Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets: Five Questions with Gang Green Nation

John from Gang Green Nation was nice enough to answer 5 questions about his New York Jets:

1.  Honestly, are you surprised at the success this team has had in the first 2 weeks of this season?  There was a lot of hype around the Texans and the Patriots are a hype machine.  What did you think the chances were you would beat both of them before the season started?

I'm absolutely shocked. I don't think anybody expected the Jets to flat out dominate two good squads the way they have, even the people who thought 2-0 was realistic. Conventional wisdom was that it would take some time for the defense to come together, and the rookie quarterback would struggle early. Joe Flacco's numbers in early season 2008 weren't pretty. I would have signed on for 1-1.

2.  Talk about the play of Mark Sanchez so far.  Is he running the same offense Brett Favre was running last season or have they scaled it back a little bit for him?

It's been a scaled back offense. With Favre, the Jets consistently spread the field with five receivers. There's been much less of that in the first two weeks. There are only four players with more than one catch, the two starting receivers, the starting tight end, and Leon Washington. Sanchez has been great without a doubt, but this looks like a less complex playbook.

3.  Talk about the differences between Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan.

Two stick out. The first is Rex being much more vocal. Mangini didn't like to talk to the media. Everything was a state secret under his watch. Ryan is a quote machine and isn't afraid to take digs at the opposition. Thus far, it seems to have fired up his players and given his guys confidence.

The second is defensive philosophy. Mangini ran primarily a read and react 3-4. Everybody lined up at pretty much the same spot on any given play, and the Jets dropped 8 into coverage more than any team in the league. Ryan's defense uses a lot of deception with guys moving all over the place presnap. Odds are the Jets are sending at least five at the quarterback.

4.  What is the key match-up the Jets need to win to be successful on Sunday?

Chris Johnson vs. the front seven. By that I mean the Jets had better tackle well. They send the house on pretty much every play, which means there's nobody deep if they miss tackles on Johnson. He's not the kind of guy you can catch from behind.

5.  Write the headline in Monday's Tennessean.

President Obama Touts His Healthcare Plan

In all seriousness, I expect a great game. The Titans are one of my favorite teams. They're one of the toughest, best coached teams in the league. I'm sure the Jets will get their best shot. My guess is the home crowd carries the Jets to a close win, but I'm nervous.

Be sure and head over to Gang Green Nation to see his questions to me with my answers.