It should "surprise absolutely no one that the Jets are again putting the 'fun' in 'dysfunctional,'" after a locker room fight yesterday that led to QB Geno Smith being sidelined 6-10 weeks with a broken jaw, according to a front-page piece by USA TODAY's Nancy Armour, who writes under the header, "Jets Franchise Once Again Is A National Punchline." Armour: "Year after embarrassing year, millions of New Yorkers put their faith and trust ... in the Jets, convinced this season somehow will be different. It never is" (USA TODAY, 8/12). SNY’s Marc Malusis said it is the “same old story with this team, where you have embarrassing headlines and they become a little bit of a laughingstock” (“Daily News Live,” SNY, 8/11). ESPN N.Y.'s Ian O'Connor wrote the Jets "always lead the league in isolated incidents." No matter "how many noisemakers they eventually send out the door," from former coach Rex Ryan to former WR Santonio Holmes, "nothing ever changes." O'Connor: "The Jets don't want to be treated like a complete joke? Maybe they should stop acting like one" (ESPNNY.com, 8/11). In New Jersey, Steve Popper writes, "The names change, but it's the same old Jets. Dysfunction. Scandal. Controversy. Losing" (Bergen RECORD, 8/12). ESPN’s Dan Le Batard said, “This is the most Jets thing in the history of the Jets, replacing Mark Sanchez's butt fumble" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN2, 8/11). In N.Y., Gary Myers writes the Jets are "self-destructing before they get to their first preseason game, which is unusual even for them" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/12).
PAR FOR THE COURSE, UNFORTUNATELY: ESPN's Mike Greenberg said the last month "has been an abject disaster" for the Jets, with both the Smith incident and DE Sheldon Richardson's arrest last month. Greenberg: "The only word I can think of to use is ‘embarrassing.’ ... What it reflects is an organization in total flux and a total state of complete disarray" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 8/12). In N.Y., Steve Serby writes, "Long-suffering Jets fans have been forced to endure more wild and wacky episodes of dysfunction, outrageousness, mindlessness and amateur-hour silliness than fans of any other sports operation" (N.Y. POST, 8/12). ESPN's Michelle Beadle said, "If it wasn’t the Jets, we’d think this was a made-up story.” ESPN's Max Kellerman: "You can try to take the Jets out of the circus, but you can’t take the circus out of the Jets” (“SportsNation,” ESPN2, 8/11). In N.Y., Mike Lupica writes bad things "seem to happen" to the Jets "no matter who is in charge" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/12).
NEW FLIGHT PATTERN? In N.Y., Ben Shpigel in a front-page piece writes the episode "shocked and deflated the Jets, scrubbing the optimism that has permeated the franchise since a new regime took over in January and revamped the roster after four seasons without a playoff berth." Jets coach Todd Bowles yesterday cut LB Ikemefuna Enemkpali, who punched Smith, "without hesitation after gathering information, and he said he would have done the same with anyone else" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/12). FS1's Mike Hill said the incident is "proof that the Jets have a long way to go to get past the childish ways that have plagued that team in the past." He asked, "Why does it seem like this same circus happens with this team year after year?” FS1’s Mike Garafolo said, “This current regime is coming in with the intention of making the players, making the coaches, making the staff more accountable. You can only hope that that will take if you are a Jets fan” ("America's Pregame," FS1, 8/11). SNY’s Eamon McAnaney said Bowles has to “get rid of this culture now with the Jets” (“Loud Mouths,” SNY, 8/11). THE MMQB's Peter King writes, "If you’re rookie Jets coach Todd Bowles, you have to ask yourself: This ‘same old Jets’ thing was supposed to be a thing of the past when Rex Ryan left, but what in the world have I gotten myself into?" (MMQB.SI.com, 8/12).
