Fan sends his Chrebet jersey to Jets HQ

Enclosed, you will find a Wayne Chrebet New York Jets jersey. I am hereby returning this jersey to your franchise because I find myself too embarrassed to be seen wearing it in public. The New York Jets have reached a new low in terms of embarrassment, and I simply can no longer continue suffering as a fan.

I realize that it is very difficult to be critical of a team who lost their starting quarterback during the pre-season. However, the utter abomination that is this football season for the New York Jets lies not in their players, but their coaching staff. An introspective analysis of the outrageous play calling by the Jets, has led me to the conclusion that the Jets simply are not interested in winning football games. Therefore I have concluded that I simply cannot support a franchise that has no desire to win.

I lay no blame on the players. Vinny Testaverde has been flawless in his execution of the Jets game plan. However, the game plan itself has been futile. Nor do I blame Wayne Chrebet, whose name adorns the jersey I am returning. It is difficult to be productive as a wide receiver when the ball is not thrown down the field to be caught.

I lay complete and total blame on Offensive Coordinator Paul Hackett and Head Coach Herman Edwards. The plays called for the offense to run lack any intensity, intelligence, and show positively no desire on the part of these two men to generate wins for this football team. I have never seen in my seventeen years as a New York Jets fan seen an offensive schema that shows so little ingenuity, originality, or ability to adjust. The root of the problem lies purely within Paul Hackett, who fails to recognize that Vinny Testaverde is not Chad Pennington. Vinny Testaverde is a strong-armed quarterback with volumes of experience at his disposal. However he lacks the mobility to run a west-coast offense. I realize this, as do other players, coaches, reporters, football analysts, announcers, and fans. However, Mr. Hackett does not, as is obvious in his refusal to adjust the Jets offensive game plan. This stubborn denial to make necessary changes to better the Jets’ chances of winning football games is an obvious indication that Paul Hackett would rather promote his personal agenda, rather than make decisions that would indicate that he is wrong. In my opinion, no such person should hold a position as important as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets.

While Paul Hackett is clearly the root of this lack of desire to win, I must also place some of the blame on Head Coach Herman Edwards. There are certain events that fall outside of the realm of control of a head coach. Losing your starting quarterback to injury during a pre-season game is one of them. Coming into this season, under those circumstances, it is quite difficult to expect the continued success that coach Edwards had in the prior two seasons. However, one of Coach Edwards’ main responsibilities as head coach is the day-to-day operation of the football team. I think it is safe to assume that the offensive play calling is part of what would be considered day-to-day operations. Coach Edwards has failed to put an end to end the pathetic offensive play calling by Offensive Coordinator Paul Hackett. I think it is reasonable to expect the head coach of a National Football League team to recognize a poor offensive plan, and to put a stop to it.

Now I realize that I do not have the professional football experience that Mr. Hackett and Mr. Edwards have. A professional football team has never hired me in any capacity. However, it does not take an Ivy League degree to recognize a repeating pattern of persisting faulty decisions that continue to bring about failure, over and over. Fortunately, I happen to be blessed with a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and I would like to bring to your attention three of the many major strategic adjustments that Paul Hackett refuses to implement.

• If your running back fails to gain any serious yardage after running the ball up the middle of the offensive line a dozen times, perhaps a different running play should be called, or dare I suggest a passing play.
• If a situation calls for a pass play to gain a first down, the chances of converting that first down greatly increases when the length of the pass is greater than the yards needed for the first down.
• Curtis Conway is incapable of catching a forward pass. Conway should never be considered a receiving option before Wayne Chrebet or Santana Moss, and frankly, he should be removed from the team as quickly as possible.

Rather than continue with the humiliation, the misery, and the outright anguish of supporting a team that has no desire to win, I have chosen to resign, and I am returning my jersey to your organization. Perhaps I will be able to return one day as a fan, when the New York Jets once again show interest in winning football games. The immediate dismissal of Paul Hackett would suffice. I find it difficult to put the full blame on Head Coach Herman Edwards, given the devastating injury to his starting quarterback. However, Paul Hackett shows no desire to win in his decisions, must be removed from his position as Offensive Coordinator of the New York Jets. Until someone is hired to hold the offensive coordination position that can learn from constructive criticism, show a willingness to adjust, and call plays that aid in the winning football games, I will no longer support the New York Jets. I guess you could accuse me of being a fair-weather fan, however, the only fair weather that ever blessed this franchise was in the year 1969, five years before my birth. Therefore, I have never had any fair weather to cling to.

Please feel free to donate my jersey to charity, use it in practice drills, or whatever you feel it best. I simply cannot endure the personal humiliation of wearing the jersey of a team that has no desire to win.