Jets' Buster Skrine stops just short of 'dream team' declaration

Vince Young infamously called the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles a "dream team" at his introductory press conference before watching the collection of stars fail to come together, and limp to an 8-8 finish.

In the years since, those two words have been treated like a curse by NFL players. No one dares to utter them.

Until now. Sort of.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Don Banks, cornerback Buster Skrine made reference to Young's ill-fated boast when discussing the New York Jets' seemingly stacked defense.

"I've never played on a defense with this much talent," Skrine said. "Our front seven has All-Stars and then in the back end, we have All-Stars. I've never seen anything like this. Everybody said the Philadelphia Eagles were going to be like the Dream Team, but we have chemistry on this defense already, and you can see it out in practice. I mean, we can match up however you want to match up. We can match up with any offense."

It's important to note Skrine didn't specifically use those two key words to describe the Jets, but he sure came close.

Skrine also seems aware of why things didn't work in Philadelphia. Andy Reid's team spent big in free agency, but the players it acquired didn't necessarily fit the scheme.

The Jets are a little different. They opened their wallets to bring in players like Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, but the two aren't exactly unfamiliar faces. Each spent many successful years in green before leaving for new frontiers. Now they're reunited.

That doesn't mean the Jets are guaranteed to have a top-five defense, however. There are still many moving parts that must come together, and one or two injuries could topple things like a house of cards.

If things become more like a nightmare than a dream, Skrine will likely find more than a few reporters eager to ask for a follow-up on his preseason comments.