“Just Endure The Suffering!”
“Just Exit The Stadium!”
“Just End The Season!”
In the 55 years since the New York Jets made their only Super Bowl appearance, die-hard Jets fans have heard dozens of takes on what “J-E-T-S” stands for. It looked like they had a real chance to turn the corner last season when Aaron Rodgers joined the star-crossed franchise, only to watch the future Hall of Famer tear up his ACL a mere four plays into the season opener. But hope springs eternal in sports, and with a healthy Rodgers back in the driver’s seat for tonight’s season opener in San Francisco, Jets fans are hoping 2024 is their year. WOR street reporter Natalie Migliore hit the sidewalks in Midtown for 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program, in search of fans of Gang Green who are hoping “J-E-T-S” finally stands for “Just Enjoy The Super Bowl”.
It wasn’t easy, as Migliore ran into people who remember last year’s opening night. One Jets fan summed up the “love ‘em/hate ‘em” aspect of being a Jets fan like this: “It really is hard, because I was excited last year, but something told me something was going to happen, and it did happen. And I said, you know what, I quit the Jets, but it’s just hard. It’s really difficult for me to quit. It’s like winning the lottery; maybe one day I might win!”
Reality, however, says the Jets haven’t even had a lottery ticket since 2010. That was the last time they made the playoffs- a fact that produced another fan’s cautious optimism. “I think everybody’s excited, but you know, you’ve just got to do it. I mean, the time for talking is over. It’s been two years of this, where we’ve had this really good roster, and at the end of the day, you just got to start winning games.”
Still, as another fan reminded Migliore, Opening Day is time to dream big. “If you think about it, if you’re gong to be there at the end, when we finally do win a Super Bowl, just remember how good it feels, to wait all this time and finally get it.”
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