There has been plenty of time this summer for Jets fans to indulge their dark side.
Darrelle Revis's holdout looked like it would take its place next to Vinny Testaverde's Achilles, Keith Byars's fumble and A.J. Duhe as shorthand references to the way the fates long ago decided that the Jets got Joe Namath and then nothing but misery. The most talented team in the history of the franchise was missing its leading light and imagining the best was well beyond anyone who has devoted a piece of themselves to the Jets.
Now, though, the clouds have parted and the sun is shining down once again. Revis is back and all the optimism that flooded hearts in January has a reason to flourish once again. Sure, there might be some concerns about rust on his game, but those are tempered by the fact that rookie Kyle Wilson got a lot of reps with the first team and jumpstarted his transition to the NFL game.
That makes this Jets team even better than the one you envisioned when they were storming into the playoffs through the back door and then proving they belonged there more than just about everyone else. Even better than the one you saw in your sleep when they traded for Antonio Cromartie and Santonio Holmes and even better than the one Rex Ryan told you was going to be shaking Barack Obama's hand when all was said and done.
Ryan kept selling those things even while Revis was nowhere to be found, but, like any good salesman, he knew when he was about to overpromise and underdeliver. So he thrust himself into the process and made his team whole with no time to spare. It's hard to believe there were any Jets fans that weren't already in Ryan's corner, but the way the coach put action to his words and brought Revis home had to corral anyone still on the fence.
There will be 17 long weeks to feel all the negatives. That's plenty of time to worry about Mark Sanchez's maturation and the age of LaDainian Tomlinson and it is plenty of time to spend lamenting a difficult schedule that offers very few breathers on the way to the playoffs. And, for all the fatalists out there, it leaves plenty of sleepless nights spent wondering just how the football gods will crush your hopes this time around.
The next six days, though? Those are for happier thoughts because this is exactly the team you wanted on your side.
Sports
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
