Have a good day
A moment of amnesty in land of Jets negativity
Look, here is a warning: If you’ve come here, to this space, on this day, for your daily dose of Jets Negativity©, you’ve come to the wrong place. Want another 700 words about the sad 1-15 seascape to come? Check back tomorrow. Look elsewhere for your per diem supply of rips, raps, jibs, jibes, jabs and jokes ... (Well … maybe there’ll be a FEW jokes…)
We’ll call this a one-day session of JetsAmnesty©. Tomorrow, we can all go back to our default position and wonder things like if this roster even has one legitimate …
(Sorry. An intruder infiltrated the keyboard. He will be dealt with.) Or if the front office has even the slightest … (Security! Are you sleeping on the job?!) Or if the front office … (Out! Now! Get out!)
… actually can squeeze more out of this team than anyone outside of Florham Park, N.J., believes possible, can win more than a handful of games, can bring Jets fans something meaningful to 2017 besides the ever-perilous pursuit of a franchise quarterback who might be Troy Aikman or might be Todd Marinovich. (That’s more like it.)
And look, negativity has a place in this season, and with this franchise, and as soon as Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock or so, there may be no need for a hash-marked #JetsNegativity or a copyrighted JetsNegativity©, it might turn out that is just reality, and we’ll proceed onward and downward.
But for now, and until Sunday at 1 o’clock?
The Jets are 0-0, just like everyone else. They get to dream, and hope, and believe, and have faith, just like everyone else. This may well be the final 72 hours of life at the .500 level, but in honor of that, let’s take that one-day respite, and be grateful for all the good among the Green. Such as … Well, it is almost a guarantee you won’t see nearly as many interceptions this year as you did last year. That really is the lasting memory of 2017, isn’t it? It almost is hard to believe Ryan Fitzpatrick had just 17 picks, because it feels like he had that many against Kansas City alone. In the third quarter. Coach Todd Bowles is just cranky enough this year that it is clear if you throw to the other team, you’ll go to the bench, no matter how much it hurts your feelings.
(And because we choose to comply with the spirit of the day, we’ll mention that McCown has had a higher interception percentage than Fitzpatrick’s 4.2 JUST four times in his career …) Then there is Mo Wilkerson, who spoke hopefully of this year’s defense. Who insisted, “we’ll improve everything we weren’t good at” then repeated the line verbatim when asked to elaborate. Who in the same sentence said of the Jets D, “I feel pretty good” before instantly upgrading to “I feel really good.” Who himself is almost sure to have a better year this year because he couldn’t be any ... (Careful …) There is rookie safety Jamal Adams, looking forward to a big day Sunday in Buffalo, looking forward to sprinting through the tunnel into one of the loudest atmospheres in the NFL — but who won’t be intimidated because, the ex-LSU Tiger said, “I know what it’s like to play in Death Valley.” Adams’ friend and former defensive backfield mate in Baton Rouge, Tre’Davious White, will be there for the Bills, too. “Bring it on,” Adams said, and really there isn’t even a good wise crack to counteract the raw enthusiasm of a rookie days away from his NFL debut. And you know something? There is Bowles, too. Look, he is going to be filleted this year (at least on days that aren’t JetsAmnesty© Days), and that is the sad plight of the doomed football coach, or at least one that is perceived far and wide to be a dead man coaching. You know what, though? I would play hard for the guy (if I could do better than a 46.7 in the 40, that is; there are no rules against self-flagellation
here). He has grown a tough skin, no other choice, and when asked about the sour vibes that swirl all around his team, and his belief that they’ll win more than any of us believe, he gives a good answer:
“Y’all don’t expect us to win any,” he said. “We’ll be fine.”
Also, when asked about a Vegas sports book putting the odds of a Jets Super Bowl title at a thousand to one he said, dry as sand: “Gambling is illegal anyway.”
(So no worri e s about f i xed games! Who’s ready for some football?!)