Masuk Free Press

Being so close to the Meadowlands, there are probably a lot of Jets fans in the house. Through three games, they are 2-1 (two wins, one loss). The Jets haven’t “lifted off” since the 2010 season, that being the last season since the Jets made the playoffs. Just for context, that’s when the freshmen of Masuk High School were born. Even crazier, the last time the Jets were in the Super Bowl was 1969 when Joe Namath was the quarterback. Joe is 81 years old, so it’s been a while. 

Obtaining future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been a catalyst for the Jets’ long-awaited success. Last season Aaron Rodgers played a total of four plays on Week 1 of Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills. Long story short, Rodgers was tackled and his Achilles snapped in half, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. This didn’t turn out so good for both the Jet fans and the team morale. There just is one question about the Jets this year: what do Aaron Rodgers and the new additions to the Jets bring to the table?

“I feel like I will remember that moment for the rest of my life, ” said Masuk teacher Michael Cercone, “which is really sad to say. I was driving home from class that night, I had to sell my ticket to the game. I was listening to it take place on the radio driving home and it was dead silent… just knowing the Jets season had come to an end.” The Jets did however try to stay competitive by cycling through quarterbacks Zach Wilson, Trevor Sieman, and Tim Boyle, as they all made appearances at some point during the 2023 season. Unfortunately, they were not enough to get the Jets over the hump, as they missed the playoffs yet again. 

It is quite sad when a fan looks at the recent pigskin tossers for the Jets. With their first-round pick in 2018, they selected Sam Darnold to attempt to save the ongoing drought. He found his home on the Vikings since as of right now the Vikings are 3-0. It does hurt to see this if you’re a Jet fan. 

“I think he was an awesome quarterback,” added Mr. Cercone, “I was extremely excited to have him as a Jet but unfortunately, the Jets management and their administration and everybody decided it wasn’t a right fit when they got rid of  [Mike] Maccagnan and brought in Joe Douglass.” In 2021, Zach Wilson was drafted by the Jets as he was chosen to be the saving grace. For a multitude of reasons, it didn’t work out and Zach is now a backup for the Denver Broncos.

Now we come to Aaron Rodgers, who was a Green Bay Packer up until the 2023 offseason when he joined the Jets. Rodgers is described as one of the most accurate quarterbacks of all time, as his spiral, throwing motion and mechanics are highly regarded. So far he’s been the pilot of the inactive Jet, which leaves Jets fans something to look forward to. 

“I think we have a great shot this season,” contributed Masuk sophomore Daniel Londono. Throughout Rodgers’s illustrious career, he has made the Pro Bowl 10 times, won a Super Bowl along with the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award that year, and finally, he’s a four time All-Pro and league regular season MVP. He’s thrown for over 59,679 yards (9th all-time) and 480 touchdowns (5th all time). 

“This might be the year,” stated Masuk Teacher Greg Parkhurst, “[Breece] Hall looks amazing and our defense looks legit.”

Rodgers is undoubtedly a great talent. But exactly how far will he fly the Jet? The Jets’ final destination is New Orleans, where Super Bowl LIX will be held, and they would have to dogfight out of a very competitive AFC conference.

In their division, the Josh Allen charged Bills are their main competition, and within the whole AFC conference, the Mahomes and Kelce led Chiefs, Lamar Jackson’s Ravens and C.J Stroud’s young Texans are just some of the competition that can put the Jets on a crash landing. So, things will be hard, but can Rodgers find a way to keep the Jets in the air, en route to the Super Bowl?

“I’m a fan,” said Londono. “They’ve got a very young team.” With pieces such as WR Garrett Wilson, HB Breece Hall, CB Sauce Gardner and DT Quinnen Williams, the Jets have a chance to do something that hasn’t been done since 1969. Garrett Wilson has had a very good start to his young career, totaling about 2295 yards and 8 touchdowns throughout his first 2 full seasons (plus 3 games) as an NFL wide receiver. Breece Hall has also had a notable start to his career with stats that exceed expectations. His 1627 yards and 11 touchdowns have labeled him a star in the making. With a name like Sauce, you would assume that guy to be pretty shifty. Well, that assumption would be true as he is one of the best young corners in the game. Lastly, there’s Quinnen Williams, one of the most destructive defensive tackles in the game, as he has totaled 34 sacks and 5 forced fumbles as well as 163 tackles.

Along with their young guys, the veterans have also helped build out the roster. “[Allen] Lazard looks like he might be the guy,” said Parkhurst, “Probably the connection Rodgers had with him in Green Bay.” For context, Allen Lazard was one of Rodger’s receivers in Green Bay. Other veterans include C.J Mosley, Mike Williams and Haason Reddick.

The Jets are a talented group of guys, and all anyone can do is predict and wait to see what happens. There’s no doubt that their roster has talent, but there’s always one little thing that can ruin everything. Injuries? Coaching? Strength of Schedule? Sports is a hard business to predict, so no one knows.