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Sunday, May 15, 2011
Yesterday on my twitter account I posted that I was really excited about profiling the Jets, but that they have not had successful head coaches over the years. Rex Ryan might become the greatest coach in Jet history after leading the team to two straight AFC Championship Games, but I don't think he is there yet. Lets get started with the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!
Like I mentioned eariler, Rex Ryan might become the greatest Jet coach in history. The reason he's not: Ryan has not won the big game like Weeb Ewbank has. Ewbank is the longest tenured Jet coach ever, lasting ten years in the Big Apple. After serving as an assitant under the great Paul Brown, Ewbank got his first head coaching job as a member of the Baltimore Colts. Ewbank did lead the Colts to the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championships, but was fired at the end of the 1962 season. In 1963 when Sonny Werblin bought the New York Titans, he changed both their name and its coach. Ewbank led a team that had not posted a winning record in its first three seasons and turned them into a contender. In Super Bowl III, Ewbanks smart game planning stupified the Colts (hardly regarded as the best team ever) and pulled out a 16-7 win in probably one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.
"We're gonna win the game, I guarantee it." Those words will echo throughout football history forever. They were spoken by one of the greatest QB's of all time, Joe Namath. Namath played for Alabama and coming out of college was drafted by both the AFL (Jets) and the NFL (Cardinals) despite having a knee injury his senior year. Namath elected to sign with the Jets for a salary of $427,000, a record at the time. In 1965 Namath won rookie of the year honors and became the first QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a season in 1967. That record would never be broken under a 14 game season, which they played for that time. Despite having his knees worked on constantly, Namath was a four time AFL All Star. These records mean nothing, though. What happened before Super Bowl III is what everbody will remember about the Jets and Joe Namath. When a reporter kept heckling Namath about how great the Colts were, Namath responded by guarantying a victory in Super Bowl III. He didn't play his best game ever, but the running game really helped him out and the Jets were able to pull out one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, beating the Colts 16-7 and winning the MVP. This is what made Joe Namath famous, this is why he is the greatest Jet of all time. Click here to look at Namath's stats.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL draft out of Temple University, Joe Klecko is one of the most popular Jets of all time and one of the greatest defensive tackles of all time. He was most notably apart of the Jets "New York Sack Exchange" which started in 1979 when Abdul Salaam, Mark Gastineau, and Marty Lyons joined Klecko on the defensive line. The four recorded 66 sacks in 1981, including a league leading 20.5 sacks by Klecko. The four also helped lead the Jets to their first playoff game since 1969. Kleckos was named to his first All-Pro selection and named the Defensive Player of the Year. In 1983, after missing all of the 1982 season, Klecko moved from defensive end to defensive tackle in 1983. Well done Jets coaching staff. Klecko made two straight Pro Bowls in 1983 and 1984. He wasn't done adjusting yet. In 1985 the Jets switched to a 3-4 defense which made Klecko learn more about the nose tackle position. Again he succeded leading the team with 96 tackles and five forced fumbles. He was selected All-Pro a second time and became the first player in NFL history to be selected to the pro bowl at three different positions. To this day, Klecko is only second to Mark Gastineau on the Jets all time sack leaders list. The fact that the Jets only used a third round pick on him is crazy and thats what makes him a gem.
Biggest Draft Bust: Blair Thomas (1990-1993)
I wonder which is more fake, The Blair Witch Project or Blair Thomas? Well since I know more about football then movies I'm going with Thomas. The Jets drafted Thomas second overall in the 1990 Draft. He might of led all rookies in yards per carry, but was another long line in Jets dissapointments. In his four seasons with the Jets, Thomas rushed for 2,000 yards and five touchdowns. Injuries plagued Thomas in 1992 and was soon released by the Jets following the 1993 season. Thomas played with four different teams after getting released by the Jets and retired after the 1995 season. According to Jets fans, Thomas is one of the biggest draft busts next to Vernon Gholston who they just relased a couple years ago. Who the Jets missed out on is why I picked Thomas over Gholston. If the Jets were looking running back they could of taken Emmit Smith, who was criticized by scouts due to his size. Cortez Kennedy and Junior Seau, who both had promising careers, also were still on the board when the Jets were on the clock. Some wonder if the Jets are cursed because they won Super Bowl III, if so, this is part of their woes. Click here to look at Thomas' stats.
Have I mentioned this game before? Ok just checking. Super Bowl III was one of the greatest games in NFL history. Some think the buildup of the event was greater then the actual game. The reason behind it being Joe Namath guaranteed victory for the Jets over what people considered the greatest team of all time, the Colts. The game did not start out well for the Jets as they punted their first two possesions and turned the ball over on their third. Thankfully for the Jets incredible defense the Colts were unable to capitalize. On a third down from the Jets 12 yard line, Earl Morral's passed was tipped and intercepted by the Jets Randy Beverly. Thanks to the success of the Jets running game, Emerson Boozer was able to score the game first touchdown. It was the first time an AFL team had led in the Super Bowl, but it wasn't the only history that would be made the day. Right before the end of the first half, the Jets defense was able to stop the Colts again intercepting Morral's pass and keeping the score 7-0 at halftime. The third quarter would belong to the Jets and the greatest upset in NFL history was about to become a reality. Baltimore only ran seven offensive plays all quarter and a crucial fumble by Tom Matte led to the Jets taking a 10-0 lead. After the Jets forced the Colts to punt again, Namath completed 4 passes for 40 which helped set up Jim Turner's second field goal of the game and gave the Jets a 13-0 lead. During the fourth quarter, Don Shula decided to try and give the injured Johnny Unitas a try but he couldn't do anything either. The Jets were able to drive down to the Colts 2 yard line, but Baltimore's defense wouldn't quit forcing the Jets to kick another field goal. This gave New York a 16-0 lead. The Colts were finally able to score, but with 3:19 left in the game. After a turnover on downs, the Colts comeback hopes were thrashed and the Jets won 16-7. Joe Namath, who completed 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards, won the games MVP. This was not only a defining moment for the Jets, but also for the American Football League.
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