5 Reasons for Jets Fans to be Optimistic: Number 1

June 12, 2012; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan speaks before New York Jets Minicamp at the Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

Friday morning, and it’s time to complete the count down. This, to review, is a week long countdown of five reasons for Jets fans to be optimistic for the upcoming season. In case you missed the others:

You can read number 5 by clicking here

You can read number 4 by clicking here

You can read number 3 by clicking here

You can read number 2 by clicking here

Now, we reveal number one.

Number one is a bit more abstract than the other four.  It’s not one specific player, but more of a change that has happened around Florham Park so far this offseason.  Wondering what I mean?  Turn the page…..

May 24, 2012; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan (left) and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano during organized team activities at their training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

UNDERDOG ATTITUDE

See, I told you it was going to be abstract.

What do I mean, underdog attitude? It’s about how they have been talking, and acting this offseason, from the top.

Coach Ryan, for example. No bold guarantees this summer. Have we heard Rex say that the Jets are going to win the Super Bowl? No. Why? Because he has learned from last year.

LaDainian Tomlinson explained, and Rex listened, that the guarantees put a target on the team’s back. Rex felt that it was taking the pressure off the team and putting it on him, when in fact he was making it worse.

Coach Ryan has learned, and has made changes to make it better. That change? A change to an underdog attitude. This will translate onto the field, to a team that works hard and takes nothing for granted.

The attitude comes from Tony Sparano as well.

If you attend any practices at all, you will see this coming to the forefront. Just listen to the workouts near the offense. We have talked about this before, you can hear coach Sparano above everybody. Every play, he is teaching, correcting, praising, and in some cases scolding. Tony does everything possible on each play to get the most out of every player.

He takes the attitude that hard work in practice is what translates to game day. He knows that a lot of boasting is not what will bring success. Hard work and tenacity will bring success.

That will translate onto the field as well.

So there you have it, our countdown of five reasons to be optimisitic for 2012. Feel free to sound off on the bottom in the comments section with your thoughts..