Was at a Chase VIP meet n' greet at Short Hills Mall tonight. Mom's gift to me. 45 minute chat session answering questions from the moderator and another 20 mins for questions from the crowd. He talked about the Jets mostly, how the achilles rupture was a huge letdown, greatness in the AFCCG and how he wished he could have the 2nd half of the AFCCG back. Lots of insight on his time with the Jets and his love for coach Parcells. Is very impressed with Bellicheck as a coach also. Talked about winning the Heisman, and touched base on the college football messes at Penn State and Florida (players getting paid), and somewhere else (Mic kept going in and out at this point). He likes Sanchez a lot and and would not trade him unless its for Brady, Brees, Rodgers, or Manning. He said Mark has the abilities and skills to get the team to a SB but feels the coaching staff is holding him back. He thinks that they don't put the game in his hands until they absolutely have too which is why they have so many come from behind wins. Thinks Schotty's got good play calling ability but the whole CS has the shackles on MS. Overall was a good night. Signed my Jersey and my book. They Jersey is getting put behind glass and hung up now.
I always liked Vinnie and thought he could pull it off. If he had been surrounded with the O-line we have now and the receivers/TE/RB combos we have now (and the DEF we have now), I think we could have gone all the way with him. When he had the time (and he certainly had the arm), he could nail a guy like Plax or Holmes and really make them legit deep threats... spread the DEF out real good. Makes you wonder what we could have accomplished today if we had him now, in his prime. But timing is everything in life... and the achilles... well, that was that.
That sounds awesome I would love to have a meet and greet like that with a player. I think I might have mentioned this before on here so excuse me if you have heard this story. I've met Testaverde twice and he's a really really nice guy. His niece actually went to middle/high school with me. Senior year I was out for lunch with my football team (about 12 of us decked out in Varsity Jackets, hats, etc) and I noticed Vinny was sitting at a table across from us. Everyone eventually saw him but we didn't want to say anything and just carried on like usual. 30 minutes later Vinny came up to our table while he was leaving and says "Hey guys I just wanted to stop by say hello and pay for your meal today" Dropped 2 hundred dollar bills on the table, smiled, and walked away. It was honestly one of the coolest things that had ever happened to me. We were all kind of caught off guard and speechless. I don't think anyone even said thank you as we all kind of just stared at him. Turns out our bill wasn't even $200 so we got to order extra food which made us even happier. But yeah thats my Testaverde story. Hope I didn't steal your thunder.
Everything you just said, I think we had plenty of talent in 99, we were primed to make a big time run and Vinny could very well have been the guy to do it all for us that year. But that damned achilles.
Good for u fozz.....never had the privelege of meeting VT myself as most of the ex-players i have met/talked to were from the early 90's. good work.
Great write-up.....DAMN !!! I would have loved to have been there. Mods, when a current or ex-Jet is going to do a public gathering -- esp. in a small, cozy location (like a book signing) -- can you make it a sticky at the top of the threads so we can find it easily ??
It wasn't him that lost the game, VT played great. All of Parcells vets kept fumbling, and some WR whose name I have finally forgotten kept dropping catchable balls. Belichick's defense didn't help either. That 2nd half killed me more than any other half.....more than the KC loss in 1969...more than the Mud Bowl....more than Indy and Balt under Rex. Only one that compares is the Browns loss in 1986 but that wasn't an AFC CG. If we heat beaten Denver that year we win the SB -- no way Jets lose to Atlanta. God, we finished 12-4 with 1 or 2 more wins we could have played Denver at home and probably beaten them. That was a home-field win for Denver, no doubt.
Testeverde 2 int's Martin fumble Byers fumble Meggett letting the kickoff bounce back to denver Van dyke fumble
Hard to imagine the biggest play made by a Jets player that day was Blake Spence who blocked the punt inside the Bronco 5. My son's pediatrician went to HS with VT and said he still sees him around the area when he heads home. Said he was a really nice guy even back then. I met Vinny once when he was with the Cowboys and had about 30 seconds to tell him I hope when he goes into the HOF he does it as a Jet. He got a good kick out of it and said back to me "if I ever make it into the HOF it'll be as a Jet"
Blake Spence! Wow, there's a great memory. (BTW, Fred Baxter was involved in that play too - maybe he recovered it. Remember Fred? I always liked Fred Baxter. Met him once. Nice man.) I was lucky to be standing ON THE FIELD behind that end zone for that sequence. Let me tell you, that was the hardest hitting NFL game I've ever been to, or near. (I sometimes get to assist pro photographers on the sidelines) After the blocked punt Curtis got hit hard and still barely got in. I think Romanowski shared some of his "supplements" with the rest of the Bronco D that day. They were hittin' hard.
Yeah I liked Fred Baxter too, pretty decent TE. I've never been on the field for an NFL but I was for some UFL and some college games and right behind the wall for arena league games. Not quite the same but even at the college level you don't realize or appreciate the speed of the game until you see it 1st hand.
I usually loved Vinnie and thought he could accomplish it. If he'd been encircled using the O-line we now have and also the devices/TE/RB combinations we now have (and also the DEF we now have), I believe we're able to go completely with him. As he had time (and that he certainly had the arm), he could nail a man like Plax or Holmes and extremely make sure they are legit deep risks... spread the DEF out real good. Enables you to question what we should might have accomplished today when we had him now, in the prime.
Great stories, thanks for sharing. Vinny is the best, very fond memories of him. I hope he makes it to the HOF.
Correct! One of my bitter Jet memories was the 2003 season when Pennington got hurt so Vinny had to start the first game and Herm played conservative and wouldn't let him throw at all in that game against the Redskins. We gave them the game. This continued for several more games until Vinny was allowed to throw, and after he got it going they replaced him in the second half of the Eagles game with Chad. That ended the two game winning streak. Chad went on to play .500 the rest of the way, but I believe Herm's conservative, scared approach with Vinny for the first part of the year doomed the season.
That's a great story. That is something that I wish I heard about more often (I am sure it happens far more than we know, or something similar). You guys (probably regardless of your opinion of him before hand) couldn't help but be a fan of Vinnie for life. It takes so little for a big time athlete to effect a kids or teenagers life in a very impactful way (a memory for life). I know they get bombarded and you can't be "on" all the time, so I would bet Vinnie appreciated your restraint and rewarded you. Just a guess, but no matter, it was a very cool gesture.
Vinnie had the size and could stand in the pocket no matter what came. We haven't had a QB since that can do that (Pennington immediately went into the Chinese Firedrill and Sanchez just plain folds. He either commits spectacular passing blunders or coughs the ball up due to mishandling (loaf of bread). This is why PERHAPS Tim Tebow might be the answer. Might be! If he can practice and develope more as a pure passer (with more accuracy), he's got Vinnie's size and he's got WAY MORE athleticism. Get this guy to pass better and you've got one hell of a QB at less than half the price of the Annointed One, El Guapo.
