Bookmaker odds list the New York Jets as a contender next season to win the AFC East. The Jets are not as respected as the New England Patriots by the online bookmaker but they do get attention. They may get even more now that the team will be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” training camp series this summer.
Bookmaker lines a year ago were continually changed as the New York Jets surprised a lot of people. Head coach Rex Ryan told anyone that would listen that his team could win and until the AFC Championship game against the Colts, they did. The Jets are not going to go under the radar this season, especially with HBO featuring them. “We’re going to let the fans in on something that they’ve never seen up close and personal,” owner Woody Johnson said. “This is going to be kind of the king’s new clothes. I think you can argue that there’s no other team in the league right now that’s kind of more interesting than the New York Jets.”
The Jets do have some interesting characters including their head coach and their starting quarterback. The Jets also signed LaDainian Tomlinson in the off-season and could help the Jets win games this season vs. the bookmaker odds. New York has loudmouth Bart Scott and he is always saying something. “I have to tell you that in all of the years that we’ve done this, this is the right team at the right time with the right coach, the right transparency, philosophy … this is going to be a big hit,” said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, “We have our Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in Rex Ryan.”
You can watch the series on HBO beginning on August 11th. The show goes for five straight weeks until the finale on September 8th. That works out well since the NFL season will be starting soon thereafter. “This is going to be a great opportunity, even just for the casual NFL fan, to sit back and jump on board this Jets bandwagon,” head coach Rex Ryan said.
The Jets are a fun team to watch and they are now getting attention from the online bookmaker. New York won’t be an underdog nearly as often as they were a year ago. Now that more people are watching, the Jets will be more popular.