Thank You Rex

The New York Jets lost the AFC Championship game today, 30-17, to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. I should be morose. In the past, you would have found me sitting alone in a dark, silent room for several hours, fighting back the encroaching despair threatening to overwhelm me. If you are a fan of Gang Green, than you know exactly what I am talking about. We Jets fans have had so many of those moments, not all of them losses, but all of them cringe-inducing. In fact, if you are a fan, than you can recite the moments with me. Here's a primer for those of you not cursed to follow the "other" pro football team from New York:

The Brett Favre Experiment/Eric Mangini Season Ending Meltdown
The Chad Pennington/Jay Fiedler Injury Game
The Doug Brien Missed Field Goals Against Pittsburgh
The Bellichick Resignation
The Vinny Testaverde Ruptured Achilles
The Leon Johnson Interception
The Dan Marino Fake Spike
The Blair Thomas Draft
The Gastineau Roughing-the-Passer Penalty
The Kenny O'Brien/Dan Marino Draft
The Mud Bowl & AJ Duhe

And these are just from memory, in my life as a Jets fans. Older, longer-suffering fans can probably rattle off a much longer list of heart-wrenching disappointments and embarassments. So, as you can see, misery comes easy to we masochistic Jets fans, and you would think that after today's game, misery is the place where I would currently be dwelling. But here's the weird thing. I'm not.

Sure I'm sad my boys didn't win the game. I would have loved to see Darelle Revis defiantly knock down a final, desperate pass attempt from Peyton to Reggie Wayne as time ran out, preserving a Jets' victory. It would have been great to see Rex get that Gatorade shower that has become a sports cliche over the past 20 years or so. And I would love to be playing for revenge against the Saints in the Super Bowl in a few weeks. But, unlike past seasons of Jets football ending prematurely with unfulfilled promise, this year served more as a notice of good things to come. It was sort of Green & White coming-out party. An announcement to the league at large to watch out for Woody Johnson's Jets.

That is why I want to thank Coach Rex Ryan. I, and every die-hard Jets fan out there in Jets Land, owes a debt of gratitude to this boisterous, cocky, straightforward man for a critical change in the Jets culture. He turned "Play like a Jet" into a badge of honor, instead of the epithet it has traditionally represented. He plainly and confidently stated before the team had even been through training camp that these new Jets, his Jets, were going to lead the NFL in defense and rushing, and then went out and proved it. He also stated that his team would be meeting with President Obama as champions before his term was up. After watching the Jets playoff run this season, I believe him.

So fellow Jets fans, paraphrasing President Bill Clinton, I feel your pain. But put away the razor blades... shut off the car running in the closed garage... know that there is no need for despair. These are the New York Jets, but certainly not the Same Ol' Jets. We have dynamic youth, a dominant defense and running game, the greatest corner in the game, a superstar QB in the making, and a passionate, inspirational coach (who, by the way, happens to be pretty damn good
with X's and O's to boot). This year, we saw a glimpse into the future for the Jets, and believe me, the future is bright.