I've been a fan since 2002, so not a long sufferer like most of you. I feel it though, I feel the pain of the thousands of us who have been waiting forever for this moment. While it's only been about 8 years, it's felt truly like ages. I knew what I was getting myself into... Same Old Jets, Just End The Season, etc. I didn't care. I'm a loyal guy. I fell in love with the Jets and there was no backing out. Through trials and tribulations I've been there. This playoff run has been truly amazing. No matter what, I'm 100% proud of this squad. But sometimes, Pride isn't what it's about. We have a chance to do something amazing. Something that many of us weren't even alive for the last time it happened. We have a chance to be the best. This is what dreams are made of, guys. We have a chance to be the top dog in the league. Rookie QB, Rookie coach, rookie RB, yet here we are. We KNOW what these guys are capable of. You gotta believe it to see it with this team. We can do this. LET'S DO IT.
I'm with ya Badger, We've waited for 11 years to finally get this close, we need to end this 41 year slump
Is it 3:00 yet??? Good to read such soulful words from a Jet fan. Didn't think I could be more excited for this game...thanks. P.S. freebo is classy.
The night before game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, a member of a Red Sox forum started a post called "win it for". It was more than just another post on the internet, it was subsequently turned into a book, and a copy actually made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's a tribute to a most underrated virtue, loyalty, something we Jets fans have in spades. It is a sonnet to a team, that has been a defining obsession for an entire region of people for more than five generations. For us it's been 40 years, but the devotion to our team cannot be dismissed. It was a collection of searing and heartfelt postings from hundreds of fans who wanted to dedicate a Red Sox victory to some unforgettable people in their lives. It was written to fathers and grandfathers, mothers and even sons and daughters who were no longer around and would never know the feeling of triumph. This reminds me of that thread, and I'd like to thank Bigoljetairliner28 for starting it, and posters like jetmetsfan and especially AbdulSalam for sharing a very touching a personal story with us. Lets keep this going and win in for my grandfather Joe, who loved cigars, the ponies and the NY Jets. Win in for my friends Dad who season tickets we still use who started with the Jets from their inception and passed his love of the green and white into each of his 10 children and all their friends.
you made the tears flow again. much respect to your father and to you. I have my grandfathers purple heart tattooed on my arm.
You and me both. I want to call people right now and talk about how important press coverage will be tomorrow.
Great posts from you and AbdulSalam. Both got me in a bit of tears, and I'm not even from NY. I experienced a game with my dad in the mid 90's (by coincidence) at the Meadowlands and instantly became a fan. I had gone to a few Cowboys games before this but it meant nothing to me. But the game in NY: the atmosphere, the team, the freaking fans were so damn nice to me and my dad and to this day I don't know why. I've been to a few stadiums around the world, and nothing compared to our one and only trip to the meadowlands. From then on, I've been blessed to be a Jets fan
I'm out here in Los Angeles as well. I've been a Jets fan since '67. Back when Joe Namath was in his hey-day and the NY Jets were easy to love. When they won SB III, it was truly awesome...but it also seemed like the beginning of many seasons of success. It was still the fresh, newly merged NFL, and the New York Jets were staking their claim as a big league franchise. To my naive young mind, the Jets had arrived and were gonna stick around! I'm sure a lot of what I thought and felt back then is filtered through the foggy lens of nostalgia, but that's how I remember it feeling. I'm 55 now, and my enthusiasm for the NY Jets has ebbed and flowed over the years. Never in sync with their win/loss ratio I might add. Some seasons I was more tuned in than others, but they were always my Jets...my team. But this year, this season, has been strangely gratifying to say the least. Not just the postseason wins...though they're great, we've done that before. Not just the increased coverage in the media about MY team. Hey, living in LA...that's nice too. But what really makes me happy, really happy, is that this team....THIS TEAM...this team has made it feel that they are actually worth rooting for. That they are responding to not only mine, but all the long suffering fans, love & support. That they want to win. That they want to end the curse of the SOJ or whatever name is etched onto 40 years of disappointment. That finally there are 53 men and one chubby head coach who want this as bad as I do. I didn't expect it all to change in one year. But I certainly didn't expect it to change as much as it has in one month. After the Atlanta game, I was already thinking "next year". So I'm happy to be a fan of the team that's a few hours away from playing in the AFC Championship game. No matter what happens, I'll be as big of a fan after the game too. Hey, maybe I'm fooling myself. Maybe it's the same bunch of greedy, me first "athletes" paying lip service to the fans and laughing about it from behind some very expensive closed doors. But, if this team...THIS TEAM...can somehow will themselves to a level of achievement that this fan hasn't seen in over 40 years...well, I'll be more than happy. And if...IF I'm being fooled...well then I'll take the extended warranty.
