The Goddamn New York Jets

On a bitterly cold day in December of 1981, the New York Jets hosted the Green Bay Packers on the last Sunday of the regular season. The stakes were the same for both teams. Win and make the playoffs, lose and the season would be over.

For the Jets, they had not qualified for the postseason in 12 years, back when Broadway Joe was still a functional quarterback. The fans that filled Shea Stadium that day were primed for a return to relevancy. They would not be disappointed.

Led by a beloved defensive front known as the New York Sack Exchange, the Jets manhandled Green Bay, sacking Packer QB Lynn Dickey nine-times. The final score: 28-3.

With the Jets playoff bound, a thousand or so delirious fans poured onto the field. It was pandemonium in Flushing. Players struggled through the mob to find the locker room. The goal posts were torn down, broken apart and carried out into the parking lot. The spoils of that victory were chopped up and dispersed throughout the Tri-State area like fragments of the Holy Cross.

All of that happened because the Jets were going to host a lousy Wild Card game.

Elsewhere in the Borough of Queens, my father and I joyfully watched the chaos on television. I was 9 years old and adored every second. Our players, our insane fans, all of it. I fell in love with the Jets that season, like only a sports-crazed child can. My team was on the precipice of greatness.

Little did I know that such celebrations of mediocrity would constitute the good old days. There would be no Super Bowl for the Jets that year, or the next. Nor in the decades that would follow. Over 40 years later, we are still waiting for what seemed inevitable in that moment.

Goddamn Jets.

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That’s not to say there have not been good times. There have been many. Like any long-term toxic relationship, there are reasons people stick it out, as unhealthy as that might be.

Born three years and four months after “The Guarantee” of Super Bowl III, I have witnessed the Jets play in 22 playoff games and win ten of them.

Unfortunately, just not the right ten. Part of the problem is that 17 of those games have been played on the road. Gang Green has not hosted a playoff game in over 20 years.

While the Jets have not been as putrid as the Browns or Lions, they’ve rarely finished first in their division – the prerequisite for hosting a playoff game between 2002 and 2021. They have only won the AFC East twice (1998 & 2002) since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Put into perspective, that’s the same number of division champions they won in the AFL (1968 & 69), a league that only existed for 10 years. It’s hard to reach the Super Bowl when you have to survive the grueling gauntlet of the playoffs via Wild Card.

But they have made some unforgettable runs that are treasured by the fanbase. Four that went all the way to the AFC Championship Game (1982, 1998, 2009, 2010). Each one ultimately, and uniquely, soul-crushing.

Our highest highs have been merely Appalachian in altitude.

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But our lowest lows? They are as deep as they are wide.

From the early 1980s through 2010, the Jets were infamous for three things: awful draft picks; blowing 4th quarter leads; and suffering late season collapses. The team seemed to create new and bizarre ways to lose key games every season (I refuse to revisit them here).

But with only a handful of truly dismal seasons in that 30-year span, the Jets were basically a .500 team. Sometimes they overachieved, but more often they simply imploded. Usually after a hot start to the season. Usually just in time to ruin Christmas.

Goddamn Jets.

This era coincided with the decision by then-owner Leon Hess to move the team away from its core fanbase on Long Island, to the swamps of New Jersey. No longer the City’s team, the Jets were cast into permanent exile as secondary citizens in a stadium not their own. The fans were left to suffer a 25-year long indignity of sitting in an arena named after its cross-town rival, adorned in their colors.

Oh, and that other area team went on to play in five Super Bowls, winning four of them.

This era also saw Bill Parcells resurrect the Jets in the late 1990s, resign suddenly, and have his hand-picked successor quit via napkin at the introductory press conference.

That son-of-a-bitch went on to torture the Jets for a generation. He became the greatest head coach in NFL history and led a division rival to six Super Bowl championships and countless humiliations. None worse than when the Jets’ own Mo Lewis launched the career of a lightly regarded kid out of Michigan, now considered the greatest quarterback of all time.

Goddamn Jets.

If I’m being honest, the only true reward the Jets have provided me has been so much quality time with my father. From enjoying the madness in the stands as long-time season ticket holders, to commiserating on a couch at home – Autumn Sundays with my Dad are the one constant in all of my spins around the sun. When my kids were born, for better or worse, they joined our coven.

Jets’ Sunday is a thing in our family, with its own traditions and rituals. Regardless of performance or circumstances, and more often despite them, these are things far more valuable than any Lombardi Trophy.

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And yet, there are limits to what one family – one fanbase – can endure.

The last decade has been an unmitigated disaster for the team and its fans. Since losing the AFC Championship in 2010, the Jets have had only one winning season and have yet to return to the playoffs. This is currently the longest post-season drought of any major professional team in North America.

The Jets have finished fourth in a four-team division six of the last seven seasons. Over the last five years, they lost 13 consecutive games in the month of September. A streak that was only broken in 2022 because the Browns gave away a game they had no business losing. When you routinely start 0-4, your season, for all intents and purposes, is over before Halloween. It’s a streak of ineptitude unparalleled in franchise history.

