As a Jets fan, I'm happy today. Well, happy and disappointed. First the happy part. For at least a couple of days, no one will be talking about the joke that is the Jets. Instead, it's the Giants who now have a ton of questions to answer after (cough, cough) choking away their season to the Eagles, 23-11 yesterday.

First, what on earth happened to Eli Manning? Second, did Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride lose their minds? Third -- and you knew this was coming -- would this team still be playing if Plaxico Burress hadn't shot himself in the leg?

Now I did not see the game, so I'm going to refrain from analysis. "What?" you ask, why did I not see the game? Excellent question!

Because my wife dragged me to Ikea.

"But Rob," you say, "you didn't have to go! You could have stayed home and watched the game!" The answer to that would be, well, no. For one, I would have gotten the 'it's not your team, so what do you care?' argument which, while flawed, is bulletproof to my wife. And second ... I don't currently have a TV in our new apartment. However, I figured a furniture store like Ikea would have to have a TV somewhere inside, right? And this is where I outsmarted myself.

I thought I could appease my wife by going with her to Ikea. Once there, I would pretend to be helpful by, say, scouting barstools or measuring the width of an armoire ... which would conveniently be nowhere near where we were at the time. Essentially, I'd ditch her. I'd find a TV somewhere in the showroom (HD, flatscreen, over 47" preferably) and watch the game. Being that she was in Ikea, it would take her a few hours to even notice I wasn't by her side. And when she did? "Oh, I'm sorry baby, my cell phone wasn't getting any reception!" (I know, brilliant. Thank you, I appreciate it.)

But damn those Swedes! They're too busy with their stylish-yet-inexpensive furniture and marinara-less meatballs to even notice there's a football game going on. And my wife did spend hours in Ikea. With me by her side. By the time we returned home, it was the second quarter of the Chargers-Steelers game ...

Now I said earlier that I'm also feeling disappointed. I'm disappointed -- no, check that, disgusted -- because watching these playoffs unfold, the Jets truly did blow it. The Arizona Cardinals (Cardinals!) are in the final four. Remember what the Jets did to them? This could have been their year. There's not a single team left that, when the Jets were 8-3, would have scared me, with the possible exception of the Steelers.

And this is why the Jets need to hit a home run in this coaching search. The difference in talent between most NFL teams is negligible. In no professional sport does the head coach make more of a difference in wins and losses than football. Period. Get a good coach and you'll go places. Simple as that.