New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a lifelong Patriots fan, thinks the Jets and Giants are trending up
Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the past week of social unrest and protests, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy still finds time for sports. A huge fan of a number of teams and differing leagues, Murphy is in the unique position to talk sports in this pandemic age as not just a governor but also part of the ownership group of a professional sports franchise.
Murphy and his wife are investors in the women’s soccer team Sky Blue, who compete in the NWSL. The team has spent the past several years playing at Rutgers but will move to Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. for this year.
Before the interview for this story, Murphy was working in his office and had a soccer game from the German Bundesliga on in the background. He is an avid sports fan himself, including cheering on his son who plays high school soccer.
New Jersey is a busy state for sports. The New York Giants and New York Jets both play at MetLife Stadium and each has a training facility in the state. The New Jersey Devils are the primary tenant of the Prudential Center in Newark. The New York Red Bulls and Sky Blue play in the aforementioned Harrison. A number of minor league baseball and soccer teams call the state home. Rutgers (Big Ten) and Seton Hall (Big East) bring big-time college athletics to the state.
As such, Murphy has no shortage of rooting interests as governor.
He counts himself a huge fan of the NFL and is optimistic that the league will return with fans this fall, although what they will look like remains unclear. Murphy is a New England Patriots fan – “please don’t hold that against me I was born in Boston” he jokes. But allegiances aside, he is optimistic that the Jets are set for an upswing, especially after his favorite team lost quarterback Tom Brady this offseason.
There is reason for optimism about the Jets, Murphy said, when asked about the Patriots rival.
“I do, I do. That’s not to say that I have to check my allegiances at the door – but I do. I think they have a good coach,” Murphy told SportsIllustrated.com.
“I think they have terrific ownership. I like their coach. They have very good, particularly young talent. They’ve done smart things a first-rate teammate he may be a little bit on the backside of his career, they bring in [Frank] Gore as a running back. They’ve done smart veteran moves. We’ll see both I think that both teams are better this year than last year.”
As for his beloved Patriots, rumors of their demise, he cautions, are greatly overstated. He believes that this team is still an AFC East contender, even after seeing the best quarterback of all-time depart this offseason.
Murphy is buoyant about the Patriots, but he also lumps in the New York Giants as a team with the Jets that he thinks will see their rebuilding pay dividends this upcoming season.
“But first of all, I never bet against Bill Belichick. So as much as I love Tom Brady and wish he had not left and wish the very best, I still think you have one of the best run organizations and coaches – so put that to the side,” Murphy said.
“I think the Jets and Giants have reasons for optimism. They each have good coaches. The Giants, speaking of which, a New England Patriots product in Joe Judge but I think [Adam] Gase is a good coach as well…Two really good young quarterbacks in [Sam] Darnold and [Daniel] Jones. I have gotten to know the owners of each team, the ownership groups – absolutely first rate.
“I think they’re both – I’ll put it simply…if I had to bet right now, do both teams win more than they did last year or do they win less than they did last year – they’re both going up. They’re both going to win more games. They’ll both be more entertaining on the field. I think they’ve got a good runway in front of them.”
