Thanks Curtis
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by user Alanschech
Dear Curtis,
As a long time Jets fan, I wanted to write this note of thanks, and I am sure to echo the feelings of many Jets fans.
First of all, I hated you when you were a member of the Patriots. You ran for far too many yards against far too many feeble Jets defenses. You came on the field, and we all would cringe. I guess that is a testament to your greatness.
Then came the move of Bill Parcells to the Jets in 1997. We had direction, sideline leadership, but no legitimate star to lead the ground game. We were better at 9-7, but we had a long way to go. Then comes 1998, and you arrived. You gave the team credibility, a legitimate leader to take the team into the future. It comes as no surprise that we were 12-4 that season, and the Jets had arrived as a perennial contender.
Every year, no matter what happened to the team, you were there for us. The team went through twists and turns, but there you were, Mr. Consistency. It was like death, taxes and Curtis Martin for 1,000 yards, and we loved you for it. Every year, the memorable moments continued. You provided us with memories that we will never forget.
Then last year, injuries finally caught up with you. You are human, and we all understand. You can probably imagine how hopeful we all were that you would be able to come back and play this season. However, we want you safe too. The Jets will go on, we will miss you dearly, but they will go on, and we want you to be able to live happily.
If retirement is the inevitable result here, we all must just say thank you. Thank you for giving our team credibility again, and giving us stability again. Thanks for giving us a hall of famer to root for every Sunday. Thanks for being a stand up guy in a world of athletes like Terrell Owens, who command no respect at all. Thanks for being an athlete that the kids can aspire to be. And if it is time to retire, here's hoping that the Jets have a day in your honor soon after, where we can stand and truly say thank you for the memories.
Sincerely, Alan Schechter
