If only for Staten Island’s own Raymond Larsen, the New York Jets must win the Super Bowl.
Larsen, a 46-year-old Jets fan celebrated New York’s victory over the No. 1 Patriots and then collided with tragedy: He sled to his death.
After the Jets escaped with a 28-21 victory to advance to next Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Larsen walked outside his home on Cleveland Avenue in Great Kills and went down his driveway and toe-to-toe with something unexpected: a 2006 Hyundai SUV.
He was hit by an oncoming motorist, a 61-year-old woman, police said. He died.
Larsen was reportedly drinking while watching the game, but the woman behind the wheel was not under the influence.
Larsen’s neighbor Amir Alishahi said Larsen was an extraordinary human being.
“It’s really a big loss not having him on the block,” Alishahi said to New York reporters. “He was really a fun, fun guy.”
As for the Jets, I don’t want this train to be derailed.
No matter what the New York Jets — and Minnesota Vikings — did in the 2010 NFL season, I was thoroughly entertained.
First off, I am not saying New York is going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I just want to see the Jets advance. I love the drama that is the NFL playoffs.
But now, I love this Jets team.
If you missed any of the Jets post-game antics after their win in Foxborough, Mass., I highly recommend you YouTube “Bart Scott” or “Santonio Holmes.”
Aside from the players acting like airplanes by spreading their arms out and running around like a B-52 bomber, the Jets were, well, the Jets under head coach Rex Ryan: loud and proud, just as they should be.
Scott really deserves to win the NFL award for Best Supporting Actor. He yelled at ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio that the media had doubted the Jets, and that they had been disrespected. Most notably by the four-letter network, ESPN.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
“Especially you Tom Jackson, and way to have the Jets’ back, Keyshawn Johnson,” Scott said.
Scott continued avoiding Paolantonio’s questions and referred to the victory over the Pats as “poetic justice.”
Later in the one-minute interview, Paolantonio asked Scott if the Jets played with anger against their bitter rival.
“We’re pissed off,” Scott said. “(It was) for all of you non-believers. Disrespect us and talk crap about the defense like we ain’t the third best defense in the league. All we hear is about (New England’s) defense. They can’t stop a nose bleed. (They’re) 25th in the league, and we’re the ones who get disrespected.”
Stunned and not knowing what to say, Paolantonio ended the awkwardness and told Scott he would see him in Pittsburgh.
Scott did his best Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson impression from WWE’s Monday Night Raw and looked into the ESPN camera and screamed, “Can’t wait.”
But for the head coach, Ryan deserves the NFL Oscar for the Best Director.
He has been preaching it, and the Jets have backed it up.
Kudos to him for loving his job, coaches and players.
He also believes in his system and team. In back-to-back years, Ryan was 60 minutes away from taking the Jets to the Super Bowl appearance.
I just hope Ryan will remember Larsen at that championship parade in Manhattan on Feb. 8 and give him a big “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!”
