The phrase “Super Bowl or bust” has become the unrelenting cliché that sports media personalities cannot help but parrot at the New York Jets and their fans whenever the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers comes up. Prior to the trade, they uttered this tired refrain with the tone of a parental warning. Now that Rodgers is a Jet, they have adopted the tone of that one kid in middle school who you thought was your friend, but was always just a little bit meaner than any friend should be. This shift belies their true intentions – to pounce on the Jets if their pursuit of glory ends with anything other than a Super Bowl victory while granting themselves a clear path to be able to utter that rapturous four-word phrase, “I told you so”. They have it wrong, however, because the phrase “Super Bowl or bust” doesn’t make much sense as a warning and, in fact, bestows significant privileges to the team and fanbase that it is imposed upon.
Every single year, 31 out of the 32 teams in the NFL bust. For some, I’m sure the idea of this happening to their well-constructed, perennially contending team is an agonizing prospect to consider in the summertime. For the New York Jets and their fans, however, busting is just business as usual. Summer for Jets fans usually consists of analyzing mini-camp video clips to see if the newest quarterback is capable of hitting a slant route. When there are no highlights left to neurotically consume, we resort to debating amongst ourselves what the barometers of a successful season should be: 10 wins, a playoff berth, or, most commonly, just noticeable progress in the right direction regardless of win total.
All we know is bust. The fact that the media has presented the Super Bowl to the Jets and their fans as a viable alternative to their typical doldrums is, in and of itself, a huge change for the better. It’s like a little brother finally growing to the point where he knows that his older brother is no longer taking it easy on him. The little brother can now refrain from deluding himself into regarding varying degrees of defeat as better or worse than any other. For both the New York Jets and the little brother, in such cases, the terms are refreshingly clear: win or lose. All losses are equal.
Furthermore, it seems that Jets fans have been given permission to say the words “Super Bowl” again. It’s been a while. In fact, as a 31-year-old fan, the only two circumstances that I can recall in which I uttered these words in relation to the Jets both happen to involve my father. The first happens somewhat frequently: asking my father what it was like to watch Joe Namath lead the Jets to a Super Bowl victory in 1969. The second only happened once. During the 1998 season, as a six-year-old kid, I asked my father if he thought the Jets were going to win the Super Bowl as we waited on the couch for the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos to begin. I learned my lesson and didn’t dare ask him the same question prior to the AFC Championship games in either 2009 or 2010.
Interestingly, I don’t remember hearing a “Super Bowl or bust” mandate prior to any of those three aforementioned seasons (the three most successful seasons for this franchise in the last 50+ years, mind you) and the reason is that those teams didn’t deserve such an optimistic prognosis of their upcoming season. None of those past three Jets teams were built around a quarterback who could be relied upon to win games. The ’98 Jets entered the season with a seventh-round pick in Glenn Foley at the helm. Of course, the journeyman Vinny Testaverde eventually took over that season after an injury to Foley in Week 2 and went on to have a career year. Even still, it took a while for Testaverde to earn the confidence of the team, evidenced by the fact that Foley regained his starting job upon returning from his injury in Week 6, only to give it right back after starting the game 5 for 15 with 2 picks.
The ‘09 and ’10 Jets were led by a neophyte Mark Sanchez who, like a teenager who’s asked to stay home alone for the first time, appeared to be just trying his best not to burn the house down. Those teams were built around aggressive coaching, a punishing run game, and dominant defense. Coaches and fans alike couldn’t help but clench their teeth every time Sanchez dropped back, knowing that even a successful throw was likely just moving him closer to the inevitable, back-breaking mistake.
The position of quarterback in the NFL is often referred to as the most important position in sports for good reason. To have teams built around quarterbacks of this caliber severely shortens the amount of time that an organization has to harvest the belief in itself to win it all. It might not be until Week 7 (after Testaverde takes over the starting job) or until the Jets have entered victory formation in the AFC Championship game (in Sanchez’ case) that these Cinderella teams have extinguished all doubt that their season could realistically result in a Super Bowl victory. Most championship teams, however, know that they have a realistic shot to hoist the Lombardi Trophy before the season even starts. The Jets almost achieved this status by acquiring Brett Favre in August of 2008, but Favre always felt more like a savior (for a team that finished with a record of 4-12 the previous season) than the final piece of a formidable contender. The “Super Bowl or bust” mandate isn’t thrown around lightly; it must be earned.
The addition of Aaron Rodgers to a well-built and balanced roster in 2023 has granted the New York Jets, for the first time in my lifetime, the opportunity to start chasing a championship in July. This is no small matter. Every executive, coach, and player will be forced to up their game because they know that losses (of all varieties) will no longer be sugar-coated. Having a quarterback of Rodger’s caliber in the building from day one of training camp allows every individual’s belief in their team’s collective goal to develop for longer than was possible for the Cinderella runs of the past. Also, no member of the organization will be asked to temper expectations or beat around the bush. If any aspect of the team, from a scouting report to a defensive tackle’s footwork, isn’t up to snuff, it will be called out and corrected. The only goal, as it is every single season, is to win the Super Bowl. Super Bowl or bust; it’s okay to say it. Anything less is a failure. We’re finally strong enough to handle the truth. These are the privileges of a contender.
The clock has started on the good times; don’t let the media’s illogical warnings fool you. For as long as the “Super Bowl or bust” mandate is in place, Jets fans are freed from the nervous dread of those who have been continually scorned for their optimism. We can finally look forward to the offense taking the field knowing that they have the tools to burn the other team’s house down instead of just trying not to burn down our own. We can say the words “Super Bowl” again without having to qualify it as a pipedream or a cherished relic of the past. We can confidently assert to fans of other teams that ours is better. Most importantly, young fans can once again ask their fathers if they think the Jets have a shot to win it all.
Stop worrying about the picks that were traded for Rodgers, the money that was paid to Dalvin Cook, and the unsubstantiated accusations that the Jets have surrendered all control of their franchise to an egomaniacal new quarterback. Let the crows peck at all that. Instead, put your trust in the team that you have invested so much energy in over the years and the “Super Bowl or bust” mandate that they have earned because regardless of what happens, it is clear that the 2023 New York Jets are going for it. We, as fans, should go along for the ride. Enjoy it while it lasts and pay no mind to the caws of the crows because a Super Bowl victory is the only outcome that could (potentially) shut them up and, for the first time in a long time, that’s a realistic possibility.