'Fireman Ed' quits

[Hagar]

Jets hit new low as superfan 'Fireman Ed' quits his beloved team for season

I'm not a Jets fan, but its getting pretty ugly in Jersey.

"This is an indication of how society has lost and is continuing to lose respect for one another," Anzalone wrote. "… The fact that I chose to wear a Mark Sanchez jersey this year and that fans think I am on the payroll – which is an outright lie – have made these confrontations more frequent. Whether it's in the stands, the bathroom or the parking lot, these confrontations are happening on a consistent basis.

"Although I can 'hold my own,' I do not want to lose my temper and make a stupid mistake,"

As far as reasons to not show up at games, that one not half bad. But then again, how bad is it getting up in those stands when people for the same team can't get along.

[Playoffs]

Kevin Depew ‏@kevindepew
Obnoxious Jets Fan in Fireman Hat Stepping Down as Imaginary Leader of Something

Stephanie Stradley ‏@StephStradley
So "Fireman Ed" will be just Ed sitting in a different section without his hat? Drama much? So stereotypical #Jets

[NitroGSXR]

I can't agree with Steph here. It's not like Fireman Ed has a history of flip-flopping... over 40 years of proven loyalty. It's good to see their fans lashing back at the Jets for the garbage they have put out there. I just wish they weren't attacking each other so much. That part is disgraceful... and probably the Jets front office's fault. You can't have stupid leading the stupid.

[Corrosion]

Maybe they should move the Jets to LA .... Bah , those bastards would still have the Giants .... They wouldnt know what it was like to have no team. I hated Sundays without the Oilers .....

[El Tejano]

Cry us a frickin river!!!!

Signed,

All Real Texan Fans from the '02, '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09,2010 seasons.

[texanhead08]

What a ***** try a 2-14 season and lets see how you handle that.

[Khari]

Originally Posted by Playoffs

Kevin Depew ‏@kevindepew
Obnoxious Jets Fan in Fireman Hat Stepping Down as Imaginary Leader of Something

[GP]

All he had to do is not wear a Sanchez jersey. How hard is THAT?

Geez, Ed, figure it out. Some things are an easy fix, pal.

Of course, IMO, this was him wanting to quit...he just needed a good enough reason. All those years of being Super Fan and you quit over the remarks received because of a Sanchez jersey??? That's what blows my mind.

Why not wear a Namath jersey anyways? So funny.

[thunderkyss]

So, is it Tebow time?

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Playoffs

Kevin Depew ‏@kevindepew
Obnoxious Jets Fan in Fireman Hat Stepping Down as Imaginary Leader of Something

Stephanie Stradley ‏@StephStradley
So "Fireman Ed" will be just Ed sitting in a different section without his hat? Drama much? So stereotypical #Jets

I think we may be making more of this than it is. He's not quitting on the Jets, he's just not going to make a spectacle of himself anymore for the team.

If this is because he's being heckled by "Jets fans" then I can understand the issue. What are you going to do? Get in a fight with some !diot because you're a bigger !diot?

I'd also imagine there is some !diot watching the game from home who may be disappointed that he isn't leading the crowd as they've come accustomed to over the years, so I understand his public announcement explaining his decision.

[GP]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

I think we may be making more of this than it is. He's not quitting on the Jets, he's just not going to make a spectacle of himself anymore for the team.

If this is because he's being heckled by "Jets fans" then I can understand the issue. What are you going to do? Get in a fight with some !diot because you're a bigger !diot?

I'd also imagine there is some !diot watching the game from home who may be disappointed that he isn't leading the crowd as they've come accustomed to over the years, so I understand his public announcement explaining his decision.

Multiple problems with his line of thinking, though:

1. At some point, he's going to be back in that stadium....Jets fans are relentless in their fanhood, they will heckle him for quitting. It's the nature of the beast. You're screwed one way or the other.

