Defeatism is a hell of a drug. Just ask Charlie Murphy, who firmly felt this sensation after stepping off Prince’s indoor hardwood.
How could one expect victory ever again? Not after that paddle-beating he ultimately took.
Who among us hasn’t experienced this order of the universe a time or two … or 10 … or 50? Heightened expectations not only formulate within our own minds, based on absolute realism, but an extra nudge of fantastical end-points forces us to get over our skis just a bit.
In the end, the defeatist knows all too well what’s coming.
Take the, oh, I don’t know … 16-year-old high school junior in the Summer of 1999, for example. He happened to love the professional football organization named the New York Jets, played a little ball himself, and just knew—deep in the pit of his soul—that the 1999 squad would cash in on that elusive second Super Bowl title.
(For those wondering why that description seems oddly specific, pay no mind to my generic characterization of a fictional individual.)
We know what happened. Vinny Testaverde awkwardly fell to the Meadowlands’ turf, and Bill Parcells could not find an adequate answer until it was too late. This youngster’s hopeful feelings turned into unrecognized premonitions that felt entirely too familiar.
Remember, he lived through the Rich Kotite era, which had ended only three years prior. He also experienced the short-lived Pete Carroll regime, which featured Dan Marino creating a new football play while torching rookie Aaron Glenn.
30 Years Ago Today
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) November 27, 2024
November 27, 1994
MARINO FAKE SPIKE
After trailing the #Jets by 18 in the third quarter at the Meadowlands, #Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino orchestrates an improbable comeback to win, 28-24.
Down by three with a half-minute remaining, Marino fakes… pic.twitter.com/34kMhxcmMl
This 16-year-old kid who was once so bubbly and energetic in the Summer of 1999 quickly hardened his exterior even before the leaves started falling off the Pocono trees.
Over a quarter-century later, he remains in the Jets’ corner.
How many remain with him—albeit with some level of defeatism attached at the hip?
A painfully cruel rollercoaster
This isn’t a place where we’re prepared to relitigate what New York Jets fans have experienced in recent memory. At the same time, blowing right past the pain would be a foolish, counterproductive move.
Recognizing just how brutal the Jets fans’ lives have been is essential to our story.
What we know of today’s Jets began with Eric Mangini, really. Up until that point, the Parcells program had remained intact for most of the Herm Edwards era. Trading Keyshawn Johnson—which was largely frowned upon at the time—helped push the early goings of the Woody Johnson era forward.
12/29/2002
— New York Jets History (@nyjetshistory) December 29, 2024
New York Jets vs Green Bay Week 17. The moment we found out the Jets were playing for the AFC East title.
Dick Stockton & Daryl Johnston on the call for FOX pic.twitter.com/Ok5bhwT2Ue
12/29/2002
— New York Jets History (@nyjetshistory) December 29, 2023
Jets vs Packers
After Green Bay kicked a FG to cut the Jets lead to 7-3 they went on a 67 yard TD drive which ended with a Chad 12 yard TD pass to Wayne Chrebet to give the Jets a 14-3 lead late in the 1st half.
The Jets then gave up a quick scoring drive to GB to… pic.twitter.com/zz9Y2ii1Dv
Little did Jets fans know it at the time, but the 2006 NFL draft established one of the great NFL rosters (sans a franchise quarterback) in the modern period.
First, the Mangini-Mike Tannenbaum regime went big and boring with Nick Mangold and D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Then, they got aggressive by trading up for Pitt’s Darrelle Revis. Sprinkle in some smart drafting and tidy development, and the Jets were on the brink of something special.
Suddenly, a legend decided to come out of retirement. The Brett Favre move was the first top-of-the-rollercoaster moment. Things looked glorious at 8-3, having just knocked off the undefeated Tennessee Titans.
11/23/2008
— New York Jets History (@nyjetshistory) May 27, 2023
Leon Washington puts the @nyjets up 27-6 in the 4th w/ a career high 61 yd TD run in a game they'd win 34-13 against the previously undefeated Titans(Let's not talk about what happened after this game)#TakeFlight #Jetshistory pic.twitter.com/96wlWGYVB8
Ultimately, in classic Jets fashion, the rollercoaster hit a low point. Favre “retired” again, and the Jets were in complete disarray without a quarterback to speak of. Oh yeah, they had also just watched fan-favorite Chad Pennington stomp on their team as the AFC East-winning quarterback of the Miami Dolphins.
9️⃣7️⃣ days until Dolphins football is back!
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) June 3, 2024
Throwback to Phillip Merling’s pick-six vs. New York Jets in Week 17 of the 2008 season that helped the Miami Dolphins seal the division title #GoFins pic.twitter.com/LrCxIBUe3s
In a lot of ways, the offseason of 2009 feels eerily similar to 2025.
Nonetheless, guess what happened next? Surprise, surprise … Rex Ryan‘s bluster takes the helm of a talented roster, and the Jets shock their way to back-to-back AFC championship game appearances.
