Any time Jets players or coaches have been called arrogant or cocky or full of themselves this season, we've been there to defend their right to be confident in their own abilities. We cannot extend the same respect to the members of the team's merchandising staff or anyone else who signed off on the decision to start selling AFC Champions merchandise before the Jets are actually AFC Champions.
The sales effort isn't stopping there. They went ahead and changed the URL for the website of the team store from jetsshop.com to jetsshopchampions.com. We understand that these clothes get made ahead of time to be ready for the shelves as quickly as possible. The URL change, though, means that this wasn't just a mistake by someone who made a link active earlier than he or she was supposed to.
It may quiet some ulcers to find out that all of the teams have the merchandise available, although none of them are advertising the goods with quite so much ardor. Again, we understand that this is an NFL initiative, but how can anyone affiliated with the Jets really feel comfortable tempting the fates like this? Hopefully they'll stop short of having a banner raising ceremony on Saturday and God help us all if Rex Ryan takes the field in an official championship sweater vest.
If all goes well, there will be a lot of little kids running around Haiti and parts of Africa in Colts AFC Champion t-shirts come this time next week. If all doesn't go well, though, we've got our first set of goat horns all ready for the masterminds of this merchandising plan.
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.
