If the O Line gets in synch...
then there is no telling how far the team will go. That is the key. Defense wins championships, but not if it is on the field a lot, and notably late in the game continually. If the O can get together, put some teams away early, and then keep them there with long drives in the 3rd & 4th quarters, the D will be more rested on a week to week basis, and that makes them much more effective when they have to stand up and take a game away from somebody.
A quick strike offense is exciting to watch, but unless it strikes early and often, then the D is out there a lot, and that is not good. To be really good, the O line needs to be able to drive out from the shadow of their goal posts, and take the field. That the team could not do consistently, or even much at all, last year. But that also means that the team needs a legitimate passing threat to take it all the way from anywhere on the field to keep the D from stacking against them. Too many times Ricky was hit by the first defensive player while still in the backfield. That should never happen if the O line knows what it's about AND if the opposing team has to respect the possibility of a long pass. If they don't have to worry about the pass, they will certainly clog up the running game - and we have not had the weapons to make anyone worry about a passing game. That is where I have the problem with Jay. He has shown a ton of guts, the ability to make something out of nothing on occasion, and he has even thrown blocks which amazed me - but he does not have the capacity to strike fear into the opposing defense by making them defend against the possibility that he can light their tookuses up with a long pass, and put 6 on them with one play.
That said, if the O line can get in synch - we can go a long way into the playoffs, even if Jay is QB. If Feeley can take the position away from Jay, in an honest competition, then we can possibly get to the AFC championship game, and after that it is as much the way the ball bounces as anything else. This is not the 72 team.