NFL 25 Dream Teams that ended up being failures
By Nick Villano
NFL 25 Dream Teams that ended up being failures: 24. 2011 New York Jets
It seems like a century ago, but just 10 years ago the New York Jets were coming off back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances. The 2010 Jets felt even more vindicated after beating the New England Patriots on the road in Foxborough in January on their way to a Championship Game loss to the Steelers.
Rex Ryan was being considered one of the best head coaches in the NFL. Mark Sanchez was growing as a thrower. They signed Derrick Mason and Plaxico Burress to sure up the wide receiver position. They were going into year two with Santonio Holmes, so Sanchez would have one of the best offensive cores of weapons in the league. Shonn Greene was ready to be a force at running back, and Ladainian Tomlinson was ready to mark the second half of his career.
It was a disaster. This was a team of streaks. They won the first two games. Then they lost three. The Jets rolled three wins in a row, but they immediately lost the next two. They got back in the playoff race with wins in every game between Weeks 12 and 14, but they blew it by getting smashed by the Eagles and Giants then losing a close one to the Dolphins to end the season with everything on the line.
The Jets never made the playoffs again. You might be reading this in 2037 and we assume that’s still the same situation. The Jets are cursed, and this season started the worst stretch of seasons in the history of the franchise.