Hop (off) on the bandwagon!

I'm getting sick and tired of a lot of so-called Jets fans lately.  You know, those people who predicted the Jets would miss the playoffs at the beginning of the season, hailed them as potential Cup contenders when they sat comfortably atop the Southeast Division two weeks ago, and now say that we will miss the playoffs.

I get it.  The Jets are an inconsistent bunch and the roller coaster ride of emotion that is their season is tough to deal with.  But if we take a step back and realize who this team truly is, then maybe we can get a grip.

I predicted the Jets would miss the playoffs at the beginning of the year.  I did so because they are very young, unpredictable, and have not proved themselves to this point.  I also thought Carolina would be the powerhouse of the SE. When I went to the 6-1 loss against Washington last week, I was texting my friend Adam throughout and after the game.  Admittedly, I probably sounded like one of the people I'm describing above.  I said we didn't deserve to make the playoffs after losing like that (twice!) to a divisional rival on home ice.  I said we would lose 6-7 games in a row.  I said I wouldn't go to my last game against Buffalo on April 9th, because I am 0-3 at the MTS Centre this year and a lowly 3-6 overall.  To say I was a little dramatic is an understatement, but I think the beer and the way we lost that game gave me good reason to be upset.  Either way, I was back cheering for the team the next game, hopeful we could rebound but mindful of my initial prediction.  

It appears that 6-7 game skid is here like I thought.  Regardless,  if you would have told me at the beginning of the season that with 10 games remaining, the Jets would sit in 3rd place in the East, two points up on Washington, four up on Carolina and 1 point out of 8th, I would have been extremely surprised and excited.  Is the Winnipeg sports media excited right now?  Are "fans" excited?  Not at all... We've dropped 6 of our last 8 and seem to be sinking out of the playoff picture.  Everyone is pressing the panic button.  Is this really all that surprising?  Did we honestly expect to win the Southeast this year?  Let's face it, the Jets overachieved for the majority of this season. They won games they probably shouldn't have, and they lost games they should have won (similar to last season).  They are who we thought they were and that's not a terrible thing.  The future is bright with guys like Kane, Schiefele, Trouba, Enstrom, Redmond, and Wheeler all with their best hockey ahead of them. 

The good thing about this predicament is that we can still make the playoffs!  Win 6 or 7 of those 10 and we're in.  Unlikely at this point, but hey it could happen.  What's more likely though is the Jets will just miss the post-season and it will be viewed as a "collapse" by fans and media alike.  While factually it's correct to say the Jets nose-dived at the end of the season to miss the playoffs, the reality is no one had this team to make it in the first place.  Those who did, I commend you for having faith in a young team with loads of potential - and to those people - you have every right to be mad about the Jets missing the playoffs.  But to the rest, which I'm sure is the majority, I say shame on you!  You never believed this squad would make the post season. Just because we played a good stretch of hockey and put ourselves in a good spot, doesn't guarantee a playoff berth.  You have no right to write this team off as failures, you never gave them a shot in the first place.