Cortland (WSYR-TV) J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS echoed throughout Cortland Sunday as the team rolled into town for their official welcome back. About 300 people lined Main Street for the team decked out in the team’s colors.
“We wanted the Jets to know how important this was for us and that fact that they are coming back. We’re thrilled. So we wanted them back and we wanted to show them that,” said Bob Haight, the executive director of the Cortland Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber expects this summer’s camp to draw in double the amount of people compared to last year, which means 60-thousand people will be passing through to see the team prepare for the season.
“The road to the Super Bowl starts here,” said Tina Bishop, who was excited to have the team back. " It’s great. It gives our home town a bit of excitement and it gives people a chance to come to Cortland and we just love it.”
Team head coach Rex Ryan thanked the cheering crowd from a stage set up in the middle of the street. “We appreciate everything. We got to go to work, but thanks again,” said Rex Ryan, the team’s head coach.
Along with the team came a film crew of the HBO show "Hardknocks," who will follow the team through its riggers of training camp both on and off the field. "They've got cameras everywhere. Their philosophy is to be kind of like a fly on the wall. They want to be inconspicuous . They want to capture the camp as it happens. The Hardknocks considers this their Super Bowl event," said Pete Koryzno, who works with SUNY Cortland.
For the players, the camera crew gives them chance to prove how hard they work in the pre-seaon.
"I'm excited about it. I tell my friends. I tell my parents how training camp really is and they don't really believe me. So now I think they're going to get a true inside of what we do on a daily basis ," said Jets Fullback Tony Richardson .
But it's not just about the players showcasing their talents and giving fans a behind the scenes look, it's also an opportunity for people to learn where Cortland is on the map.
"Someone always says "Where's Cortland?' and we say somewhere between Syracuse and Binghamton but now we can say it's the home of the Jets Summer Training camp," said Cortland Mayor Susan Feiszli
The HBO show will premiere on August 11 at 10:00pm.
