Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton mocking the Jets is nothing new.
He was more than happy to rip them because he could. He attacked Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for doing one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL when he mentioned what he inherited as the new Broncos head coach. For good measure, Payton also made fun of the Jets for being on HBO’s Hard Knocks, never mind the fact that the team did not want to be on the show. He also mocked the franchise for making splashy moves such as acquiring Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.
Payton knows he was wrong to do so, and he admitted it, but he still did it because he could.
The Jets have become a convenient target for others taking potshots of them anytime they want for a long time. This goes back to Dan Marino’s Fake Spike, which the late Don Shula was so about smug after the game. Who can remember Jimmy Johnson running up the score on the Jets as a Dallas Cowboys coach? Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie once mentioned he ditched the Eagles' Kelly green uniforms to a darker green uniform in the mid-90s since it looked like the Jets. John Mara has not been shy to voice his opinion on the Jets.
Bill Belichick made a living using the Jets at his expense in winning games and getting things his way such as him leaving the Jets as “HC of the NYJ” to the Patriots despite being under contract to coach them in 2000. In his latest trick, he apparently gave up his team’s first-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, so that the Pittsburgh Steelers would draft Roderick Jones, a player the Jets wanted to draft to protect Rodgers. For some reason, the Patriots head coach refuses to mention his time as the Jets defensive coordinator in his biography.
Many teams enjoyed beating Rex Ryan’s Jets since he would go on and say stupid things that would have them ready to go on gameday.
The potshots have been self-afflicted. It’s on the Jets to change that perception by winning.
They have known this for a long time, but they never got it done. This is why this season is crucial. They acquired Rodgers to end North America’s longest professional postseason drought at 12 years after last being in the playoffs in 2010. They were a quarterback away from being a good team last season, and they addressed it this offseason.
They don’t have to win the Super Bowl this season, because no one expects them to. The Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs have to be the co-favorites to represent the AFC since they are a seasoned team with a great seasoned quarterback. As great as Rogers is, he is 39 years old, and there is going to be a drop-off with his play after all that mileage in his arm.
Yes, the bar is so low for the Jets that making a postseason appearance would constitute a success. They have to start somewhere.
But eventually, Gang Green has to become a Super Bowl contender like the Chiefs are for head coaches like Payton and Belichick to stop mocking them. Respect has to be earned in the National Football League.
The Jets haven’t earned that since Joe Namath left. Sure, they made cameo appearances in the AFC Championship Game, but that does not put them in the blue-blood teams such as the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.
Shoot, they are derisively known as the City’s little brother to the big brother New York Giants.
The Jets are on the right track. There was a reason Rodgers wanted to play here. There is a reason free agent running back Dalvin Cook is interested in playing for them. This is a team that is assembled nicely by Jets general manager Joe Douglas after drafting talents such as Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson, Breece Hall, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Michael Carter. They have the nucleus to eventually win a Super Bowl one day.
This is a team that should try to create a postseason run this season if they want to start earning respect.
This team has been long on promises and short on results. There comes a time this has to come to an end.
It’s great the process has been made, but in the NFL and in this town, it’s about winning and nothing else.
The Jets deserve all the hype this season for the team they built. Now, they have to live up to it and handle high expectations, and they certainly can do it with Rodgers leading the way.
The players and coaching staff embraced the high expectations. They know they have a chance to do something special this year.
It’s on them to have others talk about how good they are.
It’s great that Rodgers called out Payton in an interview on the NFL+. Saleh did a commendable job of trying not to dignify Payton’s comment.
But this won’t stop Payton or other coaches and players from taking potshots at the Jets.
Only winning consistently will.
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