Sunday night an 'honor' for Woody Johnson
Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets, looks on as his team warms up before playing the Giants during their preseason game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Aug. 29, 2011) Credit: Getty
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Woody Johnson is a New Yorker. He was in Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, and he serves on the board of directors of the 9/11 Memorial. His future wife, Suzanne, was late to work that day 10 years ago at Sandler O'Neill, one of the many brokerage houses in the Twin Towers that lost numerous employees.
So Sunday night's season opener against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium means quite a bit to the Jets owner.
"This is a big game for us," Johnson said Friday. "It's a great honor to have been selected by the NFL to play this game. It brings back a lot of memories. We had our kickoff luncheon in New York last Wednesday, before we played the Eagles. Some of us had a chance to visit part of the [WTC] site. The site just gives off a feeling of what happened. A lot of our guys were [young] when it happened. But for those of us that were there, it was a poignant moment."
Serving on the board of the 9/11 Memorial has also made Sunday an important day for Johnson.
"Going through the process of building it, it seemed forever to get it done, but that's what it takes," Johnson said. "We had a lot of different constituencies that wanted to be, and should have been, part of the discussion. I think when you see it, there's no way to describe it. You're going to feel it. I've served for the last 10 years on the memorial board, so I've watched this thing, I've had a chance to meet a lot of the families, hear them talk about their kids, their wives and husbands who were lost.
"I think [hosting Sunday night's game] is a great honor in light of that."
Johnson said security for Sunday's game has not been tightened in light of news of a credible, unspecified threat against New York City. "I can tell you, for every game, we do everything we know to protect our fans," he said. "We are extremely rigorous. Anything that comes up, we know about. Our job is to create a safe environment and we intend to do that. Our security's already at a pretty high level."
That protection extends to Cowboys fans, as well. Johnson defended Rex Ryan's off-the-cuff remark about warning Dallas fans to stay away Sunday, saying the coach wasn't threatening the opposing fans.
"Rex didn't mean it that way," Johnson said. "Rex is enthusiastic. He is very confident in his team. He has a high degree of affection for his team. I don't care what jersey you wear, you're going to be safe at our stadium."
Notes & quotes: FB John Conner (ankle) and QB Mark Brunell (calf) practiced fully and are listed as probable, along with 11 other Jets, including WR Santonio Holmes (illness), who was added to the injury report and was a few minutes late to the practice field Friday. All 13 Jets listed as probable are expected to play. Cowboys CB Terence Newman (groin) was ruled out and CB Mike Jenkins (neck, knee) and starting RT Tyron Smith (knee) are questionable.
