A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
The Jets

Most of this blog's focus has been on Israel and Jewish issues, with sports only a small focus. Yet with the Jets season opener only ten days away (it's next Thursday night against the Redskins) and with the entire 2003 season now in doubt, I can no longer stay quiet.

The Jets have provided me with 25 years of aggravation, frustration and misery. I have fond memories of my father screaming at the TV following a Richard Todd interception, a holding penalty by John Ward, or a run on 3rd and long called by Joe Walton.

There's a family picture in my parent's house which was taken on December 27, 1981, the day I became a real Jets fan. The time on my brother's watch, which can be seen in the picture, was 11:58 A.M. At noon the Jets were hosting the Buffalo Bills at Shea Stadium, the first time the Jets were in the playoffs during my lifetime. I ran home from the studio and arrived around 12:03. It was a few seconds into the game, and the Jets were losing 7-0. Bruce Harper fumbled the opening kickoff, and it was returned for a touchdown. The Bills took a 24-0 lead, and all seemed lost. But that's too easy for the Jets. Instead, they battled back. Somehow they rallied to within four points and had the ball deep in Bills territory late in the fourth quarter. Alas, they lost 31-27, as Richard Todd was intercepted at the Bills 2 yard old. A few minutes later, the Giants - who had been humiliated by the Jets' New York Sack Exchange (the Jets recored nine sacks) earlier in '81 by a score of 26-7 at Giants Stadium, played the Eagles. The Giants won.

The NFL went on strike the next season, but the league played a shortened season and the Jets again made it to the playoffs. On January 15, 1983, my 10th birthday, they beat the Raiders in Oakland as a result of two interceptions in the final three minutes by Lance Mehl, and went to Miami for the AFC Championship. There they lost 14-0, with the Dolphins' AJ Duhe intercepting three Richard Todd passes. Coach Walt Michaels, angered by poor field conditions, went into a tirade after the game, and was fired and replaced by Joe Walton.

The Jets were disappointing in '83 and in '84, when they moved to Giants Stadium. 1985 was better, as they went 11-5, but again after a fumbled kickoff returned for a touchdown, they wasted home field advantage in the playoffs by losing to the Patriots.

'86, though was going to be different. The Mets, who had been baseball's worst team in the early 80's, won the World Series, and the Jets started 10-1, including an unforgettable 51-45 win over the Dolphins, when Ken O'Brien threw four touchdowns to Wesley Walker, including the 21 yard tying TD as time expired and the winning 43 yard TD pass in overtime. Yet then things collapsed. The Jets last their last five games. In the playoffs, they beat Kansas City and had a 20-10 lead over Cleveland with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. The announcers were already discussing the AFC Championship the following week. After Mark Gastineu took a roughing penalty, the tide turned, and the Jets eventually lost 23-20 in two overtimes.

They would not win another playoff game until the 1998 season, Bill Parcells' second as coach. It was as windy and freezing as I can remember at Giants Stadium, but the Jets victory over the Jaguars, their seventh straight, made it all worth it. Unfortunately, in the AFC Championship the next week, after taking a 10-0 lead, the Jets collapsed against Denver.

We all had high hopes for 1999, but then Vinny Testeverde suffered a season ending injury in the first game of the season. Vinny has never been the same since, but after the sensational performance by Chad Pennington last season, optimism returned. That optimism proved to be naive, as Pennington broke four bones in his wrist in Saturday night's exhibition game, and will be out for most, and possibly all, of this season, with Vinny returning as QB.

Despite the injury to Pennington and the Jets' weak group of wide receivers, I actually am optimistic. I'm sure the Jets will make the 2003 season a painful one, but they won't go 1-15, as they did in 1996, my first year as a season-ticket holder. Instead they will provide their fans with some false hope. Vinny won't be too good, but he won't be as terrible as at the start of last season either. They'll lose a lot, but most of their losses will be close. When we're ready to give up, they'll win two in a row, before losing another close one.

In summary, while I won't blog less about Israel, over the next few months the NFL will also be a topic for discussion.
posted on 8/25/2003