Feeling a bit depressed about the Jets? season, I did a bit of digging around to try to put the current quarterback situation into some sort of perspective. It didn?t cheer me up. Back in 1991 I was covering the NFL for a weekly football newspaper published in the UK. Having been elated the year before when the Jets used a supplemental pick on Rob Moore, I didn?t really worry about the loss of a first-round pick in the 1991 draft. Not knowing that much about college football at the time, I didn?t worry too much when, in the second round of the 1991 draft, the Atlanta Falcons drafted Brett Favre. A pick later, the Jets selected Browning Nagle. I learned later that the Jets had wanted Favre. Favre was traded to the Packers after one season and 1992 started with both the Jets and Packers looking to hotshot second-year, second-round passers to lead them. Favre has started every game for the Packers since Week Four of that season. He has won a Super Bowl and played in another. In the same time span the Jets have played Nagle, Ken O?Brien, Troy Taylor, Jeff Blake, Boomer Esiason, Jack Trudeau, Glenn Foley, Bubby Brister, Neil O?Donnell, Frank Reich, Ray Lucas, Vinny Testaverde, Rick Mirer, Chad Pennington, Quincy Carter, Brooks Bollinger, Jay Fielder, Kliff Kingsbury, Patrick Ramsey?and now Kellen Clemens. There may be one or two others who threw a pass or two, but that list is quite long enough. This season, Favre threw for over 4,000 yards and looked like a rejuvenated man. This season, just like in 1992, the Jets turned to a hotshot second-year, second-round quarterback to lead them, with similar results. So now we look ahead to 2008 in almost exactly the same situation we were in back in 1993. The Packers have Brett Favre, one of the top quarterbacks in the league. The Jets have a player who struggled badly on a poor team. Missing Favre by one pick may be the cruellest kick in the groin this franchise has ever had to endure ? and it?s still hurting.
But Marino was a self-inflicted wound. If it's possible to kick yourself in the groin, the Jets did in 1983 (although I still liked O'Brien). The Jets wanted Favre, making the failure to get him far more painful, IMO.
Yeah, I would agree that missing Marino was the greatest kick in the groin as far as QBs go. Good post though, UK. What a difference one pick makes sometimes, eh?
Some company out here would be nice... :wink: No, I try to remain upbeat about the Jets, even though I sometimes think I'm watching the same movie for the umpteenth time! I'll be optimistic again when the draft rolls around...
I agree with you. The Jets really wanted Favre and they just couldn't do anything about it. They passed on Marino. Stuff like that happens.
We can at least take comfort in the fact that the Jets did intend to draft Favre. If they passed on him for Browning Nagle, that would really make me want to cry!! Fate is a real motherf*&%^ to the Jets. Just think how many times greatness has barely eluded us. Not just with draft picks but coaches as well. What if Belichick didn't resign as HC of the NYJ's??
Well, on the bright side of the spectrum, think of the kick in the nuts we'd be feeling if we picked him and then gave up on him like the Falcons did? Quick, who'd they get for him? Also, I think Favre actually didn't begin with the Packers as a starter. He took over for Don Majkowski who was injured in game, Drew Bledsoe style. Curiously, that makes me feel no better somehow.
Exactly, with the list of crappy coaches and players the Jets have drafted/signed over the years, who knows if Farve would have been the same player with the NYJ.
Okay, never heard of him, but at least even if he was a bust they didn't just give Favre away. Were the Falcons that strong at QB? They must have valued him pretty high to hold out for a first round pick.
Chris Miller was their starter in 1991 and he had a good year. He was a Pro Bowl player that year. He was also good the following season, but only played in 8 games due to injury. Whitfield was an okay player. He did make it to a Pro Bowl. Favre was a problem in Atlanta because he partied and drank too much. If he had been more mature, maybe the Falcons would have kept him.
From the poster's list of pain: Nagle, Ken O’Brien, Troy Taylor, Jeff Blake, Boomer Esiason, Jack Trudeau, Glenn Foley, Bubby Brister, Neil O’Donnell, Frank Reich, Ray Lucas, Vinny Testaverde, Rick Mirer, Chad Pennington, Quincy Carter, Brooks Bollinger, Jay Fielder, Kliff Kingsbury, Patrick Ramsey…and now Kellen Clemens That's 20. Now who was decent - not great: Ken O’Brien (better earlier in career and was yellow later in career), I'll leave Boomer Esiason (very debatable), Vinny Testaverde (only for one good year), Chad Pennington (we did get to 3 playoffs). That's only 4 out of 20 and objectively we could narrow it down to 3. That is not a very good percentage.
