Opening day

Jets opening day is right around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited. I know what you’re thinking, How can anyone be excited about the Jets after their miserable performance against Kansas City? Well, the NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint. Nonetheless whether your team is 1-0 or 0-1 going into their first home game you have to be excited.

I am hoping to keep a running diary of all the Jet home games this year. I hope to fill you in on the riveting J-E-T-S chant, the crazy drunks that sit behind me (and believe me there is always a good story about them), and hopefully a great Jet season. I have to say if the Jets continue to play like little leaguers this idea of a diary may be short lived.
Anyway, lets get back to talking about opening day. Best day of the year. It is filled with months of anticipation and hope of a brighter future. However, as a Jet fan usually you are thinking when will that other shoe drop? Is Chad’s arm going to fall off? Will Herman Edwards have more clock issues? Is Curtis Martin going to have a BIG letdown year?

Speaking of Martin having a letdown year, how can he not? It’s like me saying when I am 80, “All I ever wanted was a threesome with two beautiful women, and then the next day it happens.” When it happens I will be elated, but i know there is no way I am going to top that. That is kind of like Curtis Martin’s year last year. He had his best year in the pros and won the rushing title. Would it be wrong to assume that it is very likely he will have a less productive year in 2005? We’ll see, but I hope not.

I remember my first opening day Jet game in 1996 when my father and me first got Jet Season tickets. I was so pumped up and looking forward to finally going to every Jet game instead of watching them on TV at home. Well I should have taken the events of that first game as the ultimate bad omen. In the 3rd quarter (if I remember correctly) the sky turned black and all of a sudden the rain came down harder than I have ever seen. I swear to god, I was looking for 2 of every animal.

The teams had to leave the field and my father just looked at me and said, “I think we should leave, the Jets are going to lose anyway, and if they don’t they will probably get struck by lightning. Either way this season isn’t looking too good right now.” Sure enough the Jets lost and went on to a 1-15 season. What a great first year to have Jets season tickets right?

Opening day for the Jets always seems to have a playoff atmosphere. And why not? It is a new season and anything can happen — just like the playoffs. As soon as you walk into Giants Stadium (I hate saying that) you just feel the electricity and the excitement from the 78,000 fans around you. Regardless of the fact that they got embarrassed by the Kansas City Chiefs (A.K.A  The worst defensive team in football).

The first J-E-T-S chant is always the loudest of the year. Its like people were at home practicing the chant in their living rooms before the game just to make sure their timing is right with Fireman Ed. No I don’t do this, but really everyone probably should. There are way too many people who jump the gun and then the chant just sounds disorderly. Nothing gets me more fired up than a disorganized chant. I really do need a life.  

The other good part about opening day Jet games are the girls. There is nothing better than seeing young 20-25 year old women wearing short shorts and the cutest little Jets shirt. You can definitely tell they bought the boys small or large, but who am I to judge or critique them. You have to enjoy this scenery because once the winter comes around they are all bundled up and look like they’ve put on a few lb’s.

I love the atmosphere in the parking lot. Everyone is getting their game faces on (when I say game faces I mean drinking faces), grilling their food, the two-hand touch games, and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. The two-hand touch games are always fun in parking lot. However, there is always a little kid who has a cannon of an arm that makes me look like Chad Pennington versus Michael Vick. Although I will say, I know come Sunday in that first parking lot game I will be able to field the shotgun snap. Ba dadum dum Ching!

Opening day for us football fans is an eruption. There is six months of build up. Most of us have drafted our fantasy teams, read all the previews, watched the pre-season games (regardless of how painful they are), and are hoping that this is the year for our team.

Well that day is now only 2 days away. I can’t wait, for all you Jet haters out there I got something for you:

J-E-T-S. JETS! JETS! JETS!  2005 AFC East Champions

By the way for all you Philly Fans, you can’t tell me E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles sounds nearly as good. Just stick to the “Fly Eagles, Fly” song. Honestly, it makes you sound ridiculous. But then again Terrell Owens in on your team so I guess it comes with the territory. Uh Oh, I guess I lost some votes for my article.

Best of luck to all the teams out there except for the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and the new england patriots. (I am sorry I know it is grammatically incorrect, but I refuse to capitalize them.)