As much as we may choose to not acknowledge the possibility one of our own is strikingly similar to a team with New York in its name, it is impossible to not recognize the similarities between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets. They are so similar in so many ways it is almost sickening.
They both wear green. They both have fans that for some reason cling to the Ryan family, the Eagles with Buddy Ryan and the Jets with Rex Ryan. They both despise the New York Giants, the Eagles being longtime division rivals and the Jets simply living in the shadows of the older franchise. Both franchises have signature representatives in the stands, with Fireman Ed serving as the longtime head cheerleader in the stands and Shaun Young gets fired up on gameday supporting the Eagles. Both teams have rather simple chants in which the fans simply spell out the team’s nickname, followed by shouting out the team name upon completion of the spelling as if this is all a qualifier for the Scripp’s National Spelling Bee. They both were coached by Rich Kotite and each has been a football home to quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Mike Vick and Tim Tebow.
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The Jets fans have the uneasy reality of having to live within the shadows of their New York Giants friends. That can never be easy with the Giants being one of the NFL’s top-tier franchises over the decades of the sport, and two recent Super Bowl titles coming against one of the Jets’ biggest hurdles in the AFC East, the New England Patriots. Much like Mets fans living in a bubble underneath the Yankees empire, Jets fans get a chance to pump their chests out once every couple of decades. This is really not all that unlike what Eagles fans are left to do. The Eagles have had stretches of dominance within the NFC East, especially at the height of the Andy Redi and Donovan McNabb era, but the Eagles never cashed in that success for a Vince Lombardi Trophy. While the Eagles may have toyed with the division, the ultimate bragging rights were always just out of reach.
The Jets have a Super Bowl championship thanks to Joe Namath, but that is a distant memory that a couple of generations of Jets fans can only dream of seeing again. We know that feeling, right?
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Eagles and Jets fans have experienced plenty of pain watching these teams over the years. It has been over 45 years since either team tasted the ultimate glory and bragging rights. The Eagles have never lost to the Jets (9-0 all-time, not counting meaningless preseason games). On Sunday, let’s see if the Eagles fans get at least one week to soak in the fun while one other long-suffering fanbase is left hanging their heads.
I predict the Eagles will pull off the upset with a 24-21 win over the New York Jets.
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