The Gastineau play or the Brien misses. they were playoff games, today's game and the fake spike and Vinny injury were not.
Vinny going down doesn't classify as a collapse really, more like a curse :smile: Sad thing is there is too many to name in a poll: '83 or '84 the Jets started 6-2 and finished 7-9 '86 - the dual collapse of losing five in a row then blowing the Cleveland game '92/93 - the Jets were 8-5 then lost three straight to end the season, including the Bills game where Cary Blanchard missed three FG's and Steve Christie made three and we lost 16-14. '94 - the fake spike and fallout '97 - 8-4 start and then lose three out of the last four including blowing it in Detroit '98 - Having the AFC Championship within reach and then collapsing '00 - 9-4 start, lose the last three games of the year including a 14-0 lead against Baltimore '04 - The Herm and Doug Brien fiasco '08 - 8-3 start, lose four of five to spiral out of the playoffs I was too young for '86 and '99 was the most painful moment as a Jet fan but this was probably the most brutal collapse (especially coming on the heels of another Met fiasco) other than '86's dual effort given they were 8-3 and looking like a SB contender.
I dont know about hands down. I voted for Vinny going down, that was so hard to get over. That morning on opening day, everyone on NFL countdown picked the Jets to go to the Super Bowl. I had a feeling that season was going to be magic, and then in seconds it went down the drain, on top of that we had to suffer through 15 more games. I still remember Keyshawn crying after the game, I cried with him. I think that was my hardest moment to get over as a Jets fan. That was OUR year, and it just didnt happen. That was our year! We had just lost in the AFC Championship to Elway and the Broncos. Elway retires, the AFC was ours. We had a nasty defense run by Bill Belichick, and maybe the best coach of all time coaching our football team. Curtis Martin was in his prime, Vinny coming off his best season of his career, Keyshawn, and Chrebet in their prime, maybe the best o-line in the NFL. That was our year.
This was it for me too. The season was going to be so much fun, and BAM-- over. After so many years of futility we were going to be good, play in big games all year and contend for the Bowl. SNAP-- done. Fun's over.
This one's easy. I still see that ball bouncing off the upright in Pittsburgh. You can't get 3 chances there that guy tanked it.
The Brien loss was Gut-Wrenching. I was pissed off at everyone for weeks. Wonder what that bum is up to today
The Doug Brien fg misses are only winning bc most ppl are very young on here. That was not not nearly as bad as the Gastenau roughing call or the Vinny injury. The Jets were the best team in the AFC easily if Vinny was healthy.
We had it all wrapped up and ready to move on against the steelers and then BAM! We fucked ourselves...Twice! An died in the swamps of the 2004 Season.
I have to say Brien missing those two field goals. We would have won and had a monumental upset against a 1 loss team, and it was just torture to watch him miss those and then the Steelers win in the end. Today is a close second for me. We went to an 8-3 Super Bowl contender who exploited the perfect Titans weaknesses to a mess who now realizes we don't know what we got til it's gone with Pennington.
Now that i see you put Vinny's injury up there, that was the worst for me... That year i thought we had a real shot at winning the SB. The 98 and 99 teams with Vinny, were the best teams i have ever seen the jets have in my 25 years as a fan.
I won't vote the Brien game because we didn't dominate that game. Our offense couldn't put together any good drives and it was a kick return and INT return for a TD that kept us in that game. While I think we had a real shot against the Pats in the blizzard I'd still think Chicken would out gameplan Sperm and honestly losing to the Steelers the way we did was much better than losing to the Cheats in the AFC Title Game. 86 was more of a disappointment than Doug Brien. That team had Super Bowl all over it. 10 straight wins, a high powered offense, solid D with great individual players and they did beat Denver on Monday night earlier in the year. A 10 point 4th quarter lead squandered and 5 straight losses to end the year at 10-6 was much much worse than the Brien game. I still think this year is the worst of all but only because this year is all that matters right now. I am disappointed but quite honestly I knew after the Buffalo game that this wasn't a championship team so I had some time to prepare myself for the fact that we weren't going to make the playoffs.
For me it's this season, the "Brett Favre Era," for lack of a better term. It's more than just Favre though, it's the whole ball of wax... defense, lack of good coaching, the way we finished, losing the last 4-5 after sitting at 8-3 and in complete contol of the season... then the return of Pennington and the way it all went down. EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING! I can't remember a total collapse like this... really can't. This one was accross the board. Very talented team that could't find a way to win the several games it needed to get into the POs.
I feel bad that Brien's been labeled as the goat in that Pittsburgh lose, when the horns should be firmly affixed to Herm for being passive once the team got into "field goal range." All game the announcers had been talking about how Heinz Field is the toughest stadium to kick field goals in and how a 40 yarder there is like a 50 yard shot most everywhere else. So what does Herm do when we get into "range?" He takes a knee! Yes, Brien missed two HUUUUUGGGEEEEE, makeable field goals. However, let's not forget, as per his M.O. Herm did not put his player in a better position to succeed.
