Morristown cheers hard at Grasshopper, but Jets fall short in Super Bowl drive

jets fans in a happy moment
Jets fans at Morristown's Grasshopper Off the Green, during a happy moment in the Steelers playoff game. Photo by Jason Jockhart
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By Jason Lockhart

If you wanted to keep yourself warm and watch the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, the Grasshopper Off the Green in Morristown was the place to be.

An army of New York Jets fans, and a few Pittsburgh Steelers fans, watched Gang Green fight hard for its first Super Bowl berth in 42 years.

Jets fans panicked, cheered, booed, yelled, and cried as the team lost 24-19 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve been a Jets fan my whole life,” said Ken Glinsky, a Newton native and Jets fan. “I just want one Super Bowl. I’m a Jets fan, Mets fan, Knicks fan, and my teams just don’t win.”

Another Jets fan cried as the game ended. One of his friends consoled him with a hug. He was among many devastated fans who had high hopes of seeing Gang Green join the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV in Dallas next month.

The Grasshopper attracted a big crowd, which included WCBS Channel 2 News reporter Lou Young and a camera crew.

The Steelers denied the Jets a miracle 24-point comeback when they converted on a third and six play with under two minutes left for a first down. Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall pounded the Jets defense with 121 rushing yards on 21 carries and one touchdown.

Jets fans at The Grasshopper were in panic mode when the Steelers dominated the first half with a 24-3 lead. While Mendenhall helped moved the chains, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected with receivers for key first down plays. Roethlisberger completed 10-of-19 passes for 133 yards, despite two interceptions, and scrambled for a two-yard touchdown that put the Steelers up 17-0.

“That’s what the Pittsburgh Steelers do,” Roethlisberger said during the post-game conference. “We play as a team and we win as a team.”

Poor tackling was another problem for the Jets. The NFL’s third-ranked defense gave up 166 total rushing yards to a Steelers team that ran the ball twice as much as it passed.

“We didn’t get off well on blocks,” said Jets defensive lineman Mike DeVito, who finished the game with seven tackles while sacking Roethlisberger for a safety in the fourth quarter. “I felt I could’ve done a lot better job.”

“They did a great job running the football, but we did a poor job tackling,” Jets head coach Rex Ryan said during the post-game press conference.

Pittsburgh scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown in the first half.  Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez fumbled the ball inside the pocket and Steelers cornerback William Gay scooped up the loose ball and dashed 19 yards into the end zone.

Frustrated Jets fans at The Grasshopper were booing near the end of the first half. Jets kicker Nick Folk put New York on the board with a 39-yard field goal. Fans like West Orange resident Nora Aliu remained believers.

“I want to see them be able to stop the Steelers from scoring,” Aliu said during halftime. “We want the Jets to win so badly!”

“We just needed to calm down,” said Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who had eight tackles and one pass deflection. “We had to just focus on our jobs. But in the end, we just came out flat.”

The Jets turned it around in the third quarter with Sanchez throwing a bomb for a 45-yard touchdown to wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Jets fans cheered “J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!” with their team trailing 24-10 with 12:13 left.

“I had hope at that point,” said Bethany Zorn, a Parsippany local and Jets fan. “I had faith in the Jets the whole time. I thought they were going to come back and win.”

The Jets (13-6) had the ball on fourth and goal with 7:53 in the fourth quarter when running back LaDamian Tomlinson was stopped by the Steelers defense. The Jets defense, however, put the offense back on the field after DeVito’s sack for a safety. A 58-yard drive was followed by a four-yard touchdown by wide receiver Jerricho Crotchery, cutting the Steelers’ lead to 24-19 with 3:06 remaining.

The Steelers (14-4) ran out the final three minutes of the game and many Jets fans exited the Grasshopper with  bitterness. But Mike Sciscione of Rockaway was proud.

“This is what the team was made for,” Sciscione said. “They were built to win. No one expected us to make it this far and they will continue to be very good.”

“I love how our guys came back in the second half and fought,” said Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who threw for 233 yards and two TDs. “But the loss just hurts. I don’t know how we came out flat, but we just got to get better.”

The Steelers will face the Packers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6. The Jets have nothing to apologize for, Coach Ryan told the media.

“We’re going to play until the end,” Ryan said. “Our goal for next year will never change. If you want to criticize us, go ahead, but you have no right!”

jets fans in a happy moment
Jets fans at Morristown's Grasshopper Off the Green, during a happy moment in the Steelers playoff game. Photo by Jason Jockhart

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