We're Going to Cover That In Phase 2

So far, so good this post season for my beloved American Football Jets. Over the last two weeks, the Jets picked up two wins against two very good teams, on the road both times. While the first win was a little savory, the second was oh so sweet. The Jets went into Foxboro and beat their archrival after a full week’s worth of serious trash talking – they actually backed up their strong words which is incredible in this age of bloviation. The team known as the Jets that I am watching today is quite different from the one I grew up watching and I very much like what I see.
Slowly but a surely a culture of success has taken over the team which is astonishing for someone who is always accustomed to waiting for the other shoe to drop when dealing with Gang Green. From the saying “Play like a Jet” to the sweeping arm motions that many of the players make after big plays, or when they run off the field after a win, to the fact that the team never seems to quit and that they somehow someway manage to make big plays when they are so desperately needed, it is evident that a new mindset has taken root which I still, almost two full seasons into watching this little plant grow, am having trouble grasping and accepting as the present reality.
That being said, I think Rex Ryan said it best when he sarcastically quipped in his post-game press conference, “Yeah, same old Jets. Going to the AFC Championship game two years in a row.” The part about the Patriots game that made me believe that these Jets are truly different is that they won powerfully and convincingly. They didn’t have to rely on trick plays, or to have gotten lucky at the right moment by say returning a fumble for a touchdown. No, they beat the Pats by beating them down with old fashion smash mouth football. They ran the ball all day long, they employed a punishing defense which while spotty during the year has turned it on the past month or so. Second year quarterback Mark “he’s stealthy good” Sanchez already has in his short career as many road playoff victories as anyone else who ever has played in the NFL and, it just keeps getting better, he has more road wins that Favre and Marino combined. He was better than two surefire first ballot Hall of Fame QBs two weeks in a row. Who are these guys?
I’m cautiously optimistic for this coming Sunday. It’s going to be a very tough game to win. I have experienced heartbreak in this title game twice before as they were up 10 points at the half in ’98 (when I watched the game in Simsbury, CT) and 11 points at the half in ’09 (when I watched the game in NYC) but lost both games. Now, I’m going for the Tri-state area trifecta by watching this game in NJ. Hopefully the third time is the charm. If its not though, hopefully this culture of winning will continue for a long, long time. I don’t want these Jets to become the late 80’s Browns, always close (The Drive! The Fumble!) but never going to the Super Bowl, or the early 90’s Bills, making and then losing 4 Super Bowls in a row. But, I guess there are worse things, like just being happy to even make the playoffs, like they were back in ’91 when Raul Alegre’s field goal as time expired tied the game and then his next field goal won the game for them. I said it last year that I hoped Ryan was building a foundation and this season it seems that he has done so. I’m looking forward to not only next week but many, many future weeks to come.

In type Jets fashion, they even made a mess of things when they won a game. Justin Miller, at the most inopportune time possible, ran back a kickoff to produce a come-from-behind victory which left the J-E-T-S with the 4th pick in next year’s draft. If they lost, they would have drafted 3rd. Why couldn’t you have done that when it actually mattered?!
After enduring last week’s MNF debacle, you know, where they didn’t get one real 1st down until 4:13 remained in the 3rd quarter, where they only ran 13 offensive plays in the entire first half (compared to 43 for NE), where they lost by the same score in the last MNF game (31-21) as they did in the very first one (to Cleveland on 9/21/70), I hoped for the best but expected the worst. True to form, the worst was what we got.
End Zone Notes:
>> Goodbye Wayne. Thanks for a decade of great football. You were the most powerful flashlight I’ve ever known.
>> Goodbye Vinny. I’m glad he set an NFL longevity record (TDs thrown in 19 consecutive seasons) on MNF – for one who literally got off of a couch to play this season, he deserves it.
>> Good luck Curtis. You don’t have to worry about Reggie Bush anymore. I hope rehab goes well and that you’re back badder than ever before

I took off a week after the J-E-T-S beat the Raiders (I game I attended) but considering they lost to the Fins in Miami to finish with their worst road record in franchise history (0-8), I thought I would write update #4. Sunday’s game was prototypical Jets – rally, get incredibly close and then fall short at the very end. They are now 3-11. They are tied for the 3rd worst team in the league with the Packers and the Saints (though the Saints beat them so they are technically better than the Jets).

Going back to the Raiders game, when Curtis Martin didn’t come out to play, I didn’t know why. It was only after I got home that I realized he was shut down for the season. Not just that, but he may be done. As in “stick a fork in it” done. Injuries, non-guaranteed contracts and a salary cap add up to tons of job insecurity in the good old NFL. I’m hoping that Curtis is back next year starting for the Jets, especially since they let my main man LaMont go last season. In his first season in Oaktown, he’s done alright and I’m sure he’s going to be better and badder next year. A lot of people are already whispering that he’s finished playing, at least for the Jets, and that would be a sad way to end a HoF career.

Now the J-E-T-S are merely an afterthought in their own city. The first mention of the Jets on the main page of the NY Times.com’s sports section today was in an article not even about the Jets. It was about how the mighty Patriots have fallen this year, saying their 16-3 victory yesterday was “a dull, mechanical victory over a 2-10 shell of an opponent.”

There you have it. Football article #1: The Giants/Cowboys game. Football article #2: The Bengels/Steelers game. Football article #3: How Notre Dame are in a BCS bowl game. Football article #4: The aforementioned Patriots article. So where are the lowly Jets? They are buried down 3/4 of the way down the page under the “Pro Football” heading in an article titled “Patriots Rip The Seams of the Patchwork Jets.”

Now for the galling stats. Yesterday’s loss was the team’s 7th consecutive defeat and its 9th in a row on the road dating to last year. Their QB Brooks Bollinger has led the team to only 1 touchdown in over 40 something drives since becoming the starter. Then again, at least he hasn’t gotten knocked out. A reader Evan posted a comment to my first update and said, “We’ve been there through the days of glen foley and well you get my point. This year has been one of the worst to watch. It ruins my sunday to watch them.” My friend Justin, who has 1 of only 5 Browning Nagle Jets jerseys in existance, won’t even waste his time watching the games anymore. I for one still will and I am going to next Sunday’s Raiders game. In years past, the Silver & Black versus the Green & White in December meant something. Either its going to be a fun remembrance of things past or cold waste of time.

At least I’ll get to spend time with my Uncle Jeff and my cousin Josh.

In case you were wondering, my fantasy team finished 7-6 but will not make the playoffs due to losing a tie-breaker. On week 13, I either needed to win or have 1 of 3 different teams lose. Wouldn’t you know it – I lost and they all won. Somehow that is just so fitting this year.

Another Sunday, another loss and they keep getting worse. One week removed from a total drubbing the J-E-T-S this week decided to dole out large scoops of hope (which tasted delicious). However, an hour or so later it was evident that the hope I had just eaten had spoiled months ago and that I was soon going to be very sick.

Like so many other Jets games that I’ve watched over the years, they fought gallantly only to come up nauseatingly short at the very end. Down by 2 points with only 10 seconds on the game clock, their rookie kicker, who already had made 4 field goals (the Jets had lots of trouble figuring out how to get into the end zone), came up about a yard short from about 53 yards out. Actually, it might have been a foot short. It was that close, but you know what they say though: close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. This game featured neither, the Jets lost at home and they are now a disgusting 2-9. Yes, Houston is still worse as they blew a 21-3 lead at home to lose 24-21 in OT which dropped them to 1-10. Its like they both are playing a game of chicken and I pray the Jets swerve first. Having the first pick in the draft isn’t that big of deal to me. I’ll take dignity over Matt Leinart or Reggie Bush any day…