I was born a Jets fan. Seriously, there are pictures of me wearing a Jets jersey and diapers. (No, I won’t post them online, but check out these cute kids.)
My family has had season tickets since the 1970s. I remember my father showing me what a first down was through binoculars from our upper-tier seats on the 50-yard line. I’m a loyal Jets fan, but it's challenging.
That’s why I prefer to blame my consistent fan-hood on genetics.
Now here’s where I get called a hater. How can I be a Jets fan and trash-talk my team? Ask any longtime Jets fan (I’m talking about the ones who got on before the Brett Favre bandwagon) and they’ll tell you those characteristics go hand-in-hand.
Sure, Gang Green handed the Tennessee Titans their first loss of the season. The defense showed up that game. And sure, they beat the Patriots in overtime to take command of the AFC East in a heated Thursday night game that, yes, they did try to lose in the second half. But beating better teams is what the Jets do. It’s beating the teams they SHOULD crush that has always been their problem.
Not to take away the team’s wins and outstanding playing in some games this season, but let’s review the losses. Favre or no Favre, they’re looking like the same old Jets. And I, for one, am getting nauseous.
1) New England Patriots: Matt Cassel may be one of the hottest QBs in the league right now, but this was his first game as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The team was a mess, having just lost stud Tom Brady, and the Jets should have capitalized. “Capitalize” doesn't mean running Thomas Jones three plays in a row on the one-yard line and failing to get into the end zone.
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2) San Diego Chargers: Favre threw two interceptions. Backup QB Kellen Clemens threw one. Thomas Jones fumbled and San Diego recovered. You cannot win a game when you turn the ball over four times. The Jets ended up scoring 29 points, but San Diego reeled in 48. I repeat, you cannot lose four turnovers and win (except, apparently, against the Buffalo Bills).
3) Oakland Raiders: Yikes. Awful. Puke. Disgusting. No, seriously. Taking it into overtime on a lucky drive against one of the three worst teams in the league – a team that can’t pass, can’t run, can’t do anything – having a second chance because their stupid coach called timeout right before you missed the field goal so you got another chance, made it and then couldn't get back into field goal range? The Raiders defense is ranked 26th in the NFL – 26 of 32. That’s not very good.
4) Denver Broncos: Denver and the Jets have at least one thing in common. They were both awful enough to lose to Oakland. Denver has a worse defense than the Raiders (28 of 32), but that strange Brad Smith flick toss to Jerricho Cotchery that ended up fumbled and returned by the Broncos for a touchdown gave Denver an edge it kept the entire game. Once Cutler gets on a roll, it’s over.
5) San Francisco 49ers: Maybe moving to the warm weather after playing in freezing rain shook them up a bit. Doubtful. The passing game, which was woefully ineffective against the Broncos, decided to stay home and rest. Favre threw for 136 yards against the 26th–ranked defense in the NFL against the pass! You know who’s worse? The Jets, who are the second worse pass defense in the NFL, hence a nice day for QB Shaun Hill. C’mon, Darrelle Revis can’t cover EVERYONE. The defense did show up, but it was only to cause penalties (8-57 yards). The only one who did anything worthwhile was Thomas Jones. (Leon Washington’s touchdown on a kick return would have changed things, but, of course, a holding penalty against the Jets rendered the run useless.)
Today the Jets beat the Bills. So, OK, enough whining, I know. I love to hate my team. I love to love them more. Gotta hand it to Thomas Jones for having a stellar season – he has two 1,000-plus yarders but this year he’s got seven times as many touchdowns (14 vs. 2 last year). And Favre did have that really awesome career-high six-touchdown game against the Arizona Cardinals. Obviously something’s being done right.
The great thing about football is that any team can beat any team on any given Sunday. The Jets have proved that – over and over again – for better and for worse. Today, it was for better, and I didn't have to break another TV.
