The Passion of the NFL Fan: Do We Support Our Teams Properly?

The most popular player on any team should always be the 12th man. It's the advantage boisterous fans provide for their teams that can never be dismissed. The potential to disrupt the opposition with a deafening stadium can be far too much to overcome if done properly.

The men on the field aren't playing solely for our entertainment, to make us cheer, or applaud. They're intense athletes that feed off the energy that only fans can provide. Some fanbases do it better than others.

The adrenaline that comes with the elation of 65,000 football fans that are happy to watch you do what you do can be enough of an edge to assure a victory. People do incredible things when motivated by another's happiness. It's contagious.

You can ask Vince Young and Chad Pennington how it feels when it works the other way around—what it means to be booed by the home team they represent.

Empty seats for empty souls

As a Jets' fan, I've seen the team's fanbase acknowledged as one of the NFL's most passionate and proud. Without season tickets to my name, I'm forced to watch the exact opposite on my television.

I witness an empty stadium during the opening kickoff, as fans take their time to leave the parking lot and enjoy a game. I see people filing out at the end of the third quarter, even if it's a close game. I see fans of other teams, and I see quiet, complacent fans that refuse to show emotion without being prompted by Fireman Ed.

Living in New York for my entire life, I understand the mentality—we have to beat traffic! Staying until the end of the game and dealing with the crowds is too much of a hassle, right?

The terror of being bumper-to-bumper for an hour after the game trumps the fan's desire to watch their team through all four quarters.

That’s not intensity, and that’s not passion. And when the team suffers because they have no fans to feed off of, we look to misplace the blame.

Your team needs you!

In the second-half of the Jets game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Fox Sports' television commentators made it a point to mention how quiet the crowd was. When the camera panned around the stadium, empty seats were everywhere, as fans slowly returned from half-time.

The Jets were winning 34-0, right? No need to go crazy. That silence allowed the Cardinals to go on a 21-point tear without any home-crowd resistance.

Although the game was a victory for the Jets, it came on the heels of an embarrassing loss in San Diego. A game that was played on a Monday night, where the Chargers' fans made it their duty to cheer until the end. No worries about traffic, and having to get up early for work in California.

When the Ravens traveled to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers for Week Four's Monday Night contest, the crowd's eruption in the third quarter reminded everyone that there was still a football game happening.

Joe Flacco was overwhelmed in Heinz Field when the towels started waving again. His inexperience could be immediately blamed, but the crowd noise has to be considered as a key contributor to the errors that led the Steelers right back into the game.

Don't blame the losing record

Long-time fans of perennial losers would argue that their lack of intensity stems directly from their team's losing traditions. Fans want something to cheer for—it's understandable, but it's not justifiable.

Despite the rough start in Cleveland, Browns' fans do their best to support their team at every sign of positivity. A completed pass results in an eruption of applause and yells. A stuffed run provides the defense with the adrenaline to try even harder on the next play.

The cheers resonate throughout the stadium and echo out on television.

The Oakland Raiders don't suffer from these problems, either. The presence of the black hole remains as strong as ever. And even with all the turmoil over the last six seasons, the Raider Nation remains aggressive to the point of delusion and insanity.

That's not a bad thing.

The fans follow the tradition the Raiders' organization hopes to maintain. It's a sense of pride that every team should hope to replicate.

There's no point in being a fan if you expect the worst every season, right?

Fans need to realize what's at stake

It's easy to blame the organization when they put out a perennial loser. General managers, head coaches, and owners make their fair share of horrible decisions that alienate the fans. But is that enough to stop supporting?

When the fans aren't into an organization, the business aspect of the game takes over. A team's success becomes a question of cost-effectiveness. Will this city allow us to build the new stadium we need? Is this team profitable in this region?

For evidence, ask the city of Los Angeles.

When fans decide to have one more beer at the tailgate party and miss the opening kickoff, and when they decide to leave the game early because they don't care, they fail to realize that they're just as guilty for their team's losing tradition.

Should that big-time free agent want to come to the city where the fans wear bags over their heads?

Will that young, expensive quarterback that was drafted first overall have a real opportunity to develop when the fans start demanding that he be benched?

We live in a world of immediate results, yet we enjoy a game that requires progressive development.

If we can't find a common ground, the passion most fans claim to have will continue to become impatience and depression.

Angel Navedo is the Head Writer at NYJetsFan.com, boasting Jet Fuel Radio, frequently updated news and opinions, and a premier fan community. He is also the Community Leader for the New York Jets on Bleacher Report.