I have been a Jet fan since I was a child and I still bask in their lone Super Bowl victory, but like all Jet fans, I have been mostly suffering since then. I have watched good and bad players and coaches come and go, but one facet remains constant, New York's brutal sports media.
Many of this group of writers are by far the most fickle and cruel collection of journalists in the country. Win, and they love the team and shower them with accolades, lose, or be inconsistent, and they call for heads to roll! There is no middle ground, no constructive criticism, only extremes and rumors. The problem is that they are often wrong.
Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez were treated like kings when they took the Jets to the AFC Championship game in their first two years. The writers lauded Ryan's brash, aggressive style and the young quarterback's cool demeanor under fire during the playoffs. When they started losing last year, Ryan was then criticized for being too brash. After another losing season this year, they clamor that he has not been brash enough! Recently, they have mocked a new tattoo of Ryan's wife spied on his arm while he was vacationing in the Bahamas. This is quality journalism?
The problem is that in an attempt to be controversial and sell newspapers, they often neglect the facts and provide way too much of their own personal opinions. Sorry folks, but New York sports fans are a savvy bunch, and we prefer to make our own conclusions, thank you very much. We prefer it that way because the media is wrong... a lot!
Remember, just a few short years ago, they were clamoring for New York Giants quarterback, Eli Manning's departure and wanted Giant coach Coughlin fired numerous times? Well, after two Super Bowl victories, I hope Giant fans are happy that the media didn't get their way!
I realize that New York City is a tough town to play in because it is the media capital or the world and all that, but does it have to be that way? Can compassion and optimism at least be considered? The problem with this aggressive style of reporting is that it hurts the teams by discouraging quality players and coaches from coming to New York. Bill Belichick ran from the Jets to New England, rather than deal with the NY sports media. He has taken the Patriots to five Super Bowls since then. The Jets courted Icon Peyton Manning in the offseason, he bolted to Denver. Do you blame him after the way they treated his brother?
So, instead of getting rid of the coach and quarterback, can we just trade the sports writers? Think about it; make a straight up trade with say Green Bay or Indianapolis? Trade for quality writers that actually report the sports and spare us their opinions. Wishful thinking, I know. Too bad.