Holding Out Hope
Sports was part of my DNA from an early age. There was a strong correlation between my interest in a sport and how much I engaged in it as a child. I grew up playing baseball, basketball, and soccer because they were most accessible as a New York City kid. Youth football culture doesn’t exist in New York City compared to other parts of the country, and that was one of the reasons that football wasn’t on my radar at a young age.
Once Football was on my radar though, I started to follow the New York team that was consistently in the playoffs, which at the time was the New York Jets. During this period, I also started to play Madden where I would always play with the Jets, switching off between the gunslinger Vinny Testaverde and the up-and-comer Chad Pennington. Guys like Curtis Martin and Santana Moss (in real life and through my PS2 adventures) made it easy to root the Jets for as someone who was just getting into the sport. Without much understanding of the history of the Jets, it felt like they were a team that was supposed to make the playoffs, considering that they made the postseason three out of four years in between 2001 and 2004. I would soon find out that the playoffs are no guarantee for the New York Jets. But the foundation of fandom was set and from that point on my allegiance was going to be with the New York Jets through the ups and the downs.
If you’re a New York sports fan the odds are that you likely root for at least one team that causes you some level of pain rooted in a deep history of disappointment. For me, that is the New York Jets. However with that pain, there is hope because when the team is going through tough times of losing seasons and back page headlines I reconcile the pain with thinking to myself ‘I’ll remember this moment when we’re champions one day.’
That mindset makes the highs feel about as great as it gets for sports fans. For example, the first Jets game that I ever attended was the 2009 home opener which was the last home opener at Giants Stadium before the team moved to MetLife Stadium. I went to the game with my Dad not knowing what the atmosphere was like for a football game - I would find out quickly. This was a rowdy crowd as the Jets were playing the New England Patriots and Tom Brady was fresh off his ACL injury season in 2008. There was also new energy for the Jets as coach Rex Ryan was hired up from Baltimore and first-round pick Mark Sanchez, later to be proclaimed as “the Sanchize”, was at the helm. It was easy to sense how the energy differed from other sporting events I had attended before, as the intensity was palpable throughout the game. This includes my most vivid memory from the game. In our section, a New Englander dared to join the crowd wearing a Tom Brady jersey and this was the first time I ever witnessed someone get assaulted at a stadium. Beers were thrown, insults were shouted, and punches may have been landed as well. Needless to say, it wasn’t the best time to be wearing a Brady jersey, but it comes with the territory. Assault aside, the game was a nail-biter and resulted in a 16-9 victory for the Jets, which was the start to a special run for the franchise.
My Dad and I attending our first game at MetLife Stadium.
Some teams truly personify the personality of a head coach, and this Jets team was one of them. During the 2009 season the Jets had one of the best defenses in the league including the best defensive player I’ve ever seen in person, Darrelle Revis. Every week, he would make it a point to lock in on the best wide receiver on the opposing team and shut them down. Revis Island was a special sight to witness as he took out the likes of Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson, and so many others that we were used to seeing dominate the game at the Wide Receiver position. Combine that one-of-a-kind talent with steady forces like David Harris, Bart Scott, and Calvin Pace, Ryan had what he needed to go up against any offense in the league. On the other side of the ball, there was hope that the Jets might have found the QB to lead us to the promised land, the young kid from USC (a trend the Jets would repeat) looked like a steady leader with upside. With the loud mouth coach that matched the bravado of New York City, Jets fans could start feeling hopeful about the direction of the new era Jets.
This timeline for the Jets coincided with starting out high school and going through this journey of Jets fandom helped to form friendships that last to this day. Having friends who were Giants fans, it was hard not to be envious of their recent Super Bowl win in 2008, although I wasn’t too upset considering they beat the 17-0 Patriots. I wondered what it would be like to have my football team hosting a championship parade and celebrate in the streets representing the Jets with my Sanchez or Revis jersey. Going into the 2009 playoffs, I thought back to formative years of my Jets fandom, where I was used to seeing the Jets in the playoffs on a yearly basis; it was nice to see the Jets back in contention. The day after beating Cincinnati in the Wild Card game, I remember watching ESPN and NFL Network and no one was giving us a chance against the Chargers and Philip Rivers, I wasn’t sure we had a chance either. The game was a nerve-wracking, but we were able to pull out a 3 point victory adding to the list of disappointing finishes in Chargers football history during the 21st century. Going back to school that week, my Jets friends and I couldn’t be more excited, we were one win away from finally seeing our team on the biggest stage. Next up was Peyton Manning, who was just a few years removed from his first Super Bowl victory. In the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game, I couldn’t believe what I was watching, we were actually winning and I had already started daydreaming about the Super Bowl. I should’ve known better. What ensued was a classic experience versus youth dilemma; we had a rookie quarterback and they had one of the best quarterbacks of all time, it was really that simple. I remember not even wanting to watch the Super Bowl because all I could think about was what could have been.
