Monday Jets Headlines : The Nightmare Bowl?

I know. It stinks.

And so it begins.

Fans and analysts alike are calling the forthcoming Giants-Patriots Super Bowl a Jets fans ” worst nightmare.” In fact, I have seen several Jets fans vow that they will not watch the Super Bowl and that is an understandable reaction. But I think it’s time that we agree that of all the horrible things that could happen in the world, a Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, while seemingly insufferable and slightly annoying, is nowhere near the “nightmare” it’s being billed as.

I don’t want to get to soapbox-y, but here I go : I think this whole thing is silly.

Yes, I am a Jets fan, but I am also a football fan. And I will watch the Super Bowl and I will likely pick a team to root for because that makes it more fun and exciting for me. Many of my dear, dear friends are Giants fans and it’s pretty likely I will watch the game with them and inevitably celebrate their victory or defeat, whatever the case may be. Does this lessen my commitment to a team that I love? I don’t believe so, but to each his own.

Moreover, it’s football. There are real “nightmares” in the world and not a single one of them has anything to do with football. They involve real problems like hunger, sickness, disease, natural disasters, the list of real problems goes on.

Am I upset that the team I follow fell short this season? Yes.

Am I upset that I have had to spend the last 3 weeks listening to the team get roasted by the local and national media? Yes. And I am even more upset that I have had it be fueled by members of the team itself.

Am I upset that I had to watch the Patriots earn another trip to the Super Bowl off of a botched field goal attempt? Hell yes.

But I will still watch.

I make jokes about disliking the Patriots because I am a Jets fan and it’s fun, but I respect the team and the players. As for the Giants, I understand that there is a tenuous rivalry between these two teams over who is the big or little brother, but I, for one, have never really understood why, at the very least, we couldn’t, in some way, support the other team that shares our stadium, and our city, especially after we “have no horses in the race.”

But at the end of the day, it’s just a game that is intended to entertain the masses and give life more enjoyment. And that is how I think of it. And it makes life a lot easier. Please understand that I won’t tell you how to be a fan. I hope you will do the same for me.

Now, to be fair, it does seem like the Giants are rather enjoying poking fun of their Big Apple rivals, and they took to their official Twitter account to talk a little smack.

This, from the Giants official Twitter last night:

 

 

I guess you can interpret it as you want. The folks at Pro Football Talk thought it was a slap in the Jets face.

I’ll just let them have this moment and hope that one day (soon), we get ours.

***********

Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum held a conference call with season ticket holders on Friday. Ryan and Tannenbaum addressed most of the major bullet points from the still-young off-season, including new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, quarterback Mark Sanchez, and a reduced cost in ticket prices. The consensus is that they didn’t say much that hasn’t already been said.

However, after concluding the conference call, Ryan made an appearance on WFAN radio with Mike Francesa to discuss all the hot topics.

Francesa has always been very critical of this Jets team, so much so that it’s a rare occurrence that a member of the Jets organization is even on his show. Francesa was dying to take cheap shots and Rex didn’t give him the opportunity. It was an excellent interview from Rex and, after listening to him talk for several seasons, there seemed to be a slightly different tone to his words.

One of the most interesting part of the interview? Rex admitting that his Super Bowl predictions may have hurt the team.

(The first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem).

You can listen to Ryan’s complete interview on the WFAN website here.

Late last week, the Jets and Todd Haley came to a mutual decision that  he will not be joining the team. However, according to Jenny Vrentas, the Jets would like to get  someone in a passing-game coordinator type role.

File this under for what it’s worth : Adam Schefter reported vis his Twitter on Sunday morning that the Arizona Cardinals, along with the Jets, Dolphins and Redskins, are “expected” to be interested in Peyton Manning. This is about as vague as anything you will see but I just thought it was worth sharing, in case you missed it.

Lastly, guard Brandon Moore has been named to the 2012 Pro Bowl roster, as of this morning.

Also on Aerys

DISCUSSION: One Response

  1. rdonohue01 says:

    Congratulations to Brandon Moore. I celebrate all things positive that come to the Jets.
    I totally see the logic of every point you make about lightening up about the Pats-Giants game but I’m not there yet. I am avoiding all analyses on the networks and even the articles in my beloved New York Times. I was angered at the Giants Smack Tweet although I know it’s all in fun. This is a good indicator that my anger hasn’t settled. I think some of it is tied to Rex and the irony of his pre-season predictions. I mean, I could have accepted the Jets not getting as far as he claimed they would but I never DREAMED who would be taking their place.
    I was on the Ryan Tannenbaum conference call and my takeaway was the odd sense that Rex sounded genuinely contrite. I give him a pass — he’s gotten us this far and blubbery or not. ego-driven or not, he sounds like he wants to be different and the core of his wish for change has to do with winning and not with his ego, or so I believe.
    Tannenbaum is another story. I had the sense that he still believes that his drafts, his free-agent skills, his talent measurement skills and his belief that he’s seeded the team with talent that is about to burst out shows some green-shoot evidence but it doesn’t match his unwillingness to accept that he participated in stripping the team of players who could have led when the dreaded ‘cancer’ first manifest. I still believe that Mike is the same guy who let Pete Kendall walk for $800k and left D’Brickashaw and Nick Mangold unanchored and the team delivering a 4-12 record. Tannenbaum hasn’t learned a thing other that other people have to change and his picks need to be respected.
    I am a PSL holder and a season ticket holder. After purchasing the PSL my attitude toward the team has shifted: I think of it as an enterprise and I feel I’m invested and I look at management much more scrupulously than ever.
    Jets aren’t brilliantly served. Rex is a better coach than Mike is a GM and I think the jury is till out on Woody except that he seems willing to spend.
    I have two weeks to come in from the ledge re: my anger at Pats & Jints and my disgust with locker room events.
    I have already wished my Pats and Giants fans well.
    My guess is I will watch the game and Tweet with my daughter in Amsterdam who loves the Jets and is more rabid in her commitment to them.
    Thanks for the smart piece that gets right to th point of what i’m thinking.
    Rdonohue01

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