The New York Jets fairy-tale season came to a crashing halt in Denver. Where do the Jets go from here (rhetorical question, Farley!)?
For those who got the reference, I tip my hat to you. For those who didn’t, you’re uncultured swine and you should leave this site immediately.
For those of you still here, I have a spoiler alert for you; the New York Jets will not make the playoffs in 2017. That is the harsh reality after one of the most putrid offensive performances in team history on Sunday in Denver (23-0 loss to send the Jets to 5-8 on the season).
Since we’re on the topic, here are some more harsh realities; Josh McCown’s career is over. I’m not just talking about with the Jets, I’m talking in general. His 38-year-old body is the equivalent of my last car (1990 Mercury Sable), a cheap alternative that’ll get you by for a little while, but with no idea when it’ll inevitably implode.
That Sable crashed and burned on Sunday and it wasn’t just because of a flat tire. The carburetor exploded, the engine flooded, and the transmission went out. Ole Yeller needs to be taken into the backyard and shot.
Fairy tales are nice. They’re soothing, calming even, but fairy tales are for children. It’s time to face the harsh reality that McCown is not a franchise quarterback. The more the Jets pretend that he is, the longer the wait is to find the real Cinderella of Jets fans’ dreams.
"It's been the best because of the guys” — Josh McCown breaks down crying while talking about this season with the #Jets pic.twitter.com/INhqUFwPSw
— SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) December 11, 2017
Here’s the difference between the goals of McCown and the Jets. McCown wanted to start a game in Triple-A and the Jets want to win the Super Bowl. Let me explain. McCown’s “goals” were to start 16 games, something he has yet to accomplish in his storied career. That’s supposed to be a given. Quarterbacks are expected to suit up every Sunday in the NFL.
McCown was obviously talented enough to last 17-plus years in this league. You don’t make it this long based solely on luck. But the Jets have played the band-aid game at quarterback and it has amounted to jack shit, to be frank.
Speaking of band-aids, it may get emotional, but it’s time to rip this one off.
So back to the opening punch line: what do the Jets do now? It’s simple. The Jets will be forced to play either Bryce Petty (1-3 as a starter) or a guy who hasn’t had a regular-season snap in his young career (Christian Hackenberg).
Which means it’s time to dust off the old saying, “Embrace The Tank”. Which should be easier done than said because the Jets play at the New Orleans Saints (9-4), at home against the LA Chargers (7-6), and finally at the New England Patriots (10-2). With the stiff competition, the Jets could be staring at their second straight 5-11 season (only the second time the Jets would finish with that record in franchise history).
Other Jets News, Stories
- Bad break for Josh McCown, but this opens the door for Christian Hackenberg (Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Jets suffer historically inept loss, could be losing control of the season (Rich Cimini of ESPN New York)
- McCown shouldn’t just be footnote in history because of injury (Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News)
