The Jets have called MetLife Stadium home for 15 months. But Sunday feels like opening night for their $1.6 billion digs in East Rutherford.
When the Patriots take the field for a mammoth AFC East showdown with the Jets, it will be a test to see whether this stadium can feel like the home of the Jets or just an overcrowded Manhattan cocktail party.
This is the biggest game the Jets have played in their new home. The question is whether it will feel like it.
Let’s face it, MetLife, formerly known as New Meadowlands, has not been a hit. Fans justifiably hate the PSLs. They hate the gray exterior. They hate the soulless feel to the palace on Route 3.
But maybe this game is what the place needs. Maybe Tom Brady walking in will bring the building to life. The sight of No. 12 has done it before. The most memorable home game of Jets coach Rex Ryan’s tenure was his first. On that September Sunday in 2009, Giants Stadium rocked as the Jets toppled Brady and the Patriots.
On Monday, Ryan asked the fans to duplicate that effort.
“Now this week, my shout-out is going to be to our fans,” said Ryan, who is 2-0 against the Patriots at home. “Our fans, we need them. Just like that first year when we called out our fans, we challenged our fans. They made the difference in that first game, there’s no doubt.
“As I look at it, the fans are coming off a bye week and they had a road game, so we’re rested. Our fans are rested. We’re ready for a huge performance, and we need you. That’s what we talk about, that home-field advantage. That’s where I think our fans can be the difference again.
“[We] expect a huge performance from our football team, but also from our fans, and I’m excited about it. I’m excited that the game’s here.”
The last three years have been a period of adjustment for sports fans around here. We’ve seen the old Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium and Giants Stadium razed. In their place have risen buildings that feel more about revenue than rabidness, that cater to the beautiful people rather than the face-painters.
The last few years have been filled with stories of fans who watched Joe Namath play at Shea get priced out of watching Mark Sanchez at MetLife. Tales of longtime season-ticket holders getting fed up and forced out have been plentiful for all of the local teams.
For the Jets, this new stadium was supposed to represent their first true home. The franchise has lived a nomadic existence in other people’s buildings, starting with the Polo Grounds. MetLife is a 50/50 split with the Giants, but the franchise does everything possible to make fans forget about Big Blue on game day.
Like the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, though, the organization can only do so much to make it feel like home. Most of it has to do with what’s happening on the field. Yankee Stadium felt like an imposter until the Yankees played some meaningful games with the Red Sox there late in 2009. Citi Field needs a Mets makeover before it becomes a tough ticket.
On Sunday, the moment arrives for the Jets and their fans. The Jets have a chance to see what their home field can truly sound and feel like. They have played 12 games there already. Brett Favre’s return last year had some juice. The season opener with the Cowboys this year got loud when Joe McKnight blocked a punt in the fourth quarter.
Nothing compares to this, though. Bill Belichick and Brady enter this game looking human. With both teams at 5-3, this feels like a division title game. It could determine whether the Jets bring a playoff game to MetLife this year.
Is that enough for the high rollers to put down their Chardonnay and shrimp cocktail? At about 8:30 Sunday night, we’ll find out.
Rex fixes early mistake
Rex Ryan the showman sometimes overshadows Rex Ryan the coach.
It’s tough to get past the headline-making quotes and jokes, but Ryan may have saved the Jets’ season by acknowledging his own mistake.
Ryan admits now that he fell in love with the idea of a wide-open offense featuring S
antonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason. After the Ravens took the Jets apart in Week 4, Ryan scrapped the pass- happy plan and went back to more of a run-first attack.
The move seemed questionable at the time because the Jets were about to play the Patriots in Foxborough, and the Pats were the worst team in the league against the pass, as they still are. The Jets lost 30-21, but Ryan and his players came away from that loss feeling like they had made progress by returning to their “Ground and Pound” roots.
Four weeks later, the progress is obvious. The Jets offense moved the ball with ease Sunday at Buffalo. Their success was obscured by two Mark Sanchez turnovers in the first half, but it is clear this offense is hitting its stride.
Where the Jets offense is now can be traced back to Ryan’s decision in early October. Look past the shtick and you will see Ryan is putting together a nice coaching job.
* A look at the remaining schedules for the three teams tied for first in the AFC East shows that the Jets have the toughest slate of games.
The combined record of the Jets’ remaining eight opponents is 30-34; the Patriots’ opponents are a combined 24-41; and the Bills’ are 27-37.
The Patriots and Bills face no one outside the division with a winning record. Their biggest tests come when they face each other and the Jets.
The Jets have a showdown with the 6-2 Giants on Christmas Eve that could hold huge playoff implications.
As for gimme games, the Patriots take on the 0-9 Colts and the 1-7 Dolphins. The Bills get the Dolphins twice down the stretch, and the Jets end the season in Miami.