The Biggest Win of the Year

Hey guys, Drew back here! Yeah, I know, it's been weeks. I can explain. The lapse began with my final exams and ended with about a week on the shelf after having all four of my wisdom teeth pulled. Christmas came in the midst of my recovery (Happy Holidays to all of you!), and yesterday I returned to Metlife Stadium with my Dad for the first time since 2010 to witness the Jets' biggest win of the season. So, it's been an extremely jam packed few weeks, but I hope to be back to catch you all up on my collection before I leave for Florence about a month from now.

As I said, Dad and I went to the Meadowlands yesterday for the biggest game of the Jets' season. We bought the tickets for his birthday in September because we always wanted to see them play against the Patriots despite our pure hatred for all things Brady & Belichick. To be honest though, I did feel honored to get to watch Brady play in person, as much as I wanted to see our defense break his legs and knock them out of contention. He is the best quarterback I've ever had the pleasure of watching. He creates something out of nothing practically every season, is remarkably clutch, and has left a lasting legacy in New England (despite some of the mysterious controversies hidden in the Pats organization). 

The Jets always like to make things interesting. They have had an impressive season thus far, with their record standing at 9-5 before yesterday's matchup. However, throughout all of my years as a football fan, whenever a game is down to the wire, the Jets seem to always manage to find a way to lose it. They had a two touchdown lead over New England midway through the third quarter until Ryan Fitzpatrick fumbled the ball, which was recovered for a Patriots touchdown. From that point until the end of regulation, their offense disappeared. 

The view from our seats was outstanding!

But, perhaps due to the luck of the 10% Irish in my blood, this time they managed to pull away with the victory. The Patriots won the coin toss in overtime but elected to kick rather than receive, and I was totally confused by the decision (as many others appeared to be as well). We took advantage of Belichick's blunder and drove down the field like it was the first half all over again. It capped off with a beautiful pass from Fitzpatrick to Eric Decker that gave us a crucial advantage for making the playoffs. I don't know if I had ever been happier to be a Jet fan than I was in that moment, practically leaping into my dad's arms with joy while screaming at the top of my lungs!

Since the Ravens beat the Steelers, we control our own destiny as Gang Green rolls into Buffalo to meet with former ringleader Rex Ryan in the final week of the regular season. Bills running back Boobie Dixon has already considered it their team's "Super Bowl", as it would boost their spirits going into the offseason if they knock the Jets out of the playoff race. After watching yesterday's game, I'm relatively confident that we will do what it takes to advance. But, rule #1 of being a Jets fan is to never, EVER get overly confident.

Regardless of next week's outcome, I can say that I watched a hell of a game yesterday and had an amazing time with my Dad. We have gotten to attend some spectacular events in the past, and this one will rank near the top of them all. I'd like to thank our new GM Mike Maccagnan for making this season happen. His trades for Fitzpatrick and receiver Brandon Marshall, along with revamping our entire defense and bringing back Revis Island have all been key components to this great year. It would be a shame if a 10 win team with this level of talent doesn't make the playoffs, but as long as he's calling the shots it may not be the last time we make a run for it in coming seasons.

We were handed a few five card mini sets of Jets players on the way out. I have a few extra, in case anyone is interested. I don't collect football cards nearly as heavily as baseball, but I like to see the updated designs Topps creates each year. I'm a fan of this year's industrial design, and hope to have some more Jets from the set roll in as time goes by.

I have a bunch of great things to show off in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout for that. I've gotten five TTM's in that I didn't expect and a few really thoughtful Christmas gifts to share. 

Until next time, see ya!

Words Cannot Describe Last Night!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Yesterday, I went over to my friends house for a Playoff Party, and we had an amazing time! Of course, that would've been different had the Jets not pulled off an incredible upset on my least favorite football team, the New England Patriots! All the smack talk from those fans has diminished, and our smack talk is real talk. Rex Ryan talked an awful lot of trash all week, but, if that is how he motivates his players, then it works for me!

The Jets seriously played their hearts out last night, and brought Brady to the ground so many times. In my opinion, I've never seen a worse Tom Brady. He was my fantasy football quarterback this year in a league with my friends, and he led me to the Championship, in which I won! He had an incredible season, but, last night, he looked awful! He lobbed a bunch of passes and he just looked more like Mark Sanchez than himself.

Sanchez on the other hand was great, and he seems like he's starting to really get a grasp of the pressure filled games. He was 16/25 for 194 yards and 3 touchdowns, which was just enough to sneak past the Patriots. He seems really calm and cool in the pocket in big situations, which is a great sign for the future!

To all you Jets haters, watch out! This is the second straight year we've reached the championship game, and we have some major momentum right now, beating Peyton Manning AND Tom Brady! Super Bowl or Bust!

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!!

See Ya!

GET PUMPED! It's Game Time!

Go Rex's GANG GREEN!!

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!!!!

Jets Game Card Pickups!

