Five months ago at the start of the NFL training camp, New York Jets middle linebacker Jonathon Vilma was quoted in local papers as saying, "this was the year the Jets go to the Super Bowl."

A few weeks later quarterback Chad Pennington reiterated those comments, predicting this could be the year.

We are now in November and the Jets, reeling at 2-7, are more likely to land a top 5 draft pick than a Super bowl appearance. After being a field goal away from the AFC Championship only 11 months ago, how did things get so bad in such a short period of time?

The offense is led by the quarterback. He is the signal-caller, the leader and the glue that holds the unit together. When he goes down, the pieces start to become unglued.

This explains what has happened to the Jets this season. Starting QB Chad Pennington went down in week 3 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars with another tear to his right shoulder. Seven plays later in the same game, his replacement, Jay Fiedler, went down with a dislocated shoulder and partially torn labrum. In a matter of seven plays, the Jets lost two QB’s.

The following week, 3rd string quarterback Brooks Bollinger got the start. He saw brief action in a game last year, which was his only NFL action. He didn’t work out, so in comes Vinny Testaverde, the 41 year old veteran who can still throw the ball 50 yards after all these years. Unfortunately, that experiment has not worked out either.

When you go through four quarterbacks in one season, it is virtually impossible to get any kind of offensive rhythm on a consistent basis. This situation also creates a big problem for next season. With the health of Pennington questionable, the Jets will be forced to either draft a quarterback or go out and sign a proven veteran.

As if going through four quarterbacks so far in the season is not bad enough, the Jets offensive line has been poor and inconsistent all season. A big part of this has to do with center Kevin Mawae being lost for the year due to a torn triceps.

This was a huge loss, because Mawae was the emotional leader of the line, and played in over 150 consecutive games. He played through all sorts of pain, including last year when he broke his snapping hand. Instead of missing time, he taped up that hand, and learned to snap with his left hand in a week.

He is a true warrior, and everyone around him knew it. When he went down, the heart of the offense pretty much went with him. Because of this, as well as an injury to tackle Jason Fabini, and the inexperience of Adrian Jones and Brandon Moore, the Jets have had trouble protecting the quarterback, and opening up any holes for running back Curtis Martin.

Martin was coming off his best season as a Jet this season. He rushed for a career high 1,697 yards, and proved at age 31 he was not done.

Unfortunately, this year has not been the same. He has played with a sprained knee all season, and with the poor play of the offensive line, has not been able to establish the run game, that Jets depend so much on.

He is another one who is a warrior. His entire career he has played through numerous injuries and always managed to gain 1,000 yards or more. This season will be no different, as he will gain his 1,000 yards to add to his Hall of Fame resume. But this may be the last year he is a full time player, and he almost certainly will retire within the next two years.

So, where I never like to say injuries are the reason a team struggles to put wins on the board, this team is the exception to that. When you have 10 guys placed on injured reserve in one season, it just proves that the Jets are just having one of those years where nothing goes right.

Other teams have gone through it in the past and have rebounded from the debacle. Times like this test your character, and battling adversity builds character and will make them a better team in the future.

Give the Jets this; they wont quit. Through all the adversity and injuries, the Jets have been in every game they have played. If a few calls go their way, they could easily be 4-5 instead of 2-7.

This does not mean the Jets don’t a lot of work in the off-season to rebuild the offense. They need to address the running back, offensive line, and the quarterback position.

However, with a high draft pick, and the ability to re work a few contracts, the Jets will be able to put this season behind them and be competitive in 2006.  This will show that 2005 was just one of the years.