My Thoughts On The Super Bowl

I've been alive 37 years. I just missed by 2 years being alive for the Jets in the Super Bowl, not that I would have even remembered it at that age. Now, I'm suffering and sweating it out as the Giants make their 4th Super Bowl appearance during my life time.

I can't imagine what it would be like to witness the Jets WIN the AFC Championship game, especially on a field goal in overtime to get this team to the Super Bowl. Even more, I can't imagine it being a HOME game in New Jersey and winning. Can you imagine the walk leaving the stadium and heading back to the car? I get chills just thinking about it. I've had a Mets World Series Win. I've had three Devils Stanley Cup Championship Wins. But, my sports life is incomplete without that Jets Super Bowl Win. I can't imagine how good it would feel? For 2 weeks my team would be in the paper with the big game being hyped up. Then, imagine waking up and not moving from the TV from 8:00 am until game time. The knots in the stomach. The pacing back and fourth. The cheers. The nausea. The sweaty palms. Seriously, I don't know if I could even handle it. I'd be a mess.

Obviously, the Jets are not there yet and when they have been, it's been heart break. We were close a few times. Remember the Mud Bowl? We lost 14-0 because Don Shula didn't want Freeman McNeil to run all over their asses. So, he didn't cover the field and made it impossible to run the ball. So, it forced Richard Todd to throw the ball which he did great...to the wrong team (see AJ Duhe). Then, there was the AFC Championship in Denver. We had a 10-0 lead at half-time and then mid-way through the 3rd quarter, we had a meltdown. I think we had 6 turnovers. The game quickly became an embarrassment. The feeling inside was pure nausea. Finally, there was a game in Pittsburgh. A win there, and we'd be in the AFC Championship vs. the Patriots. But, we figured out how to blow that game by becoming too conservative and trying to kick an impossible field goal on 3rd down instead of trying to move the ball closer to make it easier on the kicker. To this day, I still don't blame Doug Brien for missing the kick. That loss was all Herm Edwards not playing the odds and not properly managing the clock. So, it was heart break again.

It's been way too long since we've made the Super Bowl. The last age group to witness a Super Bowl victory was 39/40 years old and there is no way they even remember it. So, I'm saying around 7 years old, you start having sports memories. So, for arguments sake, you have to be around 47 years old to even slightly remember the Jets' Super Bowl victory over the Colts. That was EONS ago.

In this same span, now the Giants, our hated cross-town rivals, are back in the game for their 4th time. I hate the Patriots as well as they are divisional rivalries. People don't understand how I can not root for the Giants. First of all, growing up, the biggest Jets rivals were the Dolphins. No one ever gave two craps about the Patriots. The Patriots didn't become our main rivals until midway through the 90's. Secondly, how can you root for your rivals in state? Not many people understand this as not many cities have TWO teams. When you only have 1 team in your area, your arch enemy becomes your division rival. For most avid Jets fans, hating the Giants is a must. And for those people that root for both the Giants and Jets because they are local, I have one thing to tell them - PISS OFF. You are not a true fan if you root for both teams. That's just stupid so their rooting interest isn't worth listening too.

Some people have given me the argument of Division Rivals being deeper than Geographical Rivals. But, those giving me that argument come from Giants and Yankees fans. It's different for fans of those teams. Yankees have a long glorified history purchasing 26 or so championships. So, if the Mets made the World Series vs their hated divisional enemy, the Red Sox, they'd probably root for the Mets as there is nothing more hated than the Sox. However, if the Yankees were in the World Series playing the Braves (the Mets divisional rival), I'd root for the Braves as the history is not as strong of a rival as Yankees / Red Sox. Plus, I hate the Yankees more than any other baseball team. They've won so many World Series that no one but Yankees fans would EVER root for them. Same applies to football. The Giants are the Jets geographical rivals. Giants have now made their 4th Super Bowl and have a history of championships before the Super Bowl ever began. If the Jets were to EVER make the Super Bowl against the Cowboys, the same applies for Giants fans. The history vs the Cowboys is so much stronger and has so much more hatred than a Jets / Patriots rivalry which, in terms of NFL History, is pretty new. So, Giants fans would root for the Jets to beat the Cowboys and would bother them less than the Cowboys winning another Super Bowl. This is why the Patriots better destroy the Giants.

