"Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed."
When Alexander Pope wrote that, he couldn't have had New York on his mind. But as crisis mode descends upon the Jets camp, it would be wise for Jets fans pulling out their hair to heed the words of a man who died well before the advent of the forward pass.
The Jets were the big story of the NFL in the first few weeks of the season as they walked the walk to back up the talk they talked. The Jets opened 3-0, scoring big wins over Houston, New England and Tennessee behind an aggressive new coach, a hard-hitting defense and an opportune offense. But since then, the Jets are a measly 1-5, with their sole victory coming against the Oakland Raiders. The Jets now sit at 4-5, heading into a monstrous AFC East showdown in New England with the Patriots.
The thing is, had you taken a poll of Jets fans before the season, most would have been satisfied with a 4-5 record after nine games. This was a team that had a very up-and-down 2008 campaign, with the down part comprising four losses in their final five games to miss the playoffs. The offseason featured key changes, such as head coach Eric Mangini getting the ax and the hiring of Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to take his place. Additionally, they gave three role players and two draft picks to the "Mangenius" (Mangini), who'd settled in Cleveland, for the opportunity to select USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. Finally, the Jets ended their one-year experiment with that Favre guy at quarterback.
Though that might qualify as a particularly tumultuous NFL offseason, it is fair to say that changes at quarterback and head coach (especially putting rookies in both positions) should not have lead to delusions of grandeur, division titles and deep playoff runs. The AFC East already had the defending division champion Miami Dolphins and the return of Tom Brady for the Patriots, and contention for the wild-card spots is fierce, or at least more fierce for the AFC than the NFC. Remember, the Dolphins making the leap last year was the exception, not the rule; quality teams tend to be built gradually and don't emerge suddenly.
Yet the Jets and Jets fans worked themselves into a lather following that 3-0 start. But rather than preach patience and adopt the conventional mantras like "one game at a time" or "we haven't done anything yet," the Jets filled with hot air. It shouldn't be surprising, therefore, that the Jets' crash is more like the Hindenburg, with the air bursting into flames as the season looks more and more like a lost cause.
The Jets have showed some signs of improvement but have made rookie mistakes that, frankly, are to be expected for a team with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback. The team has been plagued by turnovers and poor management of end-game situations (the Jets' last four defeats have been by 4, 3, 5 and 2 points).
Jets fans shouldn't worry too much about this season. Success doesn't come all at once; it must be built. Teams such as San Francisco, Houston and Atlanta are taking their lumps but have made definite improvements, and with perseverance, skill and a little luck, they will reach the top of the rebuilding mountain. The Jets would be wise to follow in their footsteps, and Jets fans too would be wise to expect little now and be pleasantly surprised when this team does arrive in the near future.
