I have been pretty disgusted with a lot of the guys on our current roster and the rosters of the past 3 or 4 seasons. I suffered through guys like Santonio Holmes who make you wonder why anyone would ever pay to buy a jersey with the name and number of a selfish diva. To be clear, I'm not referring to guys who were injury prone, didn't live up to expectations or who were wildly inconsistent.
This thread is about attitude and personality. To some fans it means nothing. They simply want the players to show up and play hard on Sunday, and I get it. But for me as a fan who lives and dies with this team, who truly bleeds green, the public persona of these players matters to me. I don't just root for a player because they are on the roster. I also don't, for a minute, think I know who they really are as people. I just know their aforementioned public personas. It matters to me because everyone I know associates me with the Jets and these players represent what this organization is all about.
One of my all time favorite players was Chad Pennington. I loved his intangibles and I could really root for this guy. He was a polarizing figure in Jet land, and I admit that I wasn't reasonable regarding the fact he was never going to get us to the promise land. He was limited physically in too many ways. But only hindsight has shown me that. When he was on our roster I had 100% faith in him.
Our current team, led by a self obsessed, immature overrated DE like Richardson who can't stop mouthing off on social media and an undedicated, lazy QB who flips off his own fans in his home stadium is hard to root for in general. These guys have done nothing since 2010 that has inspired me personally. But, instead of focusing on them I wanted to shout out a few players who's passion for the game is displayed ever time they step on the field, and who I can truly say I am a fan of.
This list has gotten shorter and shorter over the years. Parcells squads in the late 90's had a host of players who were root worthy. Our 2004 squad was overflowing with guys I was excited to see play and truly rooted for as individuals. Not so much today, it's a much shorter list.
Demario Davis. Loved him as a draft pick, high motor, loves contact and violence, fast, smart... and he was one of the few players who called out Rex and his teammates last season when the loses started to pile up in 2014. He's a winner and I am excited to see him take David Harris's job this season as an every down ILB.
Chris Ivory. He's pretty quiet off the field but his voice is heard when he's on it. He plays hard, works hard and combines speed vision and pure power. I love power backs like him who can find another gear when they see some daylight. This guy embodies the approach of "shut up and do your job". Very few players like that on this squad.
Jeremy Kerley. Even watching this guy at practice is exciting. His route tree is elite, not afraid to go over the middle and he has earned his nickname Mr. 3rd down. He suffered some weird decline at the end of the 2014 season that coincided with his getting a nice contract extension. I hope that was some weird fluke. High hopes for him in 2015.
Eric Decker. Another guy who practices hard. He's a guy you can be proud of as a fan. Great representation of what you want on and off the field. And the hot wife doesn't hurt his image at all.
Nick Mangold. Is there any dude you would want to have a beer with more than Nick? His consistent dominant play is obviously why Jet fans love him, but I am confident he adds a lot of chemistry to the locker room. He's funny and now he's a savvy vet who I am sure commands the respect of every player on the team. There have been a lot of highs and lows since he was drafted in 2006. But this guy has been a source of pride for Jets fans since the day he became a Jet. I'd rank him a top 5 draft pick in our teams history.
Finally... Brandon Marshall. If you told me 4 years ago that I would have this guy on my list I would have laughed so hard I'd piss my pants. But this guy has courageously found help, turned his life around, become a role model and a leader. I am truly inspired by his transformation. He's a game changer on the field and hyper competitive. He survived that epic collapse in Chicago last year with out losing it and saying anything too stupid. I also love him calling out Revis and Cro on twitter before OTA's this past week. Healthy competition breeds success. He will be a big help with getting this roster to bond with one another. I am proud that he is a Jet.
My top 5 players who I can't stand based on attitude are Geno (not committed), Richardson (ignorant child), Milliner (delusional), Revis (selfish disloyal douche), and David Harris.
Harris is a good guy on and off the field and has been pretty underrated as a top ILB throughout his career. The reason I don't root for hi is because he is simply not a leader. The Jets have needed a vocal leader at his position since he was drafted. he's done us a disservice by being as quiet as a mouse. I admire his production and durability, but this is the one guy who we don't need to shut up, and instead w e have a mime as the QB of our defense for the past 8 years.
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