Hey guys, Drew back here. As you may know, my dad may have more of an urge to buy me cards than I do. He doesn't collect, but he sure loves when I collect. Here are some things he got me at the Jets Game:

1. 1 Jets 100 Card Lot of Random Cards

I've gotten quite a few of these in the past, always something you will find at the Meadowlands Stadium. Usually nothing overly exciting, but sometimes you'll find some cool inserts. I've gotten a majority of my Curtis Martin and Keyshawn Johnson collections from these, as majority of the lots have at least 10 Curtis Martins and 5 Keyshawns. Not bad stuff though, liking the Curtis Martins!

2. 2009 UD Rookie Premiere Set

This is a pretty cool set of 30 cards highlighting the future stars of the 2009 Draft. It has rookies of some of the NFL's new talents, such as Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford, Josh Freeman, Percy Harvin, Kenny Britt, Hakeem Nicks, and LeSean McCoy, as well as many other highly touted young guys. The design is nice and the shots are nice and bright. Definitely am a fan!

3. 5 Packs of 2010 Panini Adrenalyn and 5 Packs of 2010 Score

I haven't tried much of any 2010 football releases other than some Donruss Elite and some Topps flagship, so it was nice to crack open some newer packs. The Adrenalyn stuff was ok, it's more of a kids game, similar to Topps Attax in baseball, so it kinda is kiddish. Since that is the purpose of the product, nice job Panini! The design is decent, but my favorite part is the extremely cool look of the players on the cards. It seems like they added some sort of effect on the players, and it looks cooler. Lastly, I pulled 3 "special" inserts of Rey Maualuga, Jamaal Charles, and Jets running back Shonn Greene!

Score was a nice surprise for me. I like the look of the splattered paint, its pretty fresh and I guess clean! I pulled quite a few decent base cards as well as some rookies and nice inserts! The Dez Bryant Hot Rookies insert was sweet as well as the odd Aaron Rodgers big head insert. But whats this? More?

Yeah, we hit an autograph! It's of Redskins safety LaRon Landry! Not a huge pull, but it has decent value and its of a solid player, so I'm happy. If anybody wants the card, let me know if you have anything I would like to trade for.

Thanks so much as always dad! See Ya!

Jets Game Last Night!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Last night as you may have read about already on the blog, my dad and I went down to the Meadowlands for the Thanksgiving Night Game! Instead of the traditional family thanksgiving we have, we decided to mix things up this year and go to the game! We arrived extra early, perhaps because of the fact that we didn't know how traffic would be, and we wanted to get there early to see what the new stadium was like. Not only was it our first game to the new Meadowlands Stadium, but it also was my first football night game! I pumped myself up in the car listening to some Jay-Z and Eminem stuff, and I was ready to go!

The Jets were playing the Cincinatti Bengals, who were 2-8, having lost 8 games in a row leading up to Thanksgiving Night. We sure did have an advantage going in, but over the past 3 weeks we've barely been able to hang on to beat some of the worst teams in football (Detroit, Cleveland, Houston). Still a wins a win and it doesn't necessarily matter how you win, as long as you win.

So, we arrived and were in amazement of how nice the new field was! It was somewhat similar to the old stadium, but a whole lot nicer! In each corner of the field is a large HD screen that showed all the game live, as well as statistics and other information. I took quite a few pictures, so I'll let them tell the story for a little while...

I took quite a few Bengals pictures because they warmed up on our side of the field. This one is definitely my favorite one though, showing kicker Aaron Pettrey warming up. I've never heard of him but it seems like he's young and not so trusted by his team. I say this because late in the game they went for it in his field goal territory.

Yeah, there's me by our seats. We were in the 4th row in the middle level. Every seat was a good seat at the stadium for sure, even though they were small with not a lot of space. The rows were high enough behind the row in front of it that you could see well unless the people in front of you got up. Unfortunately, I was stuck squished in my seat by a big guy that sat next to me and took up majority of my seat hahaha.

The Jets were pumped and ready for this one for sure. Unlike the last few games, they were actually able to take a somewhat good lead. I'm not going to go into depth on the game because a lot of you already know that the Jets kicked butt, 26-10 final. Special teams talent Brad Smith made 2 key plays, a 53 yard run and an 89 yard kickoff return touchdown! Sanchez didn't have his strongest of games, but he managed to throw a touchdown to Santonio Holmes. All in all it was an extremely good game, and I had a great time with my dad! Heres a few more pictures I took throughout the game:

See Ya!

Awesome Day Tomorrow!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Last week, my dad surprised me with 2 tickets to the Jets vs. Bengals game on Thanksgiving Night! I really wanted to go to a game, but the tickets were really expensive. Dad didn't care however as he also really wanted to go, and here we are! I've never been to such a big football game, and a night game too, so I'm really excited to go!

The Jets haven't played extremely well as of late but they've been able to come back and win the last 3 games. My finger nails are practically bitten off and goose bumps have came to me too often, but it's worth seeing Mark Sanchez march down the field leading the Jets to victory. He's gonna be great, I can almost guarantee it!

I might try for some autographs before the game, unfortunately the security guys are pretty strict there. I'll try the best I can though, planning on bringing a football and a silver sharpie. Let me know if you have any advice for me! Wish me luck! Before I go, since I won't be here tomorrow, I just want to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving! Thank you for everything you've done to keep this blog the way it is today and for all the support you've given me since I began to write on this blog! You're all becoming great friends and I love trading and connecting with you guys!

