Here’s to a better Jets year and decade

I like to think of the New Year as a time of renewal where we can put behind the disappointments of the past and dream of a bright future.

Today is the final day of 2019. It has been a difficult calendar year for the Jets. From the offseason through the games, I think of it as a year of squandered opportunities. There is no reason to rehash the ownership decisions, personnel moves, and bitter Sundays in the autumn.

It is also the final day of the decade. The 2010’s have been rough for Jets fans. They started with a wonderful season where the Jets won 11 regular season games and 2 more in the postseason before falling just short of the Super Bowl. The good times ended there. The following nine years had some good moments, but they were far outnumbered by the disappointments.

One of the beauties of sports is a team’s fortune can turn around suddenly. A team can be a laughingstock for a long stretch, but that does not condemn it permanently to irrelevance. Sometimes things change dramatically overnight.

As we embark upon a new decade, there is plenty to be excited about for the Jets. This team has its issues and question marks. Steadying the ship will not be an easy task. But there are some big reasons for hope.

Two of the most important jobs on an NFL team are quarterback and general manager. The Jets don’t have a proven figure in either position, but both Sam Darnold and Joe Douglas are widely respected by league types. Many have projected greatness for both. For all of the issues on this team, the 2020’s can be a magical decade for the Jets if both live up to their promise with Darnold leading the team and Douglas building around him.

I look forward to experiencing these things with you. And I’d like to say thank you for stopping by to share the experience of the Jets with us over the last ten years whether you were with us on January 1, 2010, just found us today, or started coming by at some point in between. Maybe you agree with me all of the time. Maybe think I’m a fool. Maybe you comment. Maybe you just read.

No matter which group you belong to, this decade would have been a lot less fun without you.