The Jets are playing on Thanksgiving for the second time in three years. That is something that makes the team’s owner happy, but might not be such a thrill for the fans.
Owner Woody Johnson actually requested that his team play on Thanksgiving night, according to a league source, despite the challenges it presents for his team and the inconvenience it places upon its fans.
Clearly, fans are not thrilled with the idea of leaving Thanksgiving dinner to go to MetLife Stadium. As of yesterday, Stubhub had 5,622 tickets available for the game with the rival Patriots, some priced as low as $28.
It is interesting that Johnson requested to play on the holiday. According to a source, the Giants ask the NFL not to schedule them on Thanksgiving.
The Jets players said all the right things yesterday about the game, but it presents football challenges for a team battling for its playoff life. The Jets would have had a Thursday game on the schedule regardless, but possibly earlier in the season when the game was not as crucial as this one.
Now, instead of having a week to heal injuries and prepare for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, the Jets (who did win that last Thanksgiving game, 26-10 over the Bengals in 2010) must cram everything into three days.
“It is [challenging],” tight end Dustin Keller said, “but the other team is in the same exact situation. You’ve just got to do all the things to keep your body healthy and get back on the field in three days.”
The Jets crammed a lot into yesterday, treating it like a normal Monday, when they review their last game, and a Wednesday, when they begin preparation for that week’s opponent.
The Jets had meetings from 12:45 until 4 p.m., then practiced from 4:30 to 6:15. Their itinerary for the week said “Stay hydrated and well rested” at the top of the page. Thursday’s itinerary is simple, “Beat the Patriots” it says.
* Coach Rex Ryan said he has not lost confidence in rookie wide receiver Stephen Hill, who had another big drop in Sunday’s game. Hill has four drops this season, including the memorable one against the Patriots last month.
Ryan praised his blocking.
“We’re going to keep throwing to him,” Ryan said. “I think this young man is going to realize, by the way, you can play this game. He can get separation from people. The fun part and the easy part of the job is to catch the football, but right now we just have to keep working every day and I think he’ll do that.”
* Jets coach Rex Ryan on Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski breaking his arm: “I never like to see anybody get hurt. I’m not sad that he’s missing our game, but I hope he gets back soon.” … NT Kenrick Ellis said he tweaked his left knee injury in Sunday’s game but said he is fine and hopes to play Thursday. … WR Jason Hill (low back) missed practice.