In December, the Patriots beat the Jets 45-3.
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) January 10, 2019
In the playoffs, the @nyjets got their revenge.
(2010 Divisional: Jan. 16, 2011) #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/yiPSDhFZN1
Unfortunately, Rex’s personnel advice didn’t go over as swimmingly with Mikey T executing the moves nearly as flawlessly as Mangini before him. Enter names like Tim Tebow, Chris Johnson, Michael Vick, John Idzik, and, oh my goodness, goodness gracious, Tony Sparano, and the beginning of the end showed face.
Thinking about Jets Tim Tebow on this fine Wednesday
— NYJ MIKE (@NyjMike) January 29, 2025
pic.twitter.com/WgB2WkwGlC
Save for a 10-win season in 2015, which was nothing but a mirage, the Jets fan was miserable. Wives were unhappy, kids were emotional, and fathers scattered throughout Long Island and Queens often cried in the corner in the fetal position.
From bluster to busted. From braggadocious to befuddled. It reached a point where the usually harmless Jets jokes nearly morphed into hate crimes. Not even new uniforms, Le’Veon Bell, and a JB Smoove-hosted party in 2019 could get the mojo going.
Ah, but what goes down must eventually come up, right?
Well, it’s what we’ve been taught, so we all assume that’s the case. For Jets fans, however, it simply isn’t true. (Sir Issac Newton is full of crap—sort of like that John Denver guy.)
A quarterback away
The Jets still could not reach their elusive goal despite landing the perceived messiah, a man whose walk comes with an automatic Stone Cold Steve Austin introduction track.
Make no mistake about it: Joe Douglas took the slow and steady approach en route to assembling an extremely talented team. New York’s current depth chart holes and 5-12 record are not emblematic of the talent amassed since his arrival. (Sure, the word “overrated” could be used to describe some players and positions, but by and large, the comparisons hold up across the league.)
“If only this talented team had an actual quarterback,” Jets fans screamed aloud in 2023.
Not only was the Aaron Rodgers Achilles injury in Week 1 of 2023 the most devastating moment in franchise history, but it also immediately numbed a significant portion of the fanbase.
Forget football for a moment. There he was, Mr. Aaron Rodgers, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, arguably the most talented quarterback in history, running onto the MetLife Stadium turf with the American Flag on Sept. 11.
The moment dealt with much more than even football, yet it came crumbling down in a near-hysterical Big Daddy fashion.
The best part is so convoluted that it’s tough to put into text. New York Jets fans, while leaving the stadium extra inebriated that Monday night after a thrilling overtime win, simultaneously realized the season had already been lost.
“He actually chose us. He wanted my team. He accepted the challenge.”
“This is going to be epic.”
“Oh, wait a second; it’s not.”
“Hey, maybe this is the script Zach Wilson needed to overcome his struggles.”
“Whoops.”
Need I say more?
Damage? Yes.
Cruel and unusual punishment aptly describes how New York Jets fans live this thing we call life. Many of them are waiting for their “Truman Show” moment to finally arrive. (Some are secretly or not-so-secretly praying for it to occur.)
After all, how can all of this nightmarish stuff actually be true?
Sure, getting kicked around at times is natural and commonplace. Taking a swift beating on a particular day is expected—even if not deserved. But can a single opportunity arise that allows Jets fans even a sliver of redemption?
That’s all Jets fans ask of this football world—a chance, a moment, one fleeting set of circumstances for a joyous release that takes place somewhere other than PlayStation or the mainstream hype machine producing optimistic offseason headlines.
The moment former New York Rangers winger Steve Larmer cleared the zone in front of the Madison Square Garden faithful on June 14, 1994, was the instant in which close to 20,000 pour yet excitable souls became one.
The Rangers fans on hand, who witnessed the most glorious night in Madison Square Garden’s sports history, let a noise escape their bodies that could only be described as emotionally stunted yet transparently desperate:
It was an exorcism of sorts. Truly.
Initially obvious, the remainder of the attending fans joined the party a half-second later in what I could only imagine was an uncontrollable reaction.
At that moment (around seven seconds remaining in the game), the Garden faithful bellowed in unison, allowing 54 years of heartache, agony, and frustration to escape.
This mighty, uber-releasing roar is why fans are ultimately fans. Without it, there is no fandom, and without fandom, there’s no chance to experience the roar.
Yes, much of the last 14 years of Jets football has produced damage-inducing moments. Many of the franchise’s moves have been self-inflicted and incredibly damaging to its fanbase.
If the most talented screenwriter or novelist was told the story of the diehard New York Jets fan in today’s era—no less over the course of the organization’s entire existence—it would take a mighty prescription for it to be believed.
For that misfortune, in conjunction with self-inflicted wounds and many franchise mistakes, many jumped ship. At the very least, many have proclaimed to jump off the wagon for good.
