The New York Jets’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game is still fresh in the minds of Jets fans. To help ease the pain of defeat, let’s forget about the tough loss and long offseason ahead by mentioning one of the team awards that was announced today. Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who had a solid season and playoffs, was named the team’s Eskenazi Award winner for 2010. The award is given annually to the most media-friendly player on the squad, and is a tribute to longtime New York Times beat writer Gerry Eskenazi.

Congratulations to Cotchery for the award, and a thank you to him for helping make being a fan fun. Without access to some of our favorite players, it’s harder to feel as emotionally invested. Cotchery certainly does his part to bring fans closer to the game.