Contrary to popular belief, the season doesn’t end after Week 1.
That is unless you’re the Carolina Panthers, but as for everyone else, there are still 16 games to be played. It might be so counterintuitive to everything we want to do after Week 1, but proclaiming the New York Jets to be the “same old Jets” after one game seems like an unfair way to frame things, no matter how badly you want to dunk on Aaron Rodgers.
It’s not lost on us that’s the way sports morning shows work. But it doesn’t have to be this way; we don’t have to overreact to Week 1. It’s OK to have fair and measured takes that put things into perspective, even if they go against the grain of what gets ratings these days.
While ESPN’s Get Up discussed Josh Allen’s MVP prowess after Week 1, Kyle Brandt wasn’t beating that same drum. And while Brandt will always carry the flag for the Buffalo Bills and Bills mafia and probably doesn’t disagree with the notion that Allen could very well be the MVP after Week 1, the Good Morning Football personality wants to bring some nuance back to the conversation.
In a league where emotions often run high after Week 1, Brandt offered a refreshing reminder that it’s possible to assess teams without falling prey to knee-jerk reactions.
“I think it’s important to say this; I don’t want us to be — and I mean all of us — I don’t want (GMFB) to be the overreaction show of note,” Brandt says. “I really feel strongly about this, and I’ve said it for years: Week 1 is very misleading; look no further than Aaron Rodgers. He’s gotten shellacked a few times in Week 1. I remember him losing by five touchdowns to a Jameis Winston Saints team, and he ended up winning 13 games — it happens.
“I think it’s a very, very tough draw. I know there’s a whole industry of people this morning who are going to scream, ‘The Jets are terrible. The same old Jets. The Jets suck, and the Giants suck.’ And that’s fine. If you want to do that, there’s a living to be made. I don’t want us to do that, because anybody screaming that this morning, do you really not think they’re gonna beat the Titans next week? Do you not think they’re gonna beat the Patriots in Week 3? So, they’re 2-1 and it’s fine. And then they play the Broncos, and they’re probably 3-1.
“It’s folly just to say that ‘they’re screwed.’ And I think there’s a deliciousness to saying that, and it’s fun, and it’s happy, and everybody reacts, and that’s fine; we all do it here and there. I just don’t want this morning for us to say, ‘The Jets are done. The season’s over.’ No, Rodgers showed really good flashes. Do you not believe suddenly in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams and his brother, Quincy? Those guys are all good. They didn’t forget how to play football.
“It’s a very tough team in a very tough, weird Week 1. They’ll be back next week. I know it’s fun to say, ‘The Jets suck; same old Jets.’ It’s just I don’t think it’s true. And if you don’t, don’t say it.”
That last part is particularly important, as it essentially calls out those in sports media who proclaim the Jets to be ‘dead’ but don’t genuinely believe their own words. Brandt’s message is clear: While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement or disappointment of Week 1, it’s crucial to maintain perspective and avoid making premature judgments about a team’s season.
That’s the type of nuance we need more — not less — in sports media.
[GMFB]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.