Dear NY Jets, I have considered you part of my family since birth, and expected to die whispering “J!-E!-T!-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!” Unfortunately, this just can’t go on any longer.
Thinking of the good old days, including the ones that are part of my existence, there are high points – and not just our legend ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath.
Don Maynard, a legend of equal proportion, who I learnt to appreciate even more after reading his biography You Can’t Catch Sunshine, not only went through the ringer with our big blue rivals, but innovated in the sport to the extent that most people do not even know to attribute these innovations, that are now commonplace, to him.
Kenny O’Brien may not have been Dan Marino but was a great; I still wonder how much this had an impact on his playing days, never being allowed to be himself without comparison.
And then the (mostly) good ol’ boys of the New York Sack Exchange of whom I always admired: Joe Klecko’s do your job mentality and leadership, Marty Lyons’ openness about learning from others to better himself, Abdul Salaam’s glue-like seniority and aggressiveness while having a monk-like servant of peace mindset, and Mark Gastineau’s performances and antics.
As an ‘SC man’, I was especially delighted to see the team make two back-to-back AFC Championship games under Mark Sanchez who, for better or worse, did not work out in the long run.
But, then again, neither did any of the above or any of those not mentioned (with the exception of the Super Bowl III winners).
But things are different now – not in the team, but for me.
In fact, you haven’t changed a bit. You are still interested in the headlines over producing a winning team. Not everyone has to be as tightlipped as Marshawn Lynch or Bill Belichick, but your priorities and mine just are not aligned.
It was fun when we were winning but it’s a joke when losing.
The Jets have always been an exciting organisation and they truly were great showmen long before the ‘Hard Knocks’ HBO special.
Sonny Werblin was a master of the spectacular in an age of flamboyance and change. Things are different now. The 1960s have come and gone and it is a different team, league, and world.
Things especially don’t seem so spectacular when you layoff your greats without a face to face.
Nick Mangold has my utmost respect; he gave his followers a good chuckle to soften a brutal blow for him and his fans. His tweet about being laid off while on a family vacation to Disney World was fantastic but nobody should have to do that. The same goes for Brandon Marshall, Nick Folk and the rest.
Nobody should be disrespected like that.
It does not matter how much or little a person makes, treating a stranger this way is wrong, let alone someone who is family.
Fireman Ed’s breaking point was the “Butt-Fumble” and this is mine.
At this point, I cannot even get into the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) issues with Mark Gastineau caused by repeated head trauma that have been well known in medical journals since Dr MacDonald Critchley’s publications on this condition by repeated head trauma all the way back in 1949. Love him or hate him, #99 is still Gang Green family, but sure does not seem to be getting treated that way.
Yes, this is an issue with the league and maybe our entire society as a whole, but that does not make it right.
I even empathise with Darrelle Revis and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Like Kenny O was always distracted by not being Marino, these two seemed distracted by contract negotiations. Contracts are part of the gig, but each one is unique and sometimes too unique.
While with the Patriots, Revis played one of his best years and it was not just because he had a great team and won a Super Bowl. He played as if he had no thoughts aside from playing good football.
When you negotiate with the Patriots, you usually have to be ready to take a pay cut to be part of their organisation; they say it is the cost of winning. But the Jets are inconsistent. One person gets their contract with little discussion and the next guy only with a fight. Fights sell papers and Revis’ late arrival to training camp years back drew a lot of attention to the team. His playing wasn’t his best after.
Ryan Fitzpatrick had a solid season, but was just lost last year after a brutal public equivalent to a street brawl in his negotiations.
Still, the Jets pay big money, but it is hard to know where you stand when the organisation you’re negotiating with has no consistency.
Mark Sanchez got a huge paycheck when he was drafted that dwarfed that of Fitzpatrick, even though Sanchez had comparatively few NCAA starts to other drafted quarterbacks and zero NFL experience. Yes, this was the last year, before the NFL restructured the rookie wage scale, but this does not make the point moot. For some reason, it was more important to waste time on relative penny-saving while losing dollars.
Then there was Brett Favre, who everyone said was merely doing a swan song. Well, that swan song lasted two more years with the Vikings and an AFC championship appearance (losing only by a field goal, after repeated referee ignored bounty late hits), after the Jets were even able to screw up having him at quarterback!
Thinking of the pathetic, so-called attempt at copying the Dolphins wildcat formation makes me cringe, but I digress.
Yes, professional sport is a business, but that does not mean I have to embrace the way in which a company conducts itself.
I am a born-and-bred New Yorker but simply don’t share the front-page drama that now has come to become synonymous with the ideal and values.
My respect goes to the fans of the Green Bay Packers, who own their team, their family.
They buck the trend beyond belief and their love and loyalty is demonstrated to the extent that their CEO and board clearly know whom they work for. While other teams change cities or rename to appeal to a larger region, such as a state instead of a city, to get more supporters, Green Bay does not even show up on the map with its minuscule population that creates a shining cheese head empire.
I have never set foot in Green Bay or even Wisconsin, nor do I own any shares in the Packers (and can’t in the Jets), but I still vote with my eyes and my wallet.
To the Cheeseheads of Green Bay and the world, you are an inspiration and I hope to be welcomed into your family.
To my NY Jets,
I’ll still remember the good times and will always have the back of every player I both wrote and didn’t about above, but we just don’t share the same ideology.
Get your act together.
It is more than hiring and firing. Look at your corporate culture. Maybe even go back to your Werblin roots; have that swag with winning.
This change will have to come from you. Treat your players past, present, and future well and not just in lip service. Build consistency around your brand and let them and your fans know what you stand for.
I still bleed green, but now of a different shade.
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