But it is one thing to be terrible, it’s quite another to be boring.

In a decade that has seen offenses explode across the NFL with 4,000 yard passing seasons becoming the norm for quarterbacks, the Jets have been left far, far behind.

Having never really replaced Namath, the team has seen a cavalcade of journeyman and high draft picks attempt to take the mantle. Some have been ok; most have been abysmal. A half-century has now passed without finding a true heir to Joe Willie’s throne.

And it’s not for lack of trying. The Jets selected a quarterback in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft five-times between 2009 and 2021 (Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg, Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson).

We wanted to believe. And while some may have shown flashes of being that Prince that was promised, they have all ultimately failed in New York.

Sanchez was too immature; Smith had his jaw broken by a teammate and lost his starting job; Darnold caught mononucleosis, saw ghosts and never recovered; Hackenberg was so bad that he never actually played in a game. He is the highest selected QB never take a snap during an NFL season.

And then there’s poor Zach Wilson.

Like Sammy and Geno and the “Sanchize” before him – he was thrust into the spotlight too soon, by a franchise that has proven time and again it is incapable of developing a young quarterback.

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This past season was particularly frustrating because for the first time in many years, the Jets’ perpetual rebuild began to bear fruit. General Manager Joe Douglas put together a roster that had talent on both sides of the ball, punctuated with rise of the NFL’s offensive and defensive rookies of the year.

The defense was ferocious and the offense had legitimate weapons. The only problem was the quarterback.

With Zach Wilson heading into his sophomore season after a poor rookie campaign, the pressure was on to see if he would take a big leap forward in year two.

Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in the preseason and the Jets began the year with the all-but-retired Joe Flacco under center. When Wilson did return in Week 4, he wasn’t terrible. Led by the defense and strong running attack, the Jets won four in a row bringing their record to 5-2. The last one a pyrrhic victory as season-ending injuries were suffered by Alijah Vera-Tucker (our best offensive lineman) and all-world rookie running back Breece Hall. The later occurred shortly after a touchdown run where Hall blew past the Denver defense as if he were shot from a cannon.

The Goddamn Jets can’t have nice things.

Still, with a chance to claim first place in the division for the first time in ages, Zach melted down in a home matchup against the Patriots. And while he regained his footing the next week vs the Bills (a Jets victory), the kid fell apart again in the following game, a devastating loss in Foxboro.

The defense was carrying the team but Wilson was proving to be too much dead weight. It was unfair to the rest of the team.

Wilson was benched in favor of another backup, Mike White, who started the next game and led the Jets to a blow-out victory vs the Bears. The performance put on display just how good the offense could be with a somewhat capable QB. The Jets were 7-4 and, despite everything, poised to break the playoff drought.

But it was not to be.

After a heart-breaking loss in Minnesota, the Jets headed to Buffalo where a heroic Mike White was nearly cut in two by a charging Bills linebacker. Another tough loss. Zach Wilson was forced back into the lineup the next week but the team was dead in the water. He was terrible and eventually benched again. This time for good. The Jets finished the season on a six game losing streak. Out of the playoffs with a 7-10 record, they failed to score a single touchdown in their last three games.

Goddamn Jets.

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It was about seven years ago that I accepted that I was never going to see the Jets win the Super Bowl. Star-crossed, cursed, whatever you want to call it, it’s just not meant to be. A large portion of the fanbase believe Joe Namath made a deal with the Devil before Super Bowl III, damning the team for all eternity. Some think the curse can be lifted, but only after Broadway Joe meets his maker.

All I know is that the Jets can never get it together. In the rare instances they have been close, something terrible always happens. Being a Jets fan means waiting for the other shoe to drop and never being surprised when a boot comes down on your throat.

I’ve made my peace with it. There is more to life than the Goddamn Jets.

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Enter Aaron Rodgers.

In January, there was no question that the Jets were going to pursue a veteran quarterback. They said as much. But Rodgers was a pipe dream.

The Vegas oddsmakers considered Derek Carr (+275) and Jimmy Garoppolo (+375) far more likely than Rodgers (+600) to be the Jets next starting QB in 2023. The sharps thought Rodgers would be a Raider if he did not return to the Packers.

But the rumors persisted.

Then the Jets hired Nathanial Hackett as their new offensive coordinator. He was the Packer OC during the quarterback’s back-to-back MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021. The plot thickened.

When Rogers went on his infamous four-day darkness retreat, the entirety of Jets fandom held its collective breath. Would Rogers decide to retire? If not, would he agree to a trade? And if so, what team would he choose? Joe Namath himself pledged to un-retire his #12 if Rogers became a Jet.

But when Rogers emerged from the darkness, there was still no clarity.

The next month was a whirlwind of wild speculation and high anxiety. Fans tracked the private flight carrying a Jets contingent to California to meet with the golden armed quarterback. Twitter feeds were constantly refreshed in a desperate search for news. Meanwhile, other potential free agent QBs were signing elsewhere. The Jets were running out of options. It was Rodgers or bust.

