“When we head into the next season, we start over at 0–0,” said Jets coach Eric Mangini at Sunday’s post-playoff loss press conference. “Where we finished is really no indication of what’s going to happen next year.” I like that philosophy — it’s not true, of course, but I like it. It’s the way every coach should feel at the end of every season, and judging from the harshness of Mangini’s training camps, he at least wants his players to think that’s true.

To listen to Laveranues Coles, you’d think he had been put through Bear Bryant’s infamous Junction Boys boot camp at Texas A&M. “I really had to question whether I wanted it this much,” Coles told reporters. “I really had to ask myself for a while if I was willing to stick it out.” He did, of course, and so did the other key Jets, which is one reason why, when faced with adversity time and again, this team always had something to draw upon. The Jets were 4–12 in 2005 and 10–6 in 2006, and of course that’s an indication of what the Jets can do next year. Whether Mangini likes it or not, he’s created expectations, and he’s going to have to live with that. It’s the price of being good.

Let’s start with the position of quarterback. We’re already hearing comments from Mangini like “I think Chad [Pennington] did a great job. Like with every position, we’re going to evaluate it as we go. But I really believe in Chad.” Since we all know that barring an injury there’s no way that Chad Pennington won’t be the Jets starting quarterback this coming season, there’s nothing wrong with Mangini saying something like this. If everyone in the football press doesn’t understand what he means, be assured that the Jets players understand. What they hear is “If I’m willing to say that my quarterback’s job is up for grabs, I’m sure willing to say it about your job, too. So you’d better come to practice as if you were fighting for it.”

I think Coles got the message: He caught 91 passes this season and ought to catch even more next year. His teammate Jerricho Cotchery had 82 and is a good bet to approach 100 in 2007. The Jets are pretty much set at wide receiver, though a third good one always helps. But then, there’s no position in football easier to find an extra good man at than wide receiver.

The second easiest position to find a good replacement at is running back. The Jets lost Curtis Martin all season to injury, but it’s doubtful that made any difference to Mangini’s plans. He simply constructed a running game around Leon Washington, Cedric Houston, and Kevan Barlow. Washington was the best of them, averaging 4.5 yards a carry, and might double his 2006 total of 151 carries next season.

But the play of Washington, Coles, and Cotchery wasn’t the primary reason the Jets improved by six games last year. The main reasons were an improved defense, and Chad Pennington playing the whole season. The Jets don’t need a new quarterback. Pennington averaged 6.91 yards a throw last year, .07 better than Tom Brady, and if the Patriots can go to at least the second round of the playoffs with Brady, then the Jets can go that far or further with Pennington. If, that is, they give him better protection. The Jets offensive line allowed 34 sacks on Pennington last year, and that’s about 10 too many. The team that made the biggest improvement in football from 2005 to 2006 was the New Orleans Saints, and they only allowed 17 sacks on Drew Brees. If they can find someone in the draft or by trade who can help cut this number in half, it will also cut down on the number of throws that Pennington must hurry, and that will reduce his 16 interceptions. I’m not going to tell Eric Mangini who he should draft, but a nice big, quick left offensive tackle who could protect Pennington’s blind side better than D’Brickashaw Ferguson did this year would be a huge boost. |The talented Ferguson was something of a disappointment, with slightly more than half of the sacks and knockdowns on Pennington coming from his side (though he is rated as the Jets’ best run blocker).

Another big boost would be a killer pass rusher, either a defensive end or a linebacker. Mangini made a controversial switch before the season, shifting the Jets into a 3-4 alignment that took his unit several games to adjust to. But after a 41–0 shellacking by Jacksonville on October 8, the Jets allowed less than 15 points a game for the last 11 games of the season. They did this despite recording just 35 sacks, nine fewer than the Patriots, and 26 fewer than the league-leading San Diego Chargers. If the Jets can increase that total by 10–12, they could add one and perhaps two more games to their win column, if only because the stronger pass rush will also result in several more interceptions. (The Jets total of 16 this season was mediocre — exactly the same number on defense as they gave away on offense.)

Simply put, the Jets don’t have to do anything radical to be in the AFC title race for 2007. They simply have to continue doing what they’ve already done — being just a little bit better.

Mr. Barra is the author of “The Last Coach: A Life of Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant.”