Come on. The Giants aren't a great team. Hell...they've had a hell of a year winning all of these road games. And it makes it worse that they are in the Super Bowl after what Strahan pulled in training camp to now be rewarded with a Super Bowl appearance. Eli is a weak QB. He's made it through the play-offs playing all of the other WEAK NFC opponents as you have to play someone...right? The Bucs didn't even have a better record than the Giants but won their division to have home field advantage. I don't think the Bucs even deserved to be in the play-offs. Then, there was the Cowboys who have been NFC choke artists for 7 years. Tony Romo takes a Mexican vacation with his girlfriend a few days before the biggest game of his life and played like he was still on vacation. Now, the Giants take on the Packers who played above their heads all year. And, Farve makes his typical HUGE interception with the game on the line. Crap...all of a sudden, the Giants are in the Super Bowl.

Bring on the Patriots. Yes, the Giants played the Patriots closer than any other team in the NFL but still lost. The game was meaningless. Yeah, it was nice for the Patriots to try and get to 16-0 but again, the game was meaningless. I'm not convinced they played 100% but instead, played to get by. This team is now focused on making history, trying to become the league's first 19-0 perfect season. And I don't see those Big Blue fags getting in their way. I actually think this game could be like the Super Bowls growing up - Ugly and Over by half-time.

Yes, it definitely sucks that the Giants are in the Super Bowl and I'm quite jealous since I've never been in that position, but when the Jets ever do get there (knock on wood), I hope they don't run into a team of destiny.

PTJD - Post Traumatic Jets Disorder

What is Post Traumatic Jets Disorder?

Posttraumatic Jets Disorder, or PTJD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or extended periods of rooting for the NY Jets. Witnessing events such as Late hits on Bernie Kosar, The Mud Bowl, Blair Thomas, Leon Johnson Halfback Pass, The Fake Spike, Doug Brien and losses against Cleveland and Buffalo in 2006. Most survivors of this kind of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time.

These individuals may develop PTJD. People who suffer from PTJD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's daily life.

PTJD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTJD is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person's ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting and wearing of Jet Green in public places.

Understanding PTJD

PTJD is not a new disorder. There are written accounts of similar symptoms that go back to the early 1960's, and there is clear documentation in the historical medical literature starting with the 1970, when a PTJD-like disorder was known as "Da Namath's Knee Syndrome."

Careful research and documentation of PTJD began in earnest after the Super Bowl III. The National NY Jets Fan's Readjustment Study estimated in 1988 that the prevalence of PTJD in that group was 15.2% at that time and that 30% had experienced the disorder at some point since the early 1970's.

PTJD is not only a problem for veteran Jets Fans, however. Although there are unique cultural- and gender-based aspects of the disorder, it occurs in men and women, adults and children, Western and non-Western cultural groups, and all socioeconomic strata. A national study of American civilians conducted in 1995 estimated that the lifetime prevalence of PTJD was 99% in men and 1% in women. A revision of this study done in 2005, reports that PTJD occurs in about 53% of all New Yorkers.

How does PTJD develop?

Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event experience some of the symptoms of PTJD in the days and weeks following exposure. Available data suggest that about 99% of men and 1% of women go on to develop PTJD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout their lifetimes.

An estimated 88.8 percent of Jets Fans will experience PTJD at some point in their lives. About 97.6 percent of NY adult Jets Fans aged 18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTJD during the course of a given year. This represents a small portion of those who have experienced at least one traumatic event.

What are some symptoms of PTJD?

Headaches, gastrointestinal complaints, immune system problems, dizziness, chest pain, and discomfort in other parts of the body are common in people with PTJD. Often, medical doctors treat the symptoms without being aware that they stem from PTJD.

How is PTJD treated?

PTJD is treated by a variety of forms of psychotherapy (talk therapy) and drug therapy. There is no definitive treatment, but some treatments appear to be quite promising, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure therapy. Exposure therapy involves having the patient repeatedly relive the frightening experience under controlled conditions to help him or her work through the trauma such as replays of the Kotite Years. Studies have also shown that medications help ease associated symptoms of depression and anxiety and help with sleep. The most widely used drug treatments for PTJD are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac and Zoloft.

Is there a cure?

There is only one cure for PTJD and that is a Super Bowl win. Is Mangini the answer? Can he save present and future sufferers from PTJD? Only time will tell.

http://nyjetsfan.com/

Gate D

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