Joe Benigno joined Evan and Tiki for his weekly Jets reaction, and it was a familiar kind of pain after Gang Green’s offense underwhelmed again in an ugly loss to the Bills where penalties, and frustrations, were aplenty.
The Jets didn’t seem to have a jolt of purpose and energy in their first game with Jeff Ulbrich as interim head coach, and many of the same issues that plagued the team with Robert Saleh at the helm remained.
That didn’t surprise Joe, who lamented the same old pain and anger when it comes to watching his football team.
“You can change the owner, you can change the coaches, you can change the GM, you can change the quarterback, you can change the players, you could change the stadium, you could change the practice facility, you could change the uniforms, you could change whatever you wanna change,” Joe said. “You could change the lunch room, you could change whatever you wanna change about this franchise.
“The results never change. Never.”
Aaron Rodgers had a chance to lead New York on a game-tying or game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, but he was picked off on a deep heave down field to seal the win for the Bills, who maintained their lead in the AFC East as a result. Rodgers looked better than he did against the Vikings and Broncos, but still not what Jets fans expected in what was the most hyped season for the team in recent memory.
“And what's happening right now, Aaron Rodgers came here to…change the karma of this franchise,” Joe said. “And what's happening right now to Aaron Rodgers is, he is being engulfed in the karma of this franchise.”
But Joe’s main source of anger was geared towards kicker Greg Zuerlein, who missed key field goals for the second time in three games, this time missing two in the second half when the Jets had a chance to take the lead.
“You look at this team right now as, bad as it's been for the last three weeks, if this freaking kicker, if he makes three kicks, we're 4-2,” Joe said. “As bad as they have played, if he makes the 50 yarder against the Broncos, which he would have made last year, when, who cares when they stink.
“If he would have made the two yesterday, they'd be 4-2 right now.”