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New York Jets
Overall: 94
Title track: 105
Ownership: 75
Coaching: 37
Players: 71
Fan relations: 95
Affordability: 110
Stadium experience: 101
Bang for the buck: 82
Change from last year: +22
After four years of irrelevancy, the Jets won 10 games in 2015 and were back among the NFL's important teams -- in the league standings, if not these rankings. They have good leadership, a roster with high-profile names and a strong brand. Now all they need to do is figure out a way to sustain success -- and beat Tom Brady.
What's good
Todd Bowles failed to make the playoffs in his first season, as his three predecessors did, but he won 10 games, changed the culture in the building and helped restore the organization's credibility -- and the fans responded, ranking him 37th overall, the Jets' highest showing in these rankings and up 45 spots from last year. The Jets got off to a slow start at 1-3, but they aren't a clown show anymore, and the coach isn't a stand-up comedian, a la Rex Ryan. Bowles is a serious-minded coach who actually says less in his news conferences than Bill Belichick (if you can believe that). The players have bought in to Bowles. How do we know? They're suddenly tight-lipped, afraid to say to anything remotely controversial. Yep, the Ryan era is history.
What's bad
Only three NFL teams have a lower ranking in affordability than the Jets (110th). Not good. It costs a family of four almost $600 to attend a game, including tickets, parking and concessions (and apparently the home fans don't even enjoy the view -- stadium experience ranked only 105th). And if you have a club seat, you may have to take out a second mortgage, especially if you dine on the new high-end food items such as the seafood tower (crab claws, oysters, etc.) and filet mignon sandwich. The Jets pounced on their first winning season since 2010, raising ticket prices by 4 percent. We get it -- it's the New York market -- but enough is enough.
What's new
What makes the Jets' 33-spot jump in players even more impressive: The roster doesn't even have that many new players in key spots, as they imported only three veteran starters. The jump is due to the fans' confidence in returning players, namely Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. It all starts with Fitzpatrick, who provides hope at the quarterback position. Except for fleeting moments of brilliance from Mark Sanchez, circa 2010, the Jets haven't had a legit quarterback since Brett Favre in 2008. The future is cloudy -- Fitzpatrick is playing on a one-year deal -- but the Jets are in win-now mode.
Next: Chicago Bears | Full rankings