2. All he had to do was drop the Sanchez jersey. Which has merits on many levels: (A) He sucks as a QB, so it comes off as a bit dense to wear a sucky QB's jersey especially right now, and (B) He had been accused of being paid by the Jets organization to wear that jersey...drop the jersey and it shows there was never a payoff, and (C) Him quitting DOES make it seem like he had been on the Jets payroll. If you're not guilty of something, just do the things necessary to show you're not a shill for the organization.

I "get it" that he didn't want the high drama anymore. But if he's that loyal of a Super Fan, which by all counts it's true that he IS that caliber of fan, then how does this make a guy quit? Which brings me back to my original post in this thread, the idea that he was ready to be done with it and it might have been a burden he was no longer ready to "go to the hilt" over.

Fine. But he's going to have a hard time anyways. Out in public, people will hammer him for being a quitter. If the team in 2013 (or beyond) improves, what does he do? Does he come back to the stadium, and if he does how is he received by the fans around him and in the concourse and out on the parking lot? On the streets, do people heckle him for "quitting" even though he never really quit the team, he just laid down a role for awhile.

He's screwed, by then again it's of his own doing. He created a role for himself that required full commitment and now he's decided to leave the mob. You never ever realllllly get to leave the mob, if you know what I mean.

[AngryNateFTW]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

So, is it Tebow time?

Yes.

[GP]

And btw, I smell a book deal.

I can see the title now: Fireman Ed: The Day I Laid Down My Helmet

If somebody isn't knocking on his door, asking him to publish a memoir of being a Jets fan through thick and through thin, then I might need to locate the guy and introduce him to GP Publishing Company.

[Dutchrudder]

I can tell you one thing, I could never see Joe Texan doing this. I bet he'd tell you, "You can pry my hat from cold dead hands!" This Jets guy just sounds like a shameless attention whore, but that kind of makes sense given the organization he follows.

[chicagotexan2]

After realizing he won't be the Jets starting QB, Tim Tebow will replace Fireman Ed, but instead of a firemans hat he'll wear a crown of thorns with the Jets logo.

[El Tejano]

Fireman Ed is full of crap. Not a real fan, move on!

[StarStruck]

Originally Posted by El Tejano

Fireman Ed is full of crap. Not a real fan, move on!

Thirty-seven years is a long time and a lot of loyalty. Things must have really soured recently. Once upon a time fan smack was just that, but over the last few years some of what was once good natured fun, has taken a turn for some really ugly incidents. The shirt could have gotten him assaulted by disgruntled fellow fans.

[Hookem Horns]

Originally Posted by Dutchrudder

I can tell you one thing, I could never see Joe Texan doing this. I bet he'd tell you, "You can pry my hat from cold dead hands!" This Jets guy just sounds like a shameless attention whore, but that kind of makes sense given the organization he follows.

Didn't a Patriots fan grab Joe's hat and take a bite out of it when Houston hosted the Super Bowl? I seem to remember him telling me that story.

Every team has "super fans". Of course I have known Joe, Preston and some others there in Houston for years. I have already gotten to know and tailgated with the ones here such as Capt Bones, Shiphead, Capt Rino, etc.

They all like the attention. It's why they dress up in their costumes. It's part of the fun for them. I personally enjoy being around them on game day as it adds to the experience.

That said, underneath the costumes they are no different than most of us fans. They feel the same frustration when things are going bad and the same excitement when things are going well.

Of course with the costumes comes the attention and sometimes the spotlight as in the case of Fireman Ed. I am sure he has gotten perks over the years so you have to take the good with the bad.

[Norg]

i think its TEBOW TIME !!!!!!

[SheTexan]

15 min of fame! I've never heard of him before the media decided they needed something else to talk about, since the Jets apparently SUCK this year, and they just can't give up trying to find SOMETHING to talk about when it comes to the Jets.

ONE fan does not represent all fans!! The media loves to sensationalize stories and try to make something out of nothing. So he quit!! BIG deal!! Move over Ed, I'm sure there's someone who would just love to take your place!! It's all about attention!! JMO!