I remember the final Jets drive watching on TV....the cameras showed the stands - actually the upper decks - bouncing up and down. Shuler had his breakout game. Jets were really against the clock. They called their last TO with :14 left after converting something like a 3rd and 14. the next pass was incomplete and with :10 left Todd had Gaffney coming open in the EZ but instead of lofting the ball threw a bullet which was easily picked by the Bills LB.......I was 10 at the time. I remember sitting staring out the window in silence hearing the rain going through the gutters with a lump in my throat...I was so mad. Little did I know over 30 years later and the Jets are still the Jets...
That was my first season as far as remembering most of the season. That was such an exciting time and such a disappointing loss after the great comeback.
I remember that game well. You are so right about the Opening Kick-off. Talk about deflating! ( Very similar situation vs. NE in '85, except that fumble came in the third quarter). Todd went from Clod to God to Retodd in the span of that game. How could he not see the Bills safety(I think it was Bill Simpson) There is a video of the game floating around on YOU TUBE (I have a copy) It's a fantastic period piece. You see Walt Michaels on the sidelines on one of those satin, 80s era kelly green jackets. I don't think his pants match the rest of the coaching staff. No headset on, hands in his pockets, while OC Walton is there in his full backwards-cap glory. The day was cold, gray & rainy. That especially helped bring out Shea's full "dumpiness" The stands are filled with long-haired types in a variety of outfits (very few in any related to Jets gear BTW). That was us 33 years ago. And you can see Shea literally rocking a few times.
After KC scored they had the ball with a first down inside the 20 and couldn't score, and Namath later completed an apparent tying TD pass to Lammons but it was ruled that he had gone out of bounds before catching it. Little did we know that this would become the usual pattern for the Jets - not just lose, but do so in excruciating fashion. This famous picture was on the back page of the Daily News the next day.
Charles Romes opening KO, Bill Simpson ended it. The uni's seemed a darker green, I loved the 80s uni's when they were a little darker. we'd only have 2 more seasons of Shea after that game.
Here's a youtube vid that includes the gut punch opening kick-off in the 81 game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wSYoJLBEMo Crappy break for Bruce Harper The game-ending INT used to be readily findable too but must have been taken down at some point. (Just as well). I wasn't there at Shea that day but I was watching with my dad at home and we both thought the stadium might collapse the way it was rocking during the come back I also prefer the 80s' Jets unis over the post-1997 "classics" that they still wear today.
I have that game on DVD, I tried to upload once but I have no clue how to do it. The stands seen rocking were the removable stands in the lower level that they put in just for football I believe. It wasn't the upper deck or mezz that were rocking up and down.
For 80's Jets fans Which playoff loss was the most heart breaking? Mud bowl in January 83. I live in Miami and I hated the Dolphins with a passion. I had to hear the city bleating its car horns for the rest of the night. When the Redskins beat the Dolphins in the SB I went out and returned the favor. Before the 83 draft did you want a QB? No. Were you satisfied with drafting Ken O'Brien? Had never heard of him. In retrospect, no. Were the Jets ever viewed by the rest of the league as a legit Super Bowl favorite during any moment in the 80's? When they went 10-1 to start 86 before the sky fell. They had the best record in the NFL at that point.
That makes sense, although it does retroactively make my childhood memory of a rocking and shaking stadium slightly less awesome
For 70's Jets fans What made you follow the Jets despite them not having much success? From my knowledge only 2 postseason appearances up to that point. My father was a Jet fan, we lived on Long Island and he took me to a game where Namath threw a touchdown (years after winning the SB). Did you like the drafting of Richard Todd? And did you think he was the heir apparent after Namath? I was too young to judge. What year did you feel like the franchise was making a turn for the better? See my answers to "the 80s Jets fans".
Turning point for the Jets was sack exchange. Which playoff loss was the most heart breaking? Loss to Dolphins in mudbowl. Before the 83 draft did you want a QB? Again, I didn't understand enough to judge. Were you satisfied with drafting Ken O'Brien? Yes, BUT was upset that they passed on other QBs that were more successful - i.e. Marino Were the Jets ever viewed by the rest of the league as a legit Super Bowl favorite during any moment in the 80's? They were legitimate contenders when they had the sack exchange and Freeman McNeil. Also, Obrien was really good, but not as good as Marino.
:grin: I was vey young at the time too and I thought it was crazy the stands would shake like that, I remember the same thing happened in RFK but they also had temp/movable seating as RFK was also a baseball stadium when it was constructed. I later learned about how the seats moved on the lower level for football games.