The next season, the anticipation for the Jets season started earlier than usual, as the Jets were featured on Hard Knocks. From the infamous clip of Antonio Cromartie naming all of his kids to the drama of the Revis holdout, including the last scene with the team welcoming him back, it was hard not to get swept up in the drama of it all. I became even more attached to a team that felt like it was destined for big things. It was a good type of strange to be rooting for a football team that had championship expectations. That season, our defense was dominant and Mark Sanchez was showing signs of improvement as a potential franchise quarterback.
Entering the playoffs as a Wild Card team, the road ahead was still going to be tough, but having the experience of the previous year made it feel like we had a chance. After getting revenge from Peyton Manning in the first round of the playoffs, the next step was going to be the teams biggest challenge yet. Next up was the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts with memories still fresh from a 45 -3 loss in Week 13. Similar to our game against the Chargers the previous year, no one gave us a chance. Jets fans like myself would remember this game as the best win of our fandom this century. And while that may seem sad compared to other franchises that have Super Bowls, a win against the Patriots in their house was about as close as I had felt to seeing my football team win a championship. Our defense made Tom Brady’s life miserable all game, and our quarterback went toe to toe with one of the game’s best. Bart Scott’s infamous words “Can’t Wait“ still live in infamy to this day for Jets fans. I remember after the game celebrating in a traditional fashion by switching over to SNY and watching Adam Schein, Ray Lucas, and the guys go over the incredible upset. If ever there was a time, this was it for us to make and potentially win the Super Bowl. From the start of the AFC Championship game against the Steelers, our offense couldn’t do a thing; this made me question the long term viability of Mark Sanchez as the answer at QB. In the second half, though the Jets do what they’ve often done to me throughout my fandom, they gave me hope. They came back to make it a competitive game and more than anything they were fighting the clock as much as they were fighting the opposing team. Down one score they needed one stop for a chance, but Big Ben wouldn’t let that happen. It truly was devastating, it felt like our year to break the 40 year championship drought. But in my head, I thought ‘we will have another chance at this’. My optimism would soon fade.
A photo taken from our yearly tradition attending the Jets Green and White Scrimmage during the NFL Preseason.
Ever since that game in Pittsburgh, the only thing that’s existed as a Jets fan is hope. We have yet to make the playoffs since that point, and outside of the 2015 season, there hasn’t been much to be excited about over the past decade. There have been many “Same Old Jets” moments during this time such as Mark Sanchez’s butt fumble, the locker room punch of Geno Smith, and many other embarrassing moments which rightfully so, could make fans question their allegiance. But when you follow a team that isn’t good for a long time you just think of that moment that you’ll be good again and that you’ll be glad that you stuck through it. There couldn’t be a better example of sticking through it than attending a Jets open practice (labeled the Green and White scrimmage) featuring Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty as the group of quarterbacks being touted as the “future” for the most important position in professional sports. Now, that’s what you would call a low point folks.
Hopes were high before the 2019 Season Opener at MetLife Stadium.
With newly inspired hope to start the 2019 season in the form of a Sam Darnold, our most recent franchise savior, Jets fans including myself were ready to believe again. Last season, a few friends and I went to the home opener against the Buffalo Bills. While tailgating, we did what Jets fans always do: talk about how this season is going to be different and how it’s the start of something special. We were talking about how Darnold seemed like the answer we were looking for, without any doubt in our minds. An older Jets fan nearby gave us some words of wisdom, “I’ve heard this over and over and yeah Darnold may look good, but don’t have your hopes too high.” It was too late for that. This was a game that epitomizes the Jets fan experience; with new additions C.J. Mosley and Le’Veon Bell showing out, the team took a commanding 16-0 lead in the third quarter. The spirit of Jets fans from my first experience at the 2009 home opener was calling me, basking in the glory of what seemed like a safe lead, words may have been exchanged delegitimizing quarterback Josh Allen to nearby Bills fans (to put it politely). This was another one of many mistakes made along the way of being a Jets fan. Mosley got hurt, the offense stalled, and the Bills came back to steal the game at the last minute in a crushing defeat. After the game, we ran into our wise friend, who looked at us and said all that was needed to say about his prophecy “I told you guys.” The way the game unfolded, it felt like the end of our season happened within the first week. This ended up being true because Sam Darnold was diagnosed with Mononucleosis just days after, and our newly signed defensive leader would be hurt the whole year from the injury sustained from the game. Another factor in our lost season is the current head coach, but for the benefit of you the reader and for my own health, I won’t be mentioning my thoughts about Adam Gase, instead I’ll talk about the good things.
Once again, I find myself being hopeful. While this might not be a great decision based on past experiences, it’s what you have to do as a Jets fan. GM Joe Douglas has reminded the fan base what competence looks like in the front office and Sam Darnold has flashes of a potential franchise QB. Add to the mix a young core of players plus one of the best situations in terms of cap flexibility and draft picks and the optimism starts to settle in again. It might not sound like a lot, but compared to the past decade it’s the best I have felt about the team. And who knows, I might (and probably will) be wrong again in having hope for this team. All I know is that when we do make it there eventually, it’ll all be worth it.