62 sacksin '85??? Wow! I can't even believe that's the figure! Good point, he did hold on to the ball too long, never learned to throw it away. Oh, and I do recall he led the league one year (QB rating).
the stats for what they're worth...regular season: +---------------------------------------+-----------------+ | Passing | Rushing | +----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+ | Year TM | G | Comp Att PCT YD Y/A TD INT | Att Yards TD | +----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+ | 1984 nyj | 10 | 116 203 57.1 1402 6.9 6 7 | 16 29 0 | | 1985 nyj | 16 | 297 488 60.9 3888 8.0 25 8 | 25 58 0 | | 1986 nyj | 15 | 300 482 62.2 3690 7.7 25 20 | 17 46 0 | | 1987 nyj | 12 | 234 393 59.5 2696 6.9 13 8 | 30 61 0 | | 1988 nyj | 14 | 236 424 55.7 2567 6.1 15 7 | 21 25 0 | | 1989 nyj | 15 | 288 477 60.4 3346 7.0 12 18 | 9 18 0 | | 1990 nyj | 16 | 226 411 55.0 2855 6.9 13 10 | 21 72 0 | | 1991 nyj | 16 | 287 489 58.7 3300 6.7 10 11 | 23 60 0 | | 1992 nyj | 10 | 55 98 56.1 642 6.6 5 6 | 8 8 0 | | 1993 phi | 5 | 71 137 51.8 708 5.2 4 3 | 4 17 0 | +----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+ | TOTAL | 129 | 2110 3602 58.6 25094 7.0 128 98 | 174 394 0 | +----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+ Postseason: Year Opp Result | CMP ATT PYD PTD INT | RSH YD TD ---------------------+--------------------------+----------------- 1985 nwe L,14-26 | 13 17 149 1 1 | 1 4 0 1986 cle L,20-23 | 11 19 134 0 0 | 3 22 0 1991 hou L,10-17 | 21 31 221 1 3 | 2 10 0 ---------------------+--------------------------+----------------- TOTAL | 45 67 504 2 4 | 6 36 0 http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/OBriKe00.htm
OK...I guess I'm on a roll... http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/6283056 1983 remembered: The 'other' QBs By Jerry Eskenazi Special to NFL.com Sometimes, Ken O'Brien says, "The stars have to line up." O'Brien never quite got to see that alignment morph into an NFL championship during a 10-year career spent almost exclusively with the New York Jets. But as a member of the famed Quarterback Class of '83, he has a permanent place in draft history. The legendary passers of that group -- John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly -- either already are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or soon will be. But there were three other quarterbacks drafted in the first round that year: Todd Blackledge (who went to Kansas City with the seventh selection); Tony Eason (who went to New England with the 15th); and O'Brien (who went to the Jets at No. 24, three spots ahead of Marino). O'Brien was the only one of the six from a Division II school -- California-Davis -- and he had a significant career, leading the Jets to three playoff appearances and earning two Pro Bowl invitations. But there remains something laid-back, not quite New York, about O'Brien, who coaches quarterbacks at Loyola High School in Los Angeles and also has a financial business. Ask him about 1985, when he posted a league-best 96.2 passer rating, and he says, "Is that right? I don't have any idea. I never took the time to analyze it." But what about the Class of '83? Did he ever consider where he fit into it? Was it a blessing or a curse to be part of the most acclaimed quarterback class in NFL history? Says O'Brien, "I never gave it a thought." Surprisingly, in the 20 years since that historic draft, the quarterbacks have gathered for just one reunion. That took place on Aug. 23, 2000, when the Miami Dolphins held a public tribute for the recently retired Marino and the six shared memories during a private dinner. If pressed for a career highlight, O'Brien names the 1986 season, when the Jets got off to a league-best 10-1 start that included a nine-game winning streak. "We thought we were unbeatable," he recalls. "Then we got the injuries [four starters lost]. You can replace one guy, but not so many." The Jets collapsed and lost their final five regular-season games, but a 35-15 wild-card victory over Kansas City earned them a trip to Cleveland and a shot at the AFC title game. "We came close. We had the game won," O'Brien says. "Then there were unfortunate penalties." The most unfortunate of those were a roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive end Mark Gastineau and a 25-yard pass interference penalty on Carl Howard that enabled the Browns to overcome a late 20-10 deficit and score a 23-20 double-overtime victory. Picked three spots ahead of Dan Marino, Ken O'Brien had over 25,000 career passing yards. That was the closest the Jets came to a Super Bowl under O'Brien, who remained with the team until 1992 before concluding his career with one season in Philadelphia . As for the other first-round quarterbacks, Eason played eight seasons in New England and started for the Patriots in Super Bowl XX against Chicago, but he was knocked out early in a 46-10 Bears rout He spent his last two seasons with the Jets, backing up O'Brien from 1989-90. Blackledge, the second quarterback selected in the 1983 draft, after Elway, had probably the least-distinguished NFL career. He played five seasons for the Chiefs and two for the Pittsburgh Steelers and now works as a broadcaster for CBS. "Sure, I would have like to have achieved some other things," Blackledge says. "I'll always be part of that class, and being part of it raised expectations. But when you get to that stage, the bar is raised anyway." Like O'Brien and Eason, Blackledge has no illusions about someday ending up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But as someone who grew up in Canton, Ohio, and still lives there, he always can visit. "When Jim [Kelly] went in last year, I was proud to see him," Blackledge says. "And when Danny and John go in, I'll see them, too." Twenty years later, the men who made the 1983 draft the Year of the Quarterback still share a special bond.
