Painful Memories

Edition #567

Good morning! ☕

We’re going to keep this Friday edition short as I have a very sick little one on my hands this morning, and I’m going to take Bobber’s suggestion of introducing some talking points for the off-season at the end of the week. There are a few bits and pieces to get to, so let’s take a look.

⚪🔵 The New York Giants announced the hiring of Michael Ghobrial as their special teams coordinator. Ghobrial was the Jets’ assistant special teams coach under Brent Boyer. Boyer is one of the best in the business, so the Giants have likely got themselves a good one in Ghobrial. It’s always a shame to lose coaches, but congratulations to him on his promotion.

🎰 He’s not the only Jets coach moving up in the world. Defensive assistant Ricky Manning Jr. has been hired as the Las Vegas Raiders defensive backs coach. Congratulations to Ricky, I wonder if he’d have stepped into Marquand Manuel’s role, had the Jets safeties coach been hired as the Jaguars defensive coordinator.

😬 Washington Post reporter Jason La Canfora had a piece out about the 2024 hot seats for coaches and GMs and he had some bits on the Jets. “Aaron Rodgers is a year older and as hellbent on distractions as ever, and that offensive line needs a major overhaul, as does the tight ends room. As we’ve reported in the past, owner Woody Johnson’s discontent with Saleh was already becoming clear to some of his peers by around Thanksgiving 2022, and the franchise being bound to Rodgers for another year at $38 million guaranteed — and his desire for the status quo on the coaching staff — saved everyone’s jobs more than anything else. That financial commitment to Rodgers ends in 2025. Saleh’s defense wilted down the stretch, more locker room unrest poured out, and Rodgers’s production was already waning significantly before he left Green Bay. “It’s set up to fail,” one longtime NFL personnel executive said. “The quarterback is somehow even more empowered now, and he only played four snaps.” Predicted another GM: “Saleh won’t make it to the finish line” in 2024.”

😱 The NFL announced the comeback Player of the Year nominees and Breece Hall was not one of the finalists, despite tearing his ACL and then coming back to record 1500+ all-purpose yards behind a bad offensive line and an inept passing game that ensured he saw plenty of stacked boxes. Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa was on the list despite appearing in 13 games last season.

🔴⚪ The Atlanta Falcons hired Raheem Morris to be their head coach, which means it’s becoming more and more likely that Bill Belichick will not be coaching in the NFL next season for the first time in nearly 50 years. He’s worked in the NFL every year since being hired by the Baltimore Colts in 197a

🟢⚪ As Jets fans we all have our scars, more than maybe any other fanbase in professional football. We’ve seen very little success and had plenty of “what if” moments.

But what is your most painful memory as a Jets fan?

To get things going, I’m going back to 2004. I first started watching the Jets in the very late 90’s, The NFL wasn’t overly accessible in the UK at that point, but I had parents who indulged my sports obsession.