Yet, no matter how bad it’s been or how awful anybody’s feeling today, it’s never irreparable.
Irreparable damage? No
If the New York Jets believe they’ve done no damage to their fanbase, then I’m running for president in 2028. While I don’t believe the organization’s leaders are ignorant of the fans’ current wild-card temperature, perhaps some blow it off in an “eh, they’ll always come back” type fashion.
Twenty-twenty-four was different.
Think about it: First, fans were pushed into yet another quarterback Achilles tear that derailed an entire season—with Testaverde amazingly serving as the honorary captain (nobody can make that up)—but then they were treated to an all-time great not living up to his name a season later.
As already mentioned, we’re not going to relitigate certain things here today. For whatever reason (still rehabbing, age, porous coaching, etc.), Aaron Rodgers wasn’t the same quarterback he’s been for all of his career.
That, coupled with the absurd yet understandable expectations coming into the 2024 season, has a great percentage of Jets fandom sprawled out on the mat. Oh yeah, there’s also the matter of the mainstream narratives that run rampant and invade our daily lives.
Those who took a fan poll on feelings regarding Jets chairman Woody Johnson after The Athletic’s latest in-season report could not even calculate the actual results. That’s how hot and stark-raving mad fans were at the time.
“First, the organization asks for our patience as it commences a longer rebuild under Douglas. Then, once talent is in the building, the supposed franchise quarterback falters.
“But wait a second, when I saw my team move to a surprising 4-2 record by defeating Rodgers’s Green Bay Packers in 2022, with Sauce Gardner wearing a Cheesehead on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, they had definitely sprinted out to a much quicker start than anybody had previously thought.
BLOCKED PUNT TD 😱
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 16, 2022
Jets take a 17-3 lead on the Packers
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/HoM6Uvdbuv
“Ok, all we need to do is develop Zach Wilson, right?
“Once Wilson falls flat, Robert Saleh‘s defense is seemingly excellent statistically, so we’re just “a quarterback away” from Super Bowl contention. Right?”
Not at all, actually.
The coaching was never adequate despite that prevailing feeling and the roster’s legitimate talent. Unfortunately, this is the sport where coaching has the most impact on the field of play.
The actual hype never came close to approaching the actual potential. I don’t care if the Jets roster featured 22 Hall of Famers; coaching like this doesn’t allow for even a semblance of success.
So, it’s no wonder Jets fans were more enraged than ever when they heard reports that Woody Johnson was using Madden ratings to scout players and taking advice from little-old “blogs” like Jets X-Factor. How could any fan not feel betrayed after seeing those headlines after such magnetic hype?
Of course, a significant chunk of Jets fans have denounced their fandom and sold their season tickets. What else would one expect after such torture? I’m sorry, but the kid who took a swirlie or two in the boys’ bathroom isn’t exactly eager to sit at the same lunch table as the swirlie provider.
Eventually, however, swirlie taker and swirlie giver can ultimately coexist. It may take some time and specific circumstances, but it can happen at some point down the road.
The proof
Perhaps “irreparable short-term” damage does exist.
The reason why I’m confident “irreparable long-term” damage is fiction is rather simple …
The very same reason Jets fans were ready to go on strike—hate for Woody’s reported actions—is no longer as furiously in question.
Since it’s the season of hope—the offseason—hope shall reign supreme. Aaron Glenn’s Jets history has the majority of the fanbase on his side, and thus, optimism is doing its best to shine through such a cloudy Florham Park, NJ, sky.
Aaron Rodgers, the newest symbol (in a long line of previous symbols) of past failures, had to be removed en route to maximizing hope. Officially speaking, per Woody, the decision to move on from Rodgers was the new regime’s decision.
Whether it was up to Glenn and Darren Mougey is a mystery to me; I simply don’t know. But the idea that signs point to it not being totally their decision proves that this damage is repairable.
If the Jets fans who were furious with Woody for his reported transgressions did, indeed, objectively view the Rodgers situation, the same level of outrage would be heard. Yet, I hear very little outrage about the possibility that the Rodgers decision could have easily been made well before Glenn and Mougey took the helm.
At the very least, a large chunk of the previously furious Jets fans announcing their irreparable damage aren’t the least interested in the idea that Rodgers may not have been a football decision. Whether you like Rodgers or not, and no matter how well you think he played last year, this topic should be a much more discussed one.
The fact that it isn’t largely discussed tells me that “irreparable damage” does not exist.
Plus, the nature of fandom is synonymous with human nature. No matter how bad it’s been or how bad anybody thinks it may be next season, a fan has to be “in it” to “experience it.”
Only those who remain “in it” get to experience the roar of a team’s first championship in over a half-century.
As I said, it’s the season of hope. And this season of hope will always reign supreme—at least once a year.
It’s at this time—only—when New York Jets fans feel almost brave enough to dream about their own exorcism-esque release.
