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Yesterday I wrote about an interesting new hire by the Jets, and the impact it needs to have. Well, I will give you a perfect example of what I’m talking about . . .
Today, the Jets, Giants and MetLife Stadium announced a major event – Sir Paul McCartney is going to perform at the football venue on August 7.
“That is going to be a huge day here,” Woody Johnson said.
A beat writer tweeted during the press conference, “Woody should take off his hat. He’s indoors.”
This is exactly what I was talking about yesterday.
Something needs to change.
The Jets are like a dart board.
And there is a never-ending supply of darts.
It’s above my pay grade on how to get this to stop.
I’m not in public relations. I dabbled a little when I was in college (working at UMass in the sports information office), but I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m Robert Gibbs or Marlin Fitzwater.
It will be interesting to see if Jets new Senior VP of Communications Eric Gelfand can do something about the low road salvos that this team is constantly victimized by.
It’s not going to be easy, but I think he can effect some change, if he’s a good PR strategist.
My philosophy about criticism has generally been that I try to focus on tangible football mistakes, and stay away from the personal stuff.
Hey, if Ryan Fitzpatrick throws three picks in a game, he should be criticized.
If a cornerback gives up 11 catches to Sammy Watkins, he should be criticized.
If the team’s punt coverage is anemic, they should be criticized.
If the GM overpays an aging player who doesn’t run as well as he used to, the GM should be criticized.
I think you understand where I’m coming from.
And my attitude about criticism is it’s okay to be negative about a performance, coaching decision, personnel move and so forth, but don’t get nasty. Make your point, but always been cognizant that you are talking about a human being, not an inanimate object.
I just find around this scene, there is too much low-road crap.
Don’t get me going on the Twitter snark. Sometimes, it’s like a competition who can be a bigger jerk.
I talked about the “Same Old Jets” nonsense yesterday.
Personally, I don’t give a hoot if Woody Johnson wears a hat or not.
And neither should anybody else.
Mr. Gelfand has a lot of work to do to change this landscape.
And let me tell you something, with the Daily News on thin ice, and in desperation mode, things could get worse this year. I’m sure you have seen their front and back pages the last few months. Some of it borders on yellow journalism. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Not sure how much more money Mort Zuckerman can piss away before he pulls the plug.
To me it’s going to be fascinating to see if Gelfand can change the Jets-media dynamic, which most certainly needs to change.
April 13, 2016
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