When I read posts like this...it makes me think and want to talk about my past as a Jet fan...but didnt want to bog down your great words. Bottom line is my oldest son is now 13 and really into it. Today we were talking and I discussed the whole 3 times in the last 40 year thing and then I turned to him and said "you never know when this happens again. The future looks so bright...but with the Jet track record...you could be married the next time this happens". He starts to laugh and then looks at me with this real serious look. I wasnt laughing. "Thats right buddy". The week itself has been so long. Just like last week before the Charger game. It felt like it would never get there. This week though..its been different. Im really happy that I have been able to soak it all in. Read every article. Listen to ever interview. Most importantly...spend time here on TGG which has now become part of my lifetime Jet fan experience. I find myself reading much more than posting. My posts are usually long winded. Its probably because I read so much on here and then finally let it all out in 3 or 4 posts. I apologize for that. When you have been a long time fan of the Jets you may only have a handful of runs during an entire lifetime. I think for the younger Jet fan...you will not have to suffer as much as us much older Jet fans with the owner we have....and front office people...and if Rex takes care of himself and his weight..and I say that seriously. This run...which snuck up on us and isnt even a month old yet..is one in that handful. Its easy to shout cliches like "enjoy it!" but when tomorrow comes...watch the pregame shows..soak yourself into the day...the day is your bitch..and make it your own no matter who is around. It really doesnt get any better than this..and I will never forget the last couple weeks..and I thank TGG and its posters for putting the icing on the cake.
This thread needs to be locked on the count of too much win to handle in one thread. Awesome posts everyone. I remember crying back in '04 when Doug Brien missed the kick. I was young then, still a young 18 now, but I know what it takes to be a Jets fan. This AFC Championship game is something we can say we witnessed, and if we are fortunate enough to move onto the Super Bowl, and win the damn thing, a 40 year old feeling will be off our shoulders, a feeling we hope we never feel again. J-E-T-S baby, it is time!
Excellent OP. Reminds me of my AFL club here in Australia, the Geelong Cats. Hadn't won a championship in 44 years, had been through 5 losing championship games before finally breaking through in 2007 (with the biggest winning margin in history). It was a surreal feeling (I could literally go on for hours but I won't). Hope to feel it again with these Jets. Not long now!
Been a fan since '87. My first playoff moment was when we sneaked in at 8-8 in '91 and, as expected, got bounced by Houston. I remember my idol (at the time) Al Toon getting smacked in that game and feeling as though we didn't even belong in the playoffs. I was right. Then there was '98. Oh, '98. Clinching the division at Buffalo was so sweet considering how they dominated us 10 years previous. That season culminated in my all-time favorite thing that has ever happened: #82 Blake Spence blocks the punt in the third quarter in Denver. I remember that moment like old fuckers remember the moon landing. We were going to the Super Bowl. 'cept we didn't. then Vinny blew out his Achilles and we all know what happend then. Sure, we made the playoffs a couple years after that, but it never felt like this... It has NEVER felt like this. I have never felt like this. Is it 3:00 yet???
