Home | Articles | Column | NY Jets fans, revel in the triviality of your team’s so-called ‘drama’

NY Jets fans, revel in the triviality of your team’s so-called ‘drama’

Robert Saleh, NY Jets, Fans, NFL, Training Camp
Robert Saleh, New York Jets, Getty Images

The New York Jets’ current concerns pale in comparison to those of years past

Please observe this tweet from August 1, 2017 – exactly seven years ago.

That’s Bryce Petty badly misfiring on a 12-yard boundary-side comeback to Lucky Whitehead against air. When this clip was shared, Jets fans were refreshing their Twitter timelines praying that either this man or Christian Hackenberg could beat out 39-year-old Josh McCown for the starting quarterback job. (I remember creating my Twitter account specifically so I could follow this battle.)

Fast forward to August 1, 2024. What is the most concerning storyline out of Jets training camp right now?

I guess it’s… Joe Tippmann’s snapping? While the issue is certainly concerning and should not be downplayed, it’s nowhere near a catastrophic problem. Both Aaron Rodgers and Nathaniel Hackett have expressed the utmost confidence that Tippmann will get his snapping woes sorted out (although Hackett seemed strangely unaware that Tippmann struggled with this in 2023 as well, but that’s another story).

And according to reports, Tippmann already started to show significant progress in his snapping during Wednesday’s practice, contributing to an outstanding day by the offense. Speaking of which, that quells another storyline that was ramping up: the struggles of the offense.

After a rough first couple of padded practices, the Jets offense lit it up on Wednesday to a degree that Jets fans may have never seen before in a camp practice during the social media era. Rodgers reportedly tossed six touchdown passes in red zone drills, forcing the defense to do push-ups. For the first time in a long time, the Jets are capable of trading dominant days on both sides of the ball rather than the defense cruising its way through every practice.

So, you have a talented second-year center who is struggling a bit with snaps, but is progressing and has the belief of his supporting cast. You have a loaded offense that took some time to get going but showcased dominance in its latest outing – all with its WR2 (Mike Williams) sidelined and its left tackle (Tyron Smith) being rotated in and out for rest purposes.

And… that’s about the extent of the drama.

There are some minor battles worth watching, such as kick returner, safety, and RB4, but nothing fans will have nightmares about. There’s also the totally contrived national storyline about Aaron Rodgers and Garrett Wilson’s passionate sideline conversations, but anyone who has played a sport knows this is a positive if anything. It’s another trivial non-story that doesn’t actually mean anything.

We went back to 2017 at the start of this article, but you don’t even have to go that far to find the last time New York was facing issues that are substantially more dire than the ones they are today. Let’s fire up the flux capacitor and set the time circuits to just one year ago.

On August 1, 2023, everyone was abuzz about the Jets’ offensive line getting “dominated” by the Jets’ defensive line on a daily basis. On August 2, Damien Woody went so far as to list the Jets’ offensive line as the biggest question in the entire NFL.

What have we heard about the Jets’ offensive line so far in 2024 outside of Tippmann’s snapping? Not much – which is an amazing thing. Day after day goes by and you rarely hear the names Alijah Vera-Tucker, John Simpson, Tyron Smith, or Morgan Moses. Even rookie left tackle Olu Fashanu has drawn hefty praise. This is a complete 180 from 2023, when the offensive line was all anybody could talk about.

I think Jets fans should take a moment to sit back and appreciate what they’re experiencing in this year’s training camp. It’s a pleasure to witness the team finally having a stress-free camp devoid of major concerns that make fans toss and turn in their beds until their significant other asks them who Mekhi Becton is and why they keep saying his name in their sleep.

One year ago, the Jets finally had a quarterback, but the hype was quelled by the looming presence of a line that didn’t seem capable of protecting him. Seven years ago, the Jets didn’t have a quarterback at all. In between those two points, you could find a myriad of other daunting storylines. The Jets went many years without any stars at cornerback, wide receiver, or running back. There were many seasons when they didn’t have any surefire above-average starters at offensive line or edge rusher.

Today, you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find something to complain about with this Jets team. Tippmann’s snapping, while mildly concerning, is a speck of dust compared to the Jets’ usual August 1 storylines. If it were any other August, Tippmann’s snapping would only be mentioned in the “Other notes” sections of writers’ practice recaps. But the Jets are sailing so smoothly that a few inaccurate snaps are the biggest concern for them right now. And that’s something fans should be extremely excited about.

Jets fans have spent many hours in their lives watching miserable football. But those hours shouldn’t be considered “wasted.” Moments like this one – right now – are where those miserable hours cash in their value. Yes, for some teams, a stress-free training camp is nothing special. Not for Jets fans, though. I would implore Jets fans to think back to where their heads were at on this same date for each of the past few years. Compare what you’re worried about now to what you were worried about then, and find joy in the progress.

Obviously, all of this optimism has to translate to the real thing (I am getting so tired of writing that). Still, the offseason is part of being a fan, too. Why wait until the victories come to be happy?

If you’re a die-hard Jets fan, the emotional investment extends well beyond merely the 51 hours you spend watching the 17 regular season games. You’re a fan for the other 348 days, too. So, bask in this moment. The Jets are loaded. They are enjoying a drama-free camp. Those ugly uniforms are gone, as is the hideous “updated oval shape” that I and many others tried so hard to embrace. Life is good.

Every clip the team shares on social media feels like something out of a Pro Bowl (remember those?). You get to see a Hall-of-Fame cornerback throw passes to one of the league’s best young wide receivers against the coverage of the league’s best cornerback. A deep front seven, led by a top-2 defensive tackle, matches up against a stacked offensive line that includes arguably the best pass-blocking left tackle in football. The league’s second-ranked RB in scrimmage yards is running against a duo of All-Pro linebackers.

Who knows what the future holds? All we know is that right now, the Jets are in a more peaceful spot on August 1 than they have been in a long, long time. Embrace it. The media trains sports fans to always be on the prowl for another problem to complain about, but sometimes, we just need to tuck that urge away and make the bold choice to enjoy what we’re witnessing.

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