Pennington is a bit better scrambler than Kenny was. Chad can pick up the odd first down here and there. Kenny never did that.
you guys can hate on Kenny all you want, I will go on record saying that if it was not for his awesome "pass" plays at QB, I would never have become a Jets fan. I credit him for getting me to like football, (him and Vinny's Canes)
Im not sure what alan is referring to when he tried to compare obrien and penny...and to say obrien was no gunslinger is retarded...the man had a tremendous arm and threw a tremendous deep ball......he had absolutely no protection, usually led the league in sacks.....he is very underrated by jet fans who blame the teams overall lack of success on him...unfair
And dig this: Hackett hired him to coach the Qbs at USC back in 1998... Ken O'Brien Named Quarterbacks Coach Paul Hackett completes coaching staff. March 3, 1998 LOS ANGELES, Calif.-- Ken O'Brien, the former long-time New York Jets quarterback who last year coached the quarterbacks at UC Davis, was named USC's quarterbacks coach, new head football coach Paul Hackett announced today. This completes Hackett's 9-man assistant coaching staff. Hue Jackson will be the offensive coordinator and handle the running backs, Bill Young will serve as defensive coordinator, Larry Petroff will be the tight ends coach and the assistant head coach, and Shawn Slocum will handle the linebackers and serve as the special teams coordinator. The rest of the coaching staff includes Steve Greatwood (offensive line), Ed Orgeron (defensive line), Dennis Thurman (secondary) and Mike Wilson (wide receivers). "Ken O'Brien has great credentials as a player, and he brings to us enthusiasm plus an acute knowledge of the quarterback position," said Hackett. "We're fortunate to have him join the Trojan football program. "As the offensive coordinator, Hue Jackson will be the key link to establishing my vision of our offense and he also will play a vital role in guiding our new offensive coaches. He will be the energy driving our offense. I have the highest regard for his coaching ability, as I do for Bill Young's. Bill has put together some of college football's outstanding defenses and that's what we're looking for him to do at USC. Shawn Slocum's hiring shows our commitment to an attacking, pressure style of special teams. He is also a fine linebackers coach. Larry Petroff will not only serve as the assistant head coach and handle our tight ends, but he'll coordinate our recruiting efforts, which he did so expertly the past 2 months. "Steve Greatwood, Ed Orgeron, Dennis Thurman and Mike Wilson are all experts at their positions and are outstanding teachers. I am delighted with our new staff." O'Brien, 37, spent the 1997 season as the quarterbacks coach at UC Davis, his alma mater. The Aggies were an NCAA Division II semifinalist and quarterback Kevin Daft ranked 25th in passing efficiency in NCAA Division II (the team was fifth in passing offense in NCAA Division II). O'Brien played 11 years (1983-93) in the NFL, the first 10 with the New York Jets and 1993 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was the Jets' first round draft pick in the 1983 draft and went on to rank second behind Joe Namath on the team's career passing yardage (24,386) and touchdown passes (124) lists. A 2-time (1985-91) Pro Bowl selection, he was named the AFC's MVP by the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club in 1985 when he became the first Jet to lead the NFL in passing (297-of-488, 60.9%, 3,888 yards, 25 TDs, 8 interceptions, 96.4 rating). He passed for 300-plus yards 15 times with the Jets, twice for more than 400 yards (including 479 against Miami in 1986). He guided the Jets into the playoffs in 1985, 1988 and 1991. In his 11-year career (he started for 7 seasons, 1985-91), he completed 2,110-of-3,602 passes (58.6%) for 25,094 yards, 128 TDs and 96 interceptions. His career passing rating of 80.4 ranks among the Top 20 of NFL quarterbacks. He is UC Davis' all-time leader in passing yards (6,637) and attempts (820) while starting his 3 seasons (1980-82) there. He was an All-American first teamer as a 1982 senior and led the 12-1 Aggies to the national championship game (an injury kept him from that contest). He was an All-Conference first teamer each season and was the Conference Offensive Player of the Year his junior and senior campaigns. His 2,976 passing yards in 1982 (on 217-of-349 passing, 62.2%, with a school-record 23 TDs) is second on the school's season list. UC Davis went 25-7-1 in his career as he completed 470-of-830 passes (56.6%) for 6,637 yards, 44 TDs and 25 interceptions (the completions and touchdowns were school records that have since been broken). He also is second on the school's career total offense chart (6,563 yards, 1 yard short of the leader). He was inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame in 1997 and the UC Davis Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from UC Davis in 1983. He started as a 1978 freshman at Sacramento State, hitting 64-of-156 passes (41.0%) for 714 yards, 4 TDs and 4 interceptions. He prepped at Jesuit High in Sacramento, Calif., starring in football and baseball. He was a sports broadcaster at KCRA-TV in Sacramento in 1995 and 1996. Born Nov. 27, 1960, he and his wife, Stacey, have 3 daughters--Taylor, 11, Paige, 7, and Blake, 5--and a son, Kelly, 9. http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/030498aaa.html
I definitely don't hate Kenny. If we'd had better pass blocking, he would have been even better and if we'd had those injuries in '86. Subway Superbowl.
You ever play football? Or do you just like to crab about it. That poor bastard stood in there for fucking years with atrocious protection and still managed to sling it up and down the field while getting killed. You couldn't sniff Kenny O's moxie.
I would like to shake you by the hand, sir. Kenny was tough as nails. You don't play 10 years at QB behind porous lines without being tough. His teammates called him Kenny Timex. I have a No.7 O'Brien shirt bought in 1988 and he was my first Jets hero.
^ Never heard that one! Consider it shaken. It frosts me when people piss all over Kenny. Its not like he picked himself over Marino. I'd love to see that pussy get hit half as hard and a third as much as Kenny did. It really bothered me the way Coslet put the wood to him in favor of Boomer. That must have set the franchise back 7 years.
Kind of Funny that we had two of the 1983 first round Qb's on our team at the same time just 6 years after the draft.
Boomer was Coslet's boy, and Coslet and O'Brien never seemed to get along. Coslet gave the job to Browning Nagle in 1992 and O'Brien won it back, then they brought in Boomer and held up his #7 Jets jersey at the press conference while O'Brien was still on the active roster. I liked Coslet for the most part, but I always thought that was a totally classless move and it said more about him than it did about O'Brien.
O'Brien was a class act. He never bitched or complained, he played hard, took the shots, and did the best he could. He played for some flawed teams, and some weak coaches. I maintain to this day, that if you switch O'Brien with Marino, that the Dolphins have at least one Super Bowl Championship under O'Brien - and that Marino would have lasted maybe 4-5 years getting killed behind the Jets' line.
Ken O'Brien was my favorite Jet growing up. The guy was hard not to root for. He always got up and wiped himself off. All guts, no glory. I hate the O'Brien Marino comparisons. I agree with Green Guy on this one. Moreover, it's not as if Ken was terrible. He made two Pro Bowls. -X-
H'mm us at the stadium starting booing so I guess I was not the only one questioning his moxie at least on that play. Also, if he learnt to threw the BALL AWAY more often the hits would have decreased. Another one of his faults is it took him TO LONG to decide where to chuck the rock which accounted for many of the hits he sustained
Many years later, it seems that O'brien is getting way more respect now then he ever did when he played. I remember O'brien being disliked a whole bunch. Sure he had some flashes, but he was not a Field General like some of the other QB's of his era. Jets Fans were never really sold on him, and I think that he was so laid back and a mental case that he was beched for Pat Ryan in the Playoffs against the Browns.
I think human nature is such that people appreciate someone or something more when it is over--especially New York fans. Look at Patrick Ewing, everyone constantly criticized him when he was here playing, but now that he's gone there isn't a Knick fan in their right mind that wouldn't want him back in a heartbeat. O'Brien was the same way, when it's all said and done you can appreciate what he brought. At the time you're hoping for a Super bowl, but years later you realize it wasn't just O'Brien who didn't get there. As for the 1986 playoffs, I think the team just needed a spark at that time and Ryan was the perfect guy for that. I was at the Wild Card game vs KC and that QB draw he ran snapped the whole place back to life. The next week in Cleveland O'Brien came back in and it wasn't really his fault we couldn't hold a 20-10 lead with 2:00 left.
