New York Jets football fans have been ripped apart, seemingly from the inside, as the team struggles to come to grips with losing star quarterback Aaron Rodgers in opening game.
The Jets opened their season with a week 1 win over the Bills, but their season was wrenched asunder by the injury suffered by Rodgers on the first snap of the game for the Jets.
It turns out these Bills are pretty good, winning their next two games, but it has been downhill for divisional rivals the New York Jets, losing back-to-back games. The Jets sit in last place in the AFC East Division.
The fallout over the form of new starter QB Zach Wilson is reaching fever pitch.
The intensity of the fan discussions around the water coolers and bars was brought onto the airwaves this week, with WFAN radio highlighting the frailties and divisions amongst Jets fans.
The friction spilled over earlier in the week when Tiki Barber and Joe Benigno went toe-to-toe, encapsulating the best of afternoon drive action.
Host Boomer Esiason explained how afternoon radio works by saying it is “just the complete idiocy of fandom”.
“I was thinking that Tiki, who’s so reserved, I wanted to send him a text this morning like, ‘Welcome to afternoon drive and just the complete idiocy of fandom,’” Esiason said.
Legendary WFAN afternoon host Benigno, who has been retired for three years, turned his venting anger on the team’s poor performance on Barber, who ultimately stepped out of the studio to calm himself down, and get “down with some Dunkin”.
“Joe, who I believe just turned 70, is wearing a Jets sweatshirt, a Jets hat, he’s got a Joe Namath jersey thumbtacked to the wall behind him, and he is screaming at Tiki’s credibility breaking down Zach Wilson,” show co-host Gregg Gianotti said.
“And here’s Tiki … and he’s gotta deal with this wacko on Zoom.”
“Welcome to talk radio,” Esiason laughed.
It seems like everything is on the air, off the chest at WFAN, and if you tune in, expect to hear more bouts of fandom, especially of the Jets lose to the Chiefs at home in week 4.
The Kansas City team are the defending Superbowl champions, and the Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce team should have the beating of the New York team.
Expect wailing, gnashing of teeth and more apologies ahead.
