Why are the Jets held in such low regard, almost universally? I understand respect is earned, but shouldn’t that be true of disrespect, too?
For the past decade, they have been one of the more competitive teams in the NFL. They don’t run up the score on hapless opponents, their players aren’t “bad guys” or criminals. I mean, outside of Adrian Jones getting busted for DUI and Justin Miller’s recent incident — which he was cleared of — name the last Jets player to run afoul of the law? The team hasn’t had a current player busted for steroids or HGH (see New England or San Diego), nor have there been any loudmouth self-promoting jerks like T.O. or Chad Johnson on the roster since Keyshawn was shipped out of town eight years ago. And before him, you have to go back to Mark Gastineau for a player that other fans could universally agree on as someone they hated.
Overall the past ten years, the team that’s on the field has been a hardworking, blue collar bunch of boy scouts who have rarely quit, even in the face of losing seasons. Yet it seems as though “the Jets” are a punchline to some joke I just don’t get. National sportswriters are always quick to relegate them to the dregs of the NFL — even in 2006, when they went 10-6, it was “a fluke,” the team “overachieved,” they got to the top because of “a soft schedule.” Anything other than, “Hey, maybe, for one year, they were actually one of the better teams in the NFL.”
Okay, no one likes a whiner, right? They want a winner. I get it — really. Win a Super Bowl and the respect will come. But if you’ve rooted for this team for any amount of time, you know that it somehow goes deeper than that . . . and even if we win . . . even if we play so far above our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days . . . even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field . . . even if every man woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win . . . it just wouldn’t matter . . . because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from New England because they’re . . . just not us.
Sigh.
All right, my tongue is obviously planted in my cheek here, but let’s have a little fun and examine –
The Top 10 Reasons Why It Seems The Jets Get No Respect
10. “Same old Jets” - If you haven’t noticed, there are very few people in the world capable of independent original thought. Just look at Hollywood — Iron Man, Indiana Jones 4, Speed Racer, Alvin and The Chipmunks [*shudder*] — if they can’t copy it from a comic book or an old TV show, or squeeze out a sequel of from an existing franchise, then it’s not getting to the Big Screen. (Although I did really enjoy Iron Man.) Never mind that in the last decade the Jets have been 82-78 (an over .500 record = winning franchise) with five playoff appearances — it’s same ol’ refrain and rerun when it comes to the Jets, even though a team like Carolina (who has been 77-83 with two playoff appearances in the same decade) gets a free pass. It’s been 13 years since Rich Kotite, 14 since The Fake Spike, 25 since the Mud Bowl, but yet it all still lingers like a fart in a shiny iron suit . . .
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