Correct. Until the realignment (2002?) there were two divisions with 5 teams and one with 4 in each converence. In order to balance the schedule, the two last place teams from the previous season in the 5-team divisions in the same conference played each other twice, and also played the two last place teams from the 5-team divisions in the NFC as well. The first four teams in the 5-team divisions and all the teams in the 4-team divisions played the opposing conference on a rolling basis. The last place teams basically played a round robin with all of the other last place teams. So in other words the last place teams in the 5-team divisions would only play two inter-conference games instead of four. Hope that made sense!
We were on such a roll, too, the best one in my memory. Hadn't lost since early November, steamrolled through a tough division and touch schedule in December with a game to spare, got the bye, won convincingly in the division round. Losing didn't even seem like a possibility, as good as Denver was.
The home-and-homes ended when Jacksonville and Carolina joined the NFL in 1995, eliminating the 4-team divisions. The league realigned again in 2002 when the Texans joined, making it 32 teams, with 8 4-team divisions.
The 4 team divisions ended w/ expansion in 1995, the Central actaully had 6 teams after they let Cle back in the league.
Awesome. So, the game you refer to with Robinson playing hurt and losing in OT, was that home against Cleveland in '79? If so, the stub in my sig is from that game - my first as a Jets season ticket holder. What I clearly remember from that game was Leahy hitting the top of the left upright, right in front of us in our new Jets seats, and I blamed the loss on that, not Matt Robinson. A score of 25-22 comes to mind, though that's a pretty wacky score. Can't be...My memory has to be off on this. Now I gotta look it up... What I am certain of, is our tickets in the loge section 2 were $9. 9 x's 8 was what a season ticket cost: $72.00 per seat, per year! We had four seats - the bill for the season was $288.00. No preseasons, no forced parking. Now you can drop $50 just to park once.... I loved those seats - we were covered but not tucked away too far back. It was end zone, but the back of the end zone literally was right in front of us. Shea was stacked more, not swept back. Once a drive got inside the 30 there was no better vantage point, and I can see Barkum's TD against Miami right in front of me like it was yesterday. The only thing that sucked about those seats was the halftime piss. Could take an hour. But, we inhaled, so...
The score sounds right. Yes, that was opening day, a rare home opener in those days for the Jets. They lost on a FG in OT after Robinson threw the duck INT while we were pinned back deep. I remember the Jets blocked a punt in the OT and for a moment it looked like Donald Dykes was going to pick it up and run it in to win the game be he didn't get it clean. Don Cockroft hit the game winning FG, as he did in Week 15 of the 1978 season to eliminate the Jets from playoff contention. That game was at Cleveland, the Jets rallied from down 27-10 to up 34-27, ended up in OT and lost on the FG. That was part of Robinson's run with the Jets, he came in Week 6 I think, Todd came back in November at home vs the Pats, a game I was at, re-injured his collarbone early, Robinson came back in and finished the season. Thanks. Was going from memory, thought we had more sacks but I guess not. I just remember the D-line pushing the Colts O-line back into Bert Jones all day, he was constantly surrounded by a sea of white (his own guys), the thought of them even scoring a point after a while seemed impossible. This was the week after the Todd-to-Barkum TD which gave us a share of first place, so the Baltimore win kept us there for another week.
That group of guys were dangerous punt-blockers for a time. Didn't the Miami game start with a blocked punt returned for a TD that year? Could have been another year. Lynn & Dykes were good at it. It was the first time that I remember the Jets aggressively going after punts. BTW guys, while looking for the scan of that Bills Button, I also found a scan I'd made of the four home game tickets left unused because of the '82 players strike. I kept the tix for the longest time but probably tossed them after scanning them in the 90's. It's '82 not '81 but I can post it.
Dykes was a horrible DB, the only good play I remember him almost making was that one and he didn't even make that. But yes, the D and special teams were very aggressive under Michaels, who coached with Buddy Ryan back on our championship team. Not sure about the Miami game, I know the year before (1978) we also opened at home and beat Miami 33-20, first game with the green helmets and new uniforms. Some of those home games weren't televised so a lot of the details I don't remember. By the beginning of 1979 , Cleveland game you were at, they were on TV but most of the way through 1978 we were still blacked out. So I was stuck with the radio and the Steelers or somebody on TV with the sound off.
But I remember the games where there was weed! It's the beer games I don't recall (too well) I know there was hash involved on the Flying Lawnmower day against the Pats - and we thought we were seeing things. Too bad that wasn't the case. Regarding the games being blacked out until the '79 opener, I'll take credit for becoming the season ticket purchase that pushed them above the black-out rules to this day. Thank you very much.
Yes, it was the week 5 1979 game against Miami. Donald Dykes blocked the punt I think and Johnny Lynn recovered for the TD or vice versa. Bobby Jackson had a long INT return for a TD in that game also....
What stands out in my mind with that '79 Cleveland game was how the Jets let that one literally slip through their fingers. Didn't Dykes pick off a pass with less than two minutes to play to practically seal the win? Keep in mind back then teams didn't have the best clock strategy in closing out games. I know the Browns somehow got the ball back with about 40 seconds left and hit a long lucky pass to get in FG range to tie the game. I still remember Michaels seething on the sideline - looked like he was going to have a stroke...and he didn't even see what craziness was coming in OT.....
Imagine if the 04 Jets and Obrien had made that FG and the Jets went to Foxborugh for the AFC Championship? That would been a franchise defining game. Coulda knocked off the Patriots repeat chances and went to the Super Bowl. Fuck doug.
There is 1 play that will always sting me when I look back at 09. In 09 we were up 14-6 on the Colts. Leonhard recovered that fumble. The offense goes on the field with a chance to go up 21-6 and kill all the clock. On first down we had a 3 yard run, The 2nd and 7 play always will bother me, Jones had a 5 yard run to make it 3rd and 2 with a little over 2 minutes left. Instead we got a penalty on Damien Woody that had no effect on the play so it went from 3rd and 2 and chance to kill the clock to 2nd and 12 and of course we kicked the FG and Manning trounced us. If we had that 3rd and 2, chances are we convert for a 1st down, kill the clock. Go into halftime 21-6 or 17-6......Manning never would have figured out our D.
I swear I was just thinking about the fumble recovery the other day. If the Jets go up 21-6 I don't think the Colts come back. I also don't think the Jets would of beat the Saints though.....
I don't think we would have had a chance at NE but I wish we had the chance to prove that. If we convert there the game is different but the game really changed on the next possession. Losing Greene early in the 2nd half killed us too, he was just starting to get going like he had the 2 previous weeks in 2nd halves.
Not sure about that Colts game. We were banged up in the secondary and it was only a matter of time before Manning got untracked. Remember he had a similar comeback at home vs New England in the same game the year they won the Super Bowl. I thought we had a better chance last year at Pittsburgh if we had stopped them on that last 3rd down.
