So much for changing the format of these picks. After last week I’m not changing a thing here until I’m forced to by management, which means more ranting from me.
Being a Bills fan writing on a Giants site, I think there’s one thing we can all agree on -- we hate the Jets. That’s the premise of this week’s rant. Having grown up on Long Island, and being a Bills fan (don’t ask how that happened) I was subjected to countless hours of airplay devoted to the Jets. From back when they first started dipping into free agency and WPIX would play enough commercials to make even a sane person believe that Boomer Esiason and Johnny Johnson were going to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl, to the incessant "Vinny and the Jets" theme that the local CBS affiliate played for six straight months, there was no escape.
My hatred for the Jets did not begin to fully blossom until the late '90s as, up until that time, there was no use hating a team that thought Rich Kotite was a good hire. Then, in 1998, under the direction of Vinny Testaverde, the Jets were actually good. Not great, but good.
Somehow that lone AFC Championship appearance ignited a groundswell of support for the Jets that has not waned since. Despite winning a total of two playoff games since their AFC Championship appearance, their fans have treated this team as though they were one break away from dethroning the Patriots for the past 10 years.
Why am I taking the time to discuss the Jets at this juncture of the season, you ask? The reason is since Tom Brady went down in the first game of the season the Jets have been anointed the heir apparent to the AFC East title.
The sole reason for this assertion? Brett Favre. The media’s fascination over whether he has had time to learn the playbook, whether he’s in rhythm with his receivers, was he right in coming back from retirement, all overlooks one key issue. The Jets are not a good team. They tried to make a run at the playoffs the same way Daniel Snyder had tried in the past. They spent a lot of money for an expensive band aid when they really needed a full overhaul.
Why must we continue to listen to the media week after week tell us how Favre is making strides with the offense and it’s just going to take some time? Favre was not responsible for Thomas Jones’ fumble against San Diego. He wasn’t responsible for the boneheaded onside kick call after the Jets cut the lead to three, and he wasn’t responsible for the revamped defense giving up 1,000 yards last Monday.
This is not a good team, and we should not spend any more time discussing them until something changes. A 1-2 record and being in third place in their division should not mean that SportsCenter should devote half their coverage to them. It’s time to move on, and until this team turns things around, which I highly doubt, I’m done talking about them, too. Now onto what really matters, the Week 4 picks.
The Picks
Cleveland (+3.5) at
Washington (+11) at
Denver
Houston
San Francisco
Arizona
San Diego
Green Bay
Minnesota
Baltimore
Season: 32-14-1