The Green That Keeps On Giving

As we all know, the Jets are truly the gift that keeps on giving. So, it’s in that spirit that I’ve split the difference between the eight nights of the recently ended Hannukah celebration and the fast-approaching 12 days of Christmas to present you with the best 10 presents Gang Green has either given, continues to give or will soon give its faithful fans.

The upcoming game vs. the Dolphins, which will mercifully end this disastrous season. I’m honestly not sure any of us could handle any more painful Sundays.

Joe Namath, the greatest football hero this city has ever known. Giants fans can have LT, because star QB trumps even otherworldly LB any day. After all, you can’t guarantee a W when you don’t have the ball.

The decision to go back to the old-school helmet design -- one of the NFL’s best -- in the late 90s, after 20 seasons with those gross green things that 40-somethings like me had the misfortune of viewing while enduring the only slightly greater misfortune of having to watch the Jets teams of Walt Michaels, Joe Walton, Bruce Coslet, Pete Carroll and Rich Kotite during those two terrible decades.

The New York Sack Exchange of the early 80s, which were basically the only decent years of the aforementioned ugly helmet era. Holiday cheers to you, Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam and, of course, all-time great Jet Joe Klecko. The sack wasn’t even an official league stat until 1982 -- the year after the NYSE started wreaking havoc in opponents’ backfields -- but this foursome was every bit as fearsome as, well, the Fearsome Foursome.

The J-E-T-S cheer. Fireman Ed may have retired, but the Gang Green faithful continue to do wonders with that greatest of four-letter words.

Wesley Walker. Catching deep passes with the likes of Hall of Fame CB Mike Haynes in coverage would’ve been very difficult in any circumstances. Doing so with only one good eye -- Walker was legally blind in his left -- while scoring more than 70 TDs and earning an All-Pro nod is about as close as you can get to miraculous.

The fortuitous timing of the butt fumble. Yes, the play will haunt Jets fans for years to come. But it couldn’t have come at a better time: on Thanksgiving night, when viewers were surrounded by loved ones, and, more importantly, too stuffed with food to fully express disgust without causing various injuries to oneself.

Nick Mangold and Sheldon Richardson. Mangold’s inspired play made him the Jets’ lone Pro Bowler in this awful campaign, while Richardson should be joining him in Hawaii (they still play there, right?).

A really high pick in the 2015 Draft. Let’s pray the new GM doesn’t blow it.

Inspiration for the greatest holiday gift of all-time, the Hess Truck. Yes, I know, that’s stretching the truth more than a bit, but hey, if your kids still believe in Santa, don’t you think they’ll buy this too? 

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