The aura of what Namath and the Jets did to turn the NFL on its ear in 68/69 lasted into the early 70's, right when I was at the age where I started following sports - and just as importantly, learning to read. By the time I was in the 3rd/ 4th grade, all I wanted to read about were the 1969 Jets, Miracle Mets, and Apollo 11. Those three dominated my life at that age. My father and and older brother were not into sports, so I led the way in my family. My younger brother followed in my footsteps so he can blame me. I had a choice, he did not ; ) Even though I grew up in Jersey, back in the 70's just about everyone paired their rooting interests as Yanks/ Giants or Mets/ Jets. They went together because of the stadiums they played in, and also because the Mets and Jets were the upstart underdogs. The 'new teams' The radicals. I liked the drafting of Richard Todd, however it probably wouldn't have happened in today's NFL since his college reputation was as a running QB. He was not a prototypical passer, but was very athletic, and also served as Alabama's punter. The fact that he was another Crimson Tide QB must have made him more appealing to the Jets, but he was more like Tebow than Namath. The first Jets game I ever went to was a preseason game against the Raiders at the newly refurbished Yankee Stadium in Todd's rookie year. Namath was still on the team but didn't play ( I was thrilled just to look at him through binoculars during warm-ups and standing on the sidelines). I remember Todd shanking a 6-yard punt during the game. I don't think he ever attempted one after that, but at the time the Jets must have considered him a candidate to be their regular punter. Todd had some rough times as our QB, but overall I think was more impressive as a pocket passer that given credit for. However, he had a penchant for some crucial picks, as we all know. Also, just when he started to emerge he suffered a broken clavicle and missed most of a season. His replacement Matt Robinson was a gun-slinger, and had a great game in a win @ Denver, endearing himself to a large segment of the Jets faithful. That didn't help Todd either. Things started to click for the Jets once the defense got going, with the drafting of Klecko, followed the next year by Gastineau and Marty Lyons. Walt Michaels was putting together a solid defense. In '78 when they changed their uniforms and changed to the green helmet, they had a new look and a new identity. That's when I learned that a punishing defense can be more exciting to watch than a slick passing game. Some of those sack exchange Shea moments are my fondest Jets memories. We had a season where Klecko and Gastineau combined for 40.5 sacks! (Abdul Salaam had a paltry seven that year too) Can you imagine that now? Look up recent NFL sack totals to see for yourself. That was the football equivalent of the Mantle/ Maris HR duel of '61. It'd be like Mo Wilkerson doubling his production this year and there being two of him. When an opponent faced 3rd down and anything more than 5 yards, the Shea crowd stood up expecting a sack - and most times got one, or damn close to it. Unfortunately Joe suffered some knee issues, and Gastineau got too much attention because of his 'sack dance' which led to him believing he was a celebrity. He hooked up with Brigitte Neilsen, became a distraction, and almost became comic relief rather than a feared presence on the field. His teammates dislike for him took away from the chemistry that helped them to be dominant, and the team's move to "antiseptic" Giants Stadium at that time seemed to take the grit out of that defense. I'd love to see something like that built here again, which is why I wanted Rex to stay. This town loves aggressive defense. Just look at the Parcells Giants teams.
Jets, Jets You used to win the old days with a QB and defense. But unfortunately they have changed the rules to favor the offense. Joe Namath would have a great time in today's game. The team that was 10-1 was considered the best in the league but players started going down at an alarming rate. I remember Lance Miehl going down in the rain against New Orleans. They recovered but that awful loss at Cleveland with the penalty on Mark G. was a killer. Never heard of Ken O'Brien before he got drafted. He had a strong arm and was very accurate but as he took hits because he was so slow-footed. When the offensive line went south he got beat up something fierce. He could run an offense but was unable to create. Kind of like a point guard who can run an offense but not create opportunities when the play breaks down.
All of the above was compounded by the fact that I lived in S Florida and had to endure all of it the next day at school, just brutal...
Mid 80's was my time. Not Much P.Off.'s but Toon, O'brian Walker Mcniell Defense had guys like lyons,Gastineau,Lagamen , Cliften and Hastey who left us hanging for KC. I didn't Like O'brien . Everyone knew Marino/Elway/ Kelly were better by then and I was looking for us to rid ourselves in 86" That was when Toon destroyed his Knee and O'brien was getting booed alot.
I was only a baby at the time but they say that that game the Fins purposely soaked the field before the game and did not use tarp the whole week to slow down the Jets Pass Rush . Started in 86" and But then I wanted a new QB.
Hasty and Lagemann weren't part of those mid 80's teams. One was drafted in '88 and the other in '89. They both made their mark with the Jets and around the league in the 90's.
