After two consecutive defeats, my Cowboys seemed primed to rebound against the hapless Jets. Except somebody forget to tell the home team.
So this was the one game that my entire family got to attend with me. Everything seemed to be in place for a successful outing – Sunday afternoon game, short travel distance, and most importantly, playing a winless and downtrodden franchise.
Before the game, they held a ceremony where they announced the all-time Jets team and, with very few exceptions, every player was in attendance. As someone who grew up in New York and watched a lot of Jets games, I thought this was pretty cool as players like Joe Klecko, Freeman McNeil, Al Toon, and Wesley Walker all came out of the tunnel. (If you’re wondering, obviously Mark Gastineau was on the team, but he wasn’t in attendance.)
And of course the loudest cheers were for Broadway Joe.
For those of you who have never been in the presence of Jets fans, let me take some time to explain what it’s like rooting for this team. The New York Jets (originally Titans) began play in 1960 with the American Football League (AFL). This upstart league immediately challenged the older NFL for football supremacy and, more importantly, for elite college players. In 1965, Joe Namath (undefeated that season at Alabama) was taken 1st overall by the Jets and 12th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals. When Namath chose the Jets, it was an enormous coup, not just for the Jets, but for the entire AFL.
Four years later, Namath led the Jets to the AFL Championship and would then face the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The first two Super Bowls had been blowout wins by the NFL representative (Green Bay Packers), and most pundits saw the Colts as easy victors. Before the game, Namath guaranteed victory for the Jets, and then went out and led them to a 16-7 win in the most important game in NFL history.
And yet, it’s not hyperbole to say that nothing good has happened to the Jets in the 50 years since.
Some examples:
In 1983, the Jets needed a quarterback. The Miami Dolphins selected future hall-of-famer and all-time passing leader (when he retired) Dan Marino with the 27th pick, right after the Jets picked Ken O’Brien at 24.
In 1985, the Jets needed a wide receiver. The San Francisco 49ers selected future hall-of-famer and all-time receiving leader Jerry Rice with the 16th pick, shortly after the Jets picked Al Toon at 16.
In 1990, the Jets needed a running back. The Dallas Cowboys selected future hall-of-famer and all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith with the 17th pick. He was the second running back chosen, after the (can you guess?) Jets took Blair Thomas second overall.
Obviously the Jets are not the only team to have missed picking these players, but they are the only team that chose a different player at the same position in all three drafts.
In 1986, the Jets were the best team in football, racing out to a 10-1 record. Five consecutive losses later, they were 10-6 and barely made the playoffs as a Wild Card. In the divisional round, they lost the second double OT game in NFL history as they let a 10 point 4th quarter lead evaporate.
In the late 1990s, former NY Giants coach Bill Parcells returned to New York to coach the Jets and put together a winner. After losing the AFC Championship Game in 1998, it seemed like all the pieces were in place for a deep run the following season. But in the first game of the 1999 season, QB Vinny Testaverde tore his Achilles tendon and was lost for the season. The Jets began the year 1-6 and their Super Bowl hopes were quickly dashed.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Parcells retired after the season, paving the way for his long-time defensive coordinator to take over. Bill Belichick was announced as the new head coach of the Jets, but after 24 hours of thinking about it, he submitted his resignation on a napkin (true story!). A month later, he went to the New England Patriots as head coach, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Bearing all this in mind, one has to consider the overall frame of mind of Jets fans. They are frequently expecting the worst and, in many cases, that’s exactly what they get. We arrived over an hour before the game started and there was a good mix of Cowboys and Jets fans in our section. Rather than trying to trash talk the Cowboys fans in the stands, the Jets fans mostly trash talked their own team. The phrase “offensive genius” was said repeatedly as an epithet in reference to head coach Adam Gase and the Jets’ inability to score (up to this point).
Even after the Jets had scored a TD, and then another, the stands were mostly filled with sounds of disbelief. And as the Jets scoring disappeared in the second half along with the Cowboys slowly (oh my God, so slowly) creeping back, that familiar doubt resurfaced. The fans screamed at their team with every incomplete pass and every missed tackle.
And then it came down to the Cowboys’ final drive. The Jets were winning 24-16 and the Cowboys began making their way down field. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this as there were penalties called on SIX consecutive plays, leading fans of both teams to yell at the officials. And then finally, the Cowboys managed to find the end zone.
The Cowboys lined up for the 2-pt conversion and while their fans expected the worst, a well-timed blitz forced a bad throw and the game was over. Both sets of fans seemed equally surprised by the outcome.
One odd thing about this game was how many jerseys were in attendance. I swear I saw at least a dozen. Several Giants, Pats, and Eagles fans chose to attend, for whatever reason. But I was very surprised when I saw someone with a 49ers jersey, until I realized what jersey it was. So I asked for a selfie with him and he happily obliged.