See Ya!

Wait Till Next Year: The On-Going Saga of Jet's failureness

I hate crying like a baby, or whining like a teenager, but, I am awfully sick and tired of waiting. We have failed to perform when it counts in the past 41 years and counting, and my question is... will we ever get this opportunity again? We have one heck of a head coach, and one heck of a team, but do we have the heart? I really don't think so. We played a heck of a game in the 1st 2 quarters, but after Feely missed 2 field goals and lack of offensive production, it's just another game to add to the list of embarrassments. I'm gonna hate going to school tomorrow, I'm gonna hate it all week. And the press isn't gonna shut up. When you're in New York and are a terrible team turned into a contender, you are going to be looked highly of, and in NY, it's too much. We're gonna be hearing the same garbage throughout the next week. The Jets suck all this and that, firing Rex Ryan, trading Mark Sanchez, and all that other ridiculous stuff that comes out. I'm happy where we got, and I'm happy we did better than the Giants, but after looking forward for a Super Bowl party 2 weeks from today this sucks. We looked too far ahead as usual, and it's really embarrassing to think about. C'mon baseball season!

New Card Acquisitions

Hey guys, Drew back here with more stuff, many new acquisitions recently, and I 1st will start off by saying thanks to my mom, who got me 2 packs of Upper Deck 09 Football, I pulled tons of stars in those bricks and pulled a Glen Coffee rookie card. Nice! So, these 3 acquisitions are provided by Ryan's Memorabilia, GSNHOF, and my Jets game cards! Here yall go:

The Jets Game

Hey guys, Drew back here, just recapturing the day that was yesterday, the day of a great game. So, my dad and I went down to a McDonalds to meet up with his friend and 7 year old son Matthew, who kept informing us it was his second game. We got lost on the way to McDonalds, my dad wasn't in a good mood, and it was getting ugly at that point. But, eventually, we got there, I ate my McGriddle, and we were off.

So, we got to the stadium, very gray, rainy, and a new stadium right next store. Many things were going on, and Matthew would say every 5 seconds, "let's play football", but we wanted to wait until the gate for the parking area was closed, and it never closed, yet we still played. It was fun, but after I ate 3 cookies, I was a little full, but that didn't matter.

Then, we got into the stadium. We found our seats, 8 rows up on the 10 yard line, very nice, good environment, Jet's sideline side. The Jets just came out, and I took my poncho off at that point! Took out my camera, and got some pictures of the Jets (you'll see em soon). Both teams wore vintage jerseys, the Jets were the Titans for the day and the Titans were the Oilers, and the refrees wore orange instead of black.

There he was. I was destined to have him on my team. Even though he is from California, so I've never seen him before. He has a last name many people have heard before (no, not Ihedigbo), and a very common first name. He is Mark Sanchez, and he is awesome!

So, the pregame celebration started, and here it was:
Side note: Dustin Keller and Thomas Jones are awesome!

Then, it was finally game time. The Jets got the ball after a Leon Washington kickoff return not too far, like the 22 or something. Mark Sanchez completed a dumpload of passes on that drive, and looked really sharp. Then, they got in the red zone, and Sanchez ran it in! Video:

The Jets got the extra point, and it was a quick 7-0. But on the kickoff, the Jets recovered a fumble and they were in the red zone again! On a play action play that even had me fooled, when Thomas Jones jumped over the pile on the 3 or 4 yard line I thought he had the ball, but secretly, Sanchez still had it, and threw to Ben Hartsock (yeah, who is he?), the backup tight end, and he scored, and the Jets took the lead!

But it then went downhill from there. Sanchez threw a pick, and lost 2 fumbles, 1 of which we got back. Eventually, in the 3rd quarter, the score was 17-14 Tennessee, and I got worried. I started yelling at them, and especially the offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Then came a big drive, and Sanchez threw a Touchdown to Cotchery! At that point the score was 21-17 Jets, with the 4th quarter left to go.

It was pretty quiet in the 4th for the Jets, but a David Harris interception after another Sanchez pick was huge, and we eventually tacked 3 more points on a Jay Feely field goal, and we never looked back. The Jets eventually won the game 24-17!

Oh, what a joy it is to be 3-0. We didn't sneak through either, we faced some tough teams, and Rex Ryan has really came through for us. Beating Houston, New England, and Tennessee is a very tough task, and we beat all 3. We are #1 in the AFC East, so that is also awesome!

Overall, my dad & I had a great time at the game. I got the 2009 Jets Yearbook, so now I have Yearbooks: 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009! I also got 2 50 card Jets lots and the Score team set (is Topps making them this year for Football?). So, I got my 5th Sanchez rookie and more, but I'll show those tomorrow in a post with 3 recent card acquisitions. Anyway, it was a great game overall, and goodbye Giants Stadium, it's been fun!

Jets Game Review Tomorrow!

Hey guys, be ready for the Jets review tomorrow! Had an awesome time and want to share it with you all! See Ya!

J

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JETS!
JETS!
JETS!