Top 5: Most Hated pt. 2

This is our second installment of the series entitled, "Most Hated."  I want to provide a disclaimer, as yesterday's post ruffled a few feathers (no pun intended as we talked about the Ravens). These views do not in anyway take away from the individuals on the opposing team, or hinder my view of fans of the other team (I love you Schindler and JC).  Often times the reasons I hate these teams are because they have beaten us in the past, or they are a threat to my beloved Colts in the AFC. There are teams in the AFC that I like, but they simply aren't a threat (ala the Cleveland Browns, ahem Seth, and Boliger).  That being said, please don't take anything I say personally.  I am a Colts fan, and there are no "ifs, ands, or buts" about it, the reason why your team may appear on this list is due to the fact that they are good, and they scare me.

Here we go:

4. New York Jets

This team was not even a blip on my radar screen two years ago.  They were an irrelevant team in the AFC, and I did not have an opinion one way or another about them.  They seem to be an easy team to dislike for a number of reasons, and in large part due to their large head coach, Rex Ryan.  The media jumped on the Rex Ryan bandwagon because he was the most animated and vocal head coach.  Ryan became the face of the New York football scene almost overnight.  The HBO series, Hardknocks, put the Jets training camp on display for the national television viewing audience, and Ryan was front and center.

This hatred for the Jets is new (york). But it happened quickly.  I'm not sure if this hatred originally was meant to be aimed at the Jets or at the Colts coaching staff.  Last season, while the Colts were in complete control of a game at Lucas Oil Stadium with an unblemished record of 14-0 the Colts pulled Peyton Manning and their starters and Curtis Painter, Donald Brown, and Hank Baskett trotted on the field.

Painter played for almost the entire second half and posted a QB rating of 11.2 and went 4-11 passing with 44 yards and 1 interception.  On a drive which had Indy pinned back toward their own goal line Calvin Pace of the New York Jets came flying off the line and Tom Santi, a backup Tight End, missed the block allowing Pace to hit Painter which caused him to fumble the ball and the Jets took the lead. They never looked back, and I would argue the Colts never looked forward.

Score board after the 2009 AFC Championship game

The Colts however got their revenge in the AFC Championship game beating the Jets pretty handily 30-17.  The win somehow doesn't seem as sweet though, because the Colts didn't finish it off, and Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints walked away as the winners of Super Bowl XLIV.

Then again the Jets came to Indy for a playoff game, this season.  This game had a completely different feel than the two previous mentioned. It was a defensive battle, and it was part of a defensive showing the Colts had for 4 and a half games to end the season last year.  That incredible defensive performance, especially against the run, came to a screeching halt in the second half of this divisional playoff game, and the Jets pounded the ball down the Colts throats.  However Manning led the Colts on an incredible drive to give the Colts the lead with less than a minute left.  The ensuing kickoff was a great return by the Jets substitute return man, Antonio Cromartie, and led to Nick Folk kicking the game winning field goal for the Jets.  I was pretty heartbroken over the loss.  If you want to read my immediate thoughts following the game, click here.

Needless to say, some of these devastating losses have quickly catapulted the Jets into the fourth spot on my "Most Hated" list.  I feel as though we are a far more talented team, not only in the 2009 season, and we obviously got the opportunity to prove that, but last season as well.  I walked away feeling as though the better team went home.  They played better in almost every area, and because of a stupid special teams play we lost the game.  It just left me feeling bitter.  I love to see the Jets lose, I just cannot get behind them at all.  And I think the main reason is their success against us in the last two seasons.  And Rex Ryan.  I hate his press conferences, and I think he views himself and his team higher than he ought.

So there you have it. My fourth most hated team. The Jets.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? What are your feelings on the Jets?

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