Much worse than a heartbroken sports fan is a frustrated one. The only thing worse than a frustrated and hungry fan is a desperate one.
Listen to New York Jets superfan Joe Benigno for just a few minutes, and you’ll pick up exactly what I’m throwing down.
To be fully transparent, I respect Joe Benigno to the moon. Remembering the old WFAN days as a youngster will always have me respect the man, and the fact that he (nearly literally) lives and dies with his beloved Jets is as admirable as anything in sports fandom.
Having said that, sheesh … if Woody Johnson were to ever seriously consider Benigno’s organizational visions, we may as well petition the Jets to move to Siberia.
On Monday, after the Jets’ absurdly disappointing 28-27 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Benigno yet again opined for Rex Ryan‘s services on “The Jake Asman Show.”
“You tell me who’s coming here,” Benigno said in response to Asman. “That’s why I keep going down to Rex (Ryan).”
Ah yes, let’s bring in the guy who thought Tim Tebow was a good idea.
Oh yeah, let’s bring in the guy who actually thought Tony Sparano running the offense was a great idea.
Are we serious?
Listen, I get it: Jets fans are hungry. They deserve much better and opine for a semblance of success. But, oh my goodness, gracious … Jets fans cannot have a memory this short.
Ryan, 61, took the helm in 2009 when the cupboard was as full as ever. The Mike Tannenbaum-Eric Mangini regime put together a wonderfully talented roster, and Rex’s coaching job the first two years was admirable.
But how do we get beyond the fact that Ryan’s job in his last four seasons marked the start of the franchise’s downfall? How do the serious folks get past the point that Rex’s Jets career declined as time moved forward—as opposed to a progressive improvement—which perfectly matches up with the talent he was initially handed?
The more Rex immersed himself, the more the Jets went backward as an organization.
To Benigno, much of this boils down to Rex “wanting” the job. Desperation such as this is dangerous, and rationalizing such a move simply allows fans to feel good about something nostalgic—as opposed to going down a legitimate road led by actual leadership.
For some strange reason, Benigno believes Rex has learned from his mistakes.
“I think that one thing about Rex coming back now is that Rex knows the mistakes he made in the past,” Benigno stated. “I mean, I think that’s something you have to look at.”
In that vein, I heard Rich Kotite could also be available. A recent rumor suggests he’s been confessing his previous football sins while also learning from them. Similarly, I hear Bruce Coslet has finally come to terms with why his 1991 miracle 8-8 squad couldn’t beat the Houston Oilers in the playoffs (and why Al Toon couldn’t score a single regular season touchdown that year).
In all seriousness, Benigno’s main point is that Rex’s passion for the Jets is the key factor in this train of thought.
“I want a guy that feels the pain of me and you, for all the Jets fans that have suffered, for all the years, differing in lengths of time,” Benigo said. “We’ve had enough, man.”
As genuine as I believe Benigno is, why in the wild world of football would that matter?
Anybody who takes the helm is doing so as an independent contractor whose livelihood is on the line. Does anybody actually believe Rex Ryan would perform, coach, and/or lead better than somebody like Robert Saleh because he “loves” the Jets organization more—or at least wears his passion on his sleeve more transparently?
The fact is this: Rex Ryan didn’t learn from his mistakes while with the Jets. Not only did he coach for six long years here, but he also strangely didn’t learn from his mistakes while coaching the Buffalo Bills for a couple of seasons.
Now that the league has evolved even further, we’re to believe Rex’s defensive-first attitude will work in today’s league … really?
Listen, passion is a tremendous thing, and what the New York Jets have done to their fans is as tough as it gets. But can we please get back to reality?
Please?
Bill Parcells, a man who a solid chunk of the fanbase despises because of a Gary Myers-Peyton Manning plot point, coupled with the Bill Belichick situation, left the New York Jets with a legitimate future that lasted an entire decade.
Rex Ryan left the Jets with a mess.
Joe, you mentioned you’re sick of seeing former Jets tear it up on other teams across the league, and you specifically named Geno Smith. Guess who the Jets head coach was when Wayne Chrebet called his name in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Joe, all the love, brother; but for the love of the football gods (and for the sake of great New York Jets fans like yourself), please stop. It can get worse, believe it or not.
