I’m typically the guy who rolls his eyes when fans fuss over the flavor of the week or ride the emotional roller coaster.
That said, Deshaun is definitely a different deal. Far be it from a jaded Jets fan to proclaim that things have a way of working out for the best. But should the Texans tire of the public pressure to liberate their prized possession — make no mistake — Gang Green’s in THE catbird’s seat.
When we messed around and won those two games, we all reverted to our Same Ol’ Jets pity party. But as a political and pop culture aficionado, I’m reminded of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War:
“There’s a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a horse… and everybody in the village says, ‘how wonderful. The boy got a horse’ And the Zen Master says, ‘we’ll see.’ Two years later, the boy falls off the horse, breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, ‘How terrible.’ And the Zen Master says, ‘We’ll see.’ Then, a war breaks out and all the young men have to go off and fight… except the boy can’t cause his leg’s all messed up. and everybody in the village says, ‘How wonderful’…”
-Gust Avrakotos
While not in the straightforward way we would’ve wished, our snakebitten squad now finds itself in what appears to be in the singular most interesting spot.
Pole position — should there be a sudden superstar sweepstakes, whether Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson. It’d surely deplete the stockpile o’ picks, but such capital is socked-away for a sunny day. It was meant to be spent.
Prime position — to draft Wilson, Fields, Lance, or trade-down. Between the existing arsenal of picks, the addition of a Darnold deal dividend, and the windfall of goodies flowing from a trade out of 2, the 2021 Draft could bring an embarrassment of riches to our embarrassing franchise.
Whither Deshaun Watson or Zach Wilson — Each outcome comes with considerable daydream fuel … but also real risk. We may not yet be relevant this Fall, but no one’s team is more relevant this Spring.
Grab your Jiffy-Pop and get comfy — Waiting is the hardest part, but let’s face facts — we’ve probably got nothing better to keep us warm during these dark days of winter.
Deshaun Watson? Zach Wilson? What if …?
Even Zach’s dysfunctional drunk namesake knew what words ended the Zen Master’s fable …
We’ll see…
Jon is the secret decoder ring of Play Like a Jet, because his diverse background in communications and public relations gives him a special insight into how teams and media work behind the scenes. Not many people have played the high-stakes PR game both under the Capitol dome and inside the National Football League, but Jon has. A leading communications and advocacy pro for the better part of two decades, Jon can claim the unique distinction of having served as both a spokesman for a Majority Leader and PR chief for a NFL franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
