THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE NFL DRAFT ... ESPECIALLY FOR THIS HUGE JETS FAN

There is only one thing that can completely overshadow a Yankees-Red Sox series and that’s the NFL Draft. There is nothing quite like it, especially if you’re a Jets fan, as they always seem to be in the thick of things. Even when they’re not drafting in the top 10, they are always the talk of the draft.

Today is no different. There is a lot of buzz that the Jets will trade up to either the Browns’ No. 5 or Jaguars’ No. 8 to draft USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. If that happens, Radio City Music Hall will explode. As anyone who follows the draft knows, Jets fans are always the stars of the first day. They pack the house and when the Jets are on the clock it is the most exciting time of the draft. And, unfortunately, the reaction is almost always shock and awe – as in what the hell were the Jets thinking?

Even though I get sucked in year in and year out, the end result is always disappointment. Here are some draft stories from the recent past:

2006: The Houston Texans shock everyone and sign NC State defensive end Mario Williams the night before the draft, passing up USC running back Reggie Bush, the most explosive player to come out of college in years. Jets fans, of course, think Christmas just came early as there is now a great chance they will get Bush at the No. 4 slot. The only hurdle will be the Saints picking at No. 2, but they have a prime Deuce McAllister on the roster – no need for Bush. I couldn’t sleep that night as the anticipation of adding a player like Bush to the Jets was almost too much to take. The phone lines were burning up as I was fielding and making more calls than the Jets that day. So, after a downright painful several hours, the Saints were on the clock and the butterflies were going crazy. And they, of course, draft ...



You can hear the crowd going crazy in the place from the very beginning ... and those aren’t Saints fans going crazy as the comish is walking to the podium if you couldn’t tell. Then, when Bush’s name is announced, the air was immediately let out of the building. Virginia tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson then goes to the Jets with the No. 4 pick and Ohio State center Nick Mangold is drafted by the Jets at No. 29. Today, I would take Ferguson and Mangold in a heartbeat over Bush, who has been a huge disappointment with the Saints. The Jets have one of the best offensive lines in the league right now. Still, imagine if the Saints pass on Bush ... the building would have exploded. But these are the Jets ...

2007: The Jets actually do some good things here – shockingly. They trade up in the first round to get the No. 14 overall selection and almost everyone in the building and at home is hoping the Jets take Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. After the announced trade, I quickly turned into a Quinn fan after not being impressed during his college career. I settle on wanting Quinn as the Jets' franchise quarterback ... and they draft ...



The crowd wasn’t happy with Pittsburgh cornerback Darrelle Revis, as Quinn was the sexier pick. But Revis has become one of the best corners in the league. The Jets trade up again in the second round and draft Michigan linebacker David Harris, a move I love because I'm a big Wolverines fan. Harris had an awesome rookie season before taking a step back last year. Even though the crowd booed, this was a good day for the Jets, even though the trades ended up leaving them with only four total picks. That included a total bust in tackle Jacob Bender in the sixth round and seventh-rounder receiver Chansi Stuckey, who may finally get a chance to play this season.

2008: This, of course, is the draft that is freshest in everyone’s mind and is responsible for, perhaps, my most famous blog ... which was written on another website. It was entitled simply, “Why I Hate The Jets.” But that came way, way later on the day. The big name in the 2008 draft was Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, a player I absolutely loved in college. He was simply awesome, as he did everything and anything. He was a dynamic running back, he played quarterback, he probably played defensive end; just an unbelievable talent. He was the “it” player of the draft and, of course, the Jets were in prime position again to get him as they were drafting No. 6 overall. The only team standing in the Jets’ way of grabbing McFadden is the Oakland Raiders at No. 4. But the Raiders won’t take McFadden … they have LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas and 2007 draft pick Michael Bush in their already crowded backfield. McFadden is going to be a Jet … the anticipation is building … so …





Again, the entire building loses its air in a heartbeat as the Raiders break the Jets fans’ hearts once again. The Jets end up with ...



The crowd goes wild as Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston is the Jets' pick. The crowd was actually chanting "Ver-non Ghol-ston" the entire time the Jets are on the clock. So, even though they don't get McFadden, it's a great day for the Jets. Gholston did nothing in his rookie season, but before anyone says he’s a bust, let’s see what he does this year with new coach Rex Ryan. Then, we can talk. But the guy needs a chance and he didn't get that with former coach Eric Mangini.

So, it was a nice first round for the Jets and their fans. I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but I'm happy ... wait, what?, the Jets have just made a trade back into the first round. Oh man, this is going to be awesome. Every single wide receiver is still on the board. I’ll take any of them, I don’t care. And look at the quarterbacks … Chad Henne, Brian Brohm are still there. Any one of those players, I remember telling myself, and I’ll be happy, ecstatic. Just pick one of about seven players and I’ll go wild. And the Jets pick ...



Anyone who was in the New Britain's offices that day probably remember this moment better than I do, because as soon as the pick was made the anger built so fast I don't even remember what happened. I do know that I left the newsroom for about an hour and a half, fielding and making phone calls about how stupid and clueless the Jets were. "Another freaking tight end?" was about all I can remember saying, although I'm sure there were a lot of curse words thrown in between every word. Any Jets fan knows their history of drafting tight ends, so this was just about as bad as it got. Keller did have a great start to the season and I'm a big fan of his now, but we didn't need him at the time. We needed a wide receiver – we still need a wide receiver. It didn’t make sense. But these are the Jets. Here is a sampling of the infamous blog I wrote that night … this is just the end because after reading it again, some of it is just out of control.

“I hate the Jets. The crowd booed the pick. Unbelievable. I thought they were actually turning the corner. One fan in the crowd held up a sign that said THE JETS DRAFT DAY BLUNDERS END HERE ... Yeah, right. We're the freaking Jets. We freaking suck. A Tight End ..... anybody remember Johnny Mitchell, Kyle Brady, Anthony Becht, Doug Jolley ... all first round picks or a guy acquired for a first round pick. I'm so angry. Same old freaking Jets.”

So, now that you’ve had a glimpse into the mind of a Jets fan in just the past few years, I’m sure you will have a better understanding of us. It's not our fault we're the craziest fans in the NFL, it's our team's fault. Here is one more piece of video as proof.



But this year will be different. I'm not going to buy into the hype. I'm not going to get excited about possibly getting Mark Sanchez or even Anquan Boldin or any of the big names. I’ll be happy to sit back and see who the Jets take at No. 17. It’ll be a nice, relaxing day. Wow, that feels good. I’ll just take in the draft like any other football fan.

Wait ... What? ... The Jets are rumored to be moving up to get Sanchez? ... Holy crap! ... This is going to be awesome! ... Finally, the Jets’ history will be turned around! ... Here we go! ... Only three hours until draft time! ... J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!!!!!