On July 6th the New England Patriots offered anyone with an Aaron Hernandez jersey the opportunity to exchange it for a free jersey of comparable value. The exchange was a rousing success. Not so much for the New England Patriots, who had to exchange over 500 #18 jerseys, but for anyone that could get in on the exchange action. This was a very smart move by the Patriots who, of course, must take full responsibility for this maniac they chose to reward with over a half a million dollars a year.
That being said, apparently word about the Patriots' exchange program has gotten around to the other NFL teams and the New York Jets have just announced a Mark Sanchez jersey buyback sale that launches Thursday night. This, finally, is the kind of positive publicity the New York Jets are rewarding their long suffering fans with. After a huge improbable win last Sunday Mark Sanchez is clearly no longer needed. Accused of murdering any hopes of a Jets Super Bowl appearance anytime soon, Sanchez is getting a lot of the same kind of publicity in New York that Aaron Hernandez is receiving in New England. Unfortunately, there isn't a high demand to exchange for any other Jets player in the 2013 season so the organization has decided that any fan with a #6 Jets jersey can return it for a different team members' jersey, but only someone from the 1986 Jets team. I would recommend getting there very early before all of the Ken O'Brien jerseys are taken.
I was at the New York Jets store on 50th Street in New York City last Friday and all they have are #6 items. The fact that there is a New York Jets store anywhere is hilarious enough but they clearly have nothing to sell. Of course if Geno Smith somehow beats the Patriots Thursday I am curious to see if the people that own that New York Jets store will be fast to move out #6's for #7s. The difference between last Sunday's game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and every other game Mark Sanchez started in last year, is that the Jets won. Yes, by luck, but when has anyone ever seen the New York Jets win a game by luck? Never. They were the receivers of the "fake spike" for goodness sake. Besides Joe Namath and one game changing 1969 season, the Jets have the worst luck that any franchise has ever had. When you have a draft that consists of John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino and you consciously choose to pick Ken O'Brien, are you expecting to go to the Super Bowl anytime soon? I don't know -- does Geno Smith give this season's New York Jets luck? We will find out Thursday Night in New England. My guess is no, but please prove me wrong.
By the way also on Thursday night, in an unprecedented joint venture, the Jets will exchange New York Jets #15 Tim Tebow jerseys for New England Patriots #5 Tim Tebows, which Gene Simmons from Kiss will also let you exchange once he signs Tebow to his Arena league team. This is really shaping to be quite the electric season in the NFL this year. And, in the immortal words of ex-Jet Bart Scott, "Can't wait!"