On fan message boards like JetsNation.com, you could follow the latest gossip and watch posters slowly lose their minds in real time.

On March 15th – the Ides of March – Rogers went on the Pat McAfee Show and revealed to the world he intended to become a New York Jet. However, a trade still had to be worked out for that to happen, and the Jets and Packers were not on the same page. Weeks went by. Five and half of them to be exact. Nothing is ever easy with this team.

Finally, it happened. A deal was announced a few days prior to the NFL Draft. Initially most fans were more relieved than happy. Some quibbled about the trade compensation, but everyone was fatigued by the process. Somehow it still didn’t seem real.

But then came his formal introduction. That’s really when it all clicked.

It started with a video of Rodgers entering the Jets facility already wearing a Jets pullover. It was all smiles and bro hugs.

It was really happening. Aaron F-ing Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP. The first-ballot Hall of Famer. One of the greatest to ever sling the pigskin. After all of these years, we not only have a quarterback – we have one the greatest of all-time!

Emotions reached full rapture when Rodgers spoke with the media.

“I want to be at a place that can win it all and I believe we can do that here,” he said.

Did you catch that? He said we. Holy shit. Aaron Rodgers is one of us!

He continued: “This is an opportunity to be a part of a city that’s hungry, a team with an incredible fan base that’s hungry to win again. Twelve years without playoffs, not a Super Bowl win since Super Bowl III — it’s been a long time. So the opportunity to be a part of something special here, it’s different… for a team like the New York Jets, you can go down in history and there’s something special about adding that to your legacy.”

And despite Saint Joseph of Beaver Falls giving his blessing to un-retire #12, Rodgers wouldn’t have it. “To me, #12 is Broadway Joe… I’m excited about going back to my college number [8].”

Just listen to that respect for our history. In El Ocho we trust!

Finally, when asked if he had any other teams on his wish list, Rodgers said: “It was the Jets, and only the Jets for me.”

Shut up, just shut up. You had me at hello, Aaron Rodgers.

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Outside of Jets fandom, the sentiment is one of predictable scorn. He’s too old, they say. He’s a nut job. He’s an egomaniac. It will be just like Brett Favre. He’s not committed. It’s going to end badly for the Jets because, well – it’s the Jets.

Let me make this absolutely clear to you jackals: Pound sand. We don’t care what you haters think.

But I’ll indulge you. Just this once…

Too old? Ridiculous. Tom Brady went to Tampa Bay and won it all. Peyton Manning went to Denver and did as well. There are recent and obvious examples of precedent. Next?

He’s a nut job? I say he’s unconventional. The guy is a curious soul who tries new things and is unafraid of espousing independent thought. I really like that about him. You don’t like his views on the vax? Tell it Twitter.

He’s an egomaniac? Good. I want my quarterback to think he’s the best ever. Especially since he might be right. He is also universally loved by nearly everyone who has ever played alongside him. Try harder.

Brett Favre? The Jets started 8-3 and were legitimate contenders until Favre hurt his arm. Yes, the team then collapsed and lost 4 of the last 5 games because of his injury. But the decision to sign him was the right one.

He’s not committed? Well, he’s going to be working with the team through OTAs into the preseason. He also said, “This isn’t a one and done in my mind.” I have reasonable confidence he’s a Jet for two, if not three, seasons. That was never going to be the case with Favre. What else?

It’s going to end badly for the Jets?

Well, you have me on that one. It always has, much of it chronicled here. But if there was ever a guy who had the talent and mojo to break the curse, it’s Aaron Rodgers.

They called Namath a hippie. He did commercials, dated starlets and enjoyed Johnny Walker Red. They call Rodgers a hippie. He does commercials, dates starlets and enjoys California Redbud.

I can feel the stars aligning.

That doesn’t mean the Jets will win the Super Bowl, of course. The AFC is absolutely loaded. Winning a championship is never easy. Injuries have derailed previous Jets’ seasons. The ball bounces funny. Only one team wins in the end and everyone else goes into the offseason unhappy. It is football after all.

But if Rodgers stays healthy and the defense plays like it did last year, the Jets will have a shot. It’s the first time in a very long time we can say that with any conviction.

Since the only thing ever guaranteed in life was the Jets winning the Super Bowl in January of 1969, it’s probably too much to ask for such assertions from my new QB. So, win or lose, the only thing I can be sure of: the Jets will not be boring. The beleaguered fans of this tormented franchise are going to enjoy the ride, wherever it may lead.

The stakes are high. No longer will the Jets be able to hide in the obscurity of the early Sunday window on regional telecasts. Get ready to see the Jets in primetime. A lot.

Deal with it.

But yes, I do want that Super Bowl desperately. For me, my Dad, my kids, my friends and extended Jets fan-family. If our dreams are to come true, this would be a good time for our miracle to happen. There are only so many seasons we get to watch together and we are all running out of Sundays.

If not now, when?

 

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This piece also appears in the author’s newsletter Sailing to Byzantium.