DEFENDING DUMB JET DEFEATS WITH STATS

My good friend Paul wrote me the following, regarding the Jets 30-25 loss to Miami this past Sunday, Nov. 1st:

"I did not like what Ryan said after the game. He was talking about how great his team is and how good they are stat wise. YOU LOST THE FREAKING GAME! Where do the Jets find these coaches?"

It does get frustrating. Even for Paul, who's a Packers fan. All season we've been defending the Jets with their stats. "Well, the Saints beat us 24-10, but our offense spotted them 14 points off turnovers, so the defense really held the Saints offense to 10 points - it was a tie game..."

Or, "Miami scored 21 of 30 points on special teams, only 9 on offense, while our offense put up 25 offensive points, so really we beat them..."

Or, "Our offensive line and running backs put up over 318 yards rushing against the Bills, with Jones running for over 200 yards, Washington for 99..." BUT WE LOST 16-13.

It's like how some teams lose a lot of games during a season by a field goal in the last second, and fans defend the team by imagining how all those games could have easily been victories and they're a better overall team than their record shows.

These things we tell ourselves to stave off insanity wear thin after a couple decades. It's getting harder and harder to find the silver lining in defeat after defeat.

Because I'm a DOPE and remain a fan of this team (I can't quit them now - I'm cursed forever) I am forced to believe their defense will continue to improve and keep them close, while the offense and special teams work out their kinks over the rest of the year and next. (and next and next and next)

I must remember they're still figuring out year one of a new coaching system and quarterback and new star wide receiver to boot. BUT IT STILL SUCKS cause I KNOW they're better than how they're playing. ALWAYS the way with this team. Always.

And I know despite my current frustration with the very EXPERIENCE of being a Jet fan, like a pregnant woman has some chemical released that causes amnesia about the pain of child-birth, or after a hard night of boozing with friends you wake the next day saying, "I'm NEVER drinking again" - and eventually you're tanked, I'll come around like I always do, and get back to Jet hoping and dreaming like the optimist I am.

And the Jets will play their part in my return. They'll play like gods their next game, and like Pacino in The Godfather Part III, I'll get SUCKED BACK IN.

But that is an imagined future. As for the reality of defending frustrating losses with STATS, it's the equivalent of looking at the menu in a restaurant window. Sure everything looks great, but it ain't gonna fill your belly.

GO JETS. BEAT MEDIOCRITY. (they have the week off. may they use it to get their heads screwed on a bit tighter)

Mark J. Williamson