyped New York Jets were brought crashing back to earth Monday night with a season-opening 10-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Gang Green, who started the season full of boasts and hopes of contending for a Super Bowl, looked feeble and disorganized during their first game in the New Meadowlands Stadium, turing the ball over three times in the first half alone.
“It is a long season,” Jets Coach Rex Ryan told reporters after the game, according to the New York Times. “It is one game. I will say this, I have confidence in every man in our locker room. No question.”
The Jets could only muster 6 points on offense and quarterback Mark Sanchez finished the game with just 10 completions for 74 yards.
“We were awful,” Jets receiver Braylon Edwards told the Times. “I don’t believe the offense’s intensity matched what the defense did. It’s not panic time. But our offense definitely needs to get something going now so we don’t wait till the last minute like last year and try to get into the playoffs off a fluke game.”
The hype surrounding the Jets started with last season's improbable run to the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. From there, it was fueled by free agent acquisitions of aging stars such as Ladanian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor. By the time the Jets were a few episodes in on HBO's reality show "Hard Knocks" many fans, and their coach, had Gang Green bound for the Super Bowl.
"Rex put a bull's-eye on them," Ravens running back Ray Rice told the New York Post. "You've got to write a check you can cash, and starting 0-1 isn't going to get you a Super Bowl."
Things don't get any easier for the Jets from here. Next up on the schedule are the New England Patriots.
