I think I have a grainy videotape (might be a Betamax) of that game somewhere as well as the following game against the Raiders. The game in Oakland, with Walt's famous rant afterwards, was one of the toughest I've ever seen. I was convinced the Jets were going to the Super Bowl after they won that game. I still think they would've easily beaten the Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game- IF Miami had a damn tarp!
Martin instead of McNeil Sauer instead of Walker Yeah, but you have Sample there and he played fewer games with the Jets than did Revis.
The year the Jets went 10-1 and lost the last 5 games stands out. One of the many reasons they played so poorly down the stretch was that McNeil was hurt.
That was the season both NY teams looked SB-bound until the Jets' injuries got out of hand. I think the underrated Lance Mehl's season-ending injury started their downfall. I moved to Texas the day after they beat the undefeated Broncos on MNF, a game I listened to on the radio because I'd already packed my TV. For the rest of the season, including the winning streak, my only news source was USA Today. At least I got to see the two playoff games, tho neither of them was very memorable.
I was at that game. Elway had somebody open every play but rarely had time to throw. It's amazing what losing Klecko, Gastineau, Mehl, O'Brien, McElroy, McNeil, and several other players can do to a season. Did you see the NFL Network show on the playoff game against Cleveland? Russell Carter had a lot of nerve to criticize Gastineau. That hack was able to start at corner because of him.
That's an all-star team right there! That team didn't have any real weakness and it was full of talented young veterans just hitting their peak when they started going down. No, I didn't see the show. I'll have to look for it, tho I'm a little afraid to. I seem to recall the Jets just hoping not to lose instead of playing to win after they got a lead against the Browns, never a good decision. I felt the same way in the '98 Championship Game after they got the 10 point lead against Denver. Unfortunately my gut feeling was right both times.
BTW, you mean Russell Carter, one of their great 1st Round picks of the '80s? He was at least as good as Ron Faurot! Helps explain why the team went downhill so fast.
Curtis more durable than Freeman but Freeman was a gamebreaker, Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer deserve mention
Curtis was just a humble dude and was freaking consistent.. My favorite Jet by far.. Guy kept quiet and did his job.
