1976: Jets Hire Lou Holtz as Head Coach

On February 10, 1976, the New York Jets announced that they had decided to dip into the college ranks to fill their head coaching vacancy. Lou Holtz, most recently the coach at North Carolina State, was named to the post.

The hiring was in line with a recent trend in the NFL toward taking on successful college coaches. UCLA’s Dick Vermeil had just been hired by the Eagles and John McKay of USC was chosen to be the first head coach of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 39-year-old Holtz was not well known nationally, but had built a reputation as a college head coach who could turn struggling programs around. The Jets, who had not produced a winning season since 1969, hoped that the amateur magician could work the same magic at the pro level. Holtz received a five-year contract.

Frail and looking more like a college professor than a football coach, Holtz had put together a 33-12-3 record, including four bowl appearances in as many seasons at NC State. It had been a losing program prior to his arrival, and he had achieved similar success at William & Mary before that.

“I have great confidence in myself,” Holtz said at his introductory press conference. “I believe in God, Lou Holtz and the New York Jets in that order. Coaching is coaching no matter what level you're at. You need a good staff and you need athletes and you need people who want to win. That's what I intend to have here.”

While Holtz was known as an offensive-minded coach in college, he made clear that defense would be his first priority in New York.

The Jets went 3-11 in 1975, with the lowest-ranked defense in the NFL. Head Coach Charley Winner, the designated successor to Weeb Ewbank following his retirement after the ’73 season, was fired nine games into his second year on the job. Offensive coordinator Ken Shipp took over in the interim to finish out the dismal season.

One of the initial concerns that the new coach had to deal with was veteran QB Joe Namath, who had openly suggested a trade rather than continue to take a battering with the woeful Jets. While Holtz indicated that he still wanted the 11-year veteran on the team, he also said “If Joe wants to play for us again and help us, fine. If he doesn’t, we’ll find someone else.” With their first pick in the ’76 draft, they took QB Richard Todd, who, like Namath, came out of Head Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s program at Alabama.

Beyond that, the offensive line was aging and the running game hindered by the loss of FB John Riggins, who had played out his option and signed as a free agent with the Redskins. Walt Michaels, an assistant under Ewbank in better days, was brought back as defensive coordinator to sort out the unit that had performed so abysmally in 1975.

Things did not go well for Holtz or the Jets in 1976. The coach tried to inject a college spirit into the team, and it fell flat. He wrote a fight song for the players that became a source of ridicule and had them line up by height along the sideline for the national anthem prior to each game. In short, he simply was not prepared for the pro game at that point in his career (and admitted as much years later).

The team, very much in turmoil, was still bad, too. There were 14 rookies on the roster, including Todd. While RB Clark Gaines, a first-year player who made the club as a free agent, was a pleasant surprise, many of the others proved not to be keepers. Gaines led the team in both rushing (724 yards) and pass receiving (41 catches).

The battered Namath threw for just 1090 yards with four touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his final season with the Jets. Todd started six games and the team won two of them. While he caught only 31 passes for 391 yards, TE Rich Caster was still highly regarded, and WR David Knight contributed 20 receptions for 403 yards (20.2 avg.).

The defense continued to be dreadful, ranking 26th in the league – only the expansion Buccaneers and Seahawks ranked lower. They intercepted 11 passes and registered a mere 16 sacks for the season. Still, FS Burgess Owens and SS Phil Wise played well, and LB Greg Buttle earned all-rookie honors and offered hope for the future.

The team’s final record was again 3-11, although Holtz didn’t last to the end. He accepted an offer to return to college coaching at Arkansas and left the Jets with one game remaining. As he stated upon announcing his decision, “God did not put Lou Holtz on this earth to coach in the pros.” Director of Player Personnel Mike Holovak (formerly head coach of the Patriots) served as interim coach for the season finale, a 42-3 shellacking at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Holtz stayed at Arkansas for seven years before moving on briefly to the University of Minnesota and then Notre Dame. After stepping down as head coach of the Fighting Irish, he moved to the broadcast booth for two seasons and returned to college coaching once more at South Carolina, retiring for good in 2004.

Overall, Holtz compiled a 249-132-7 record as a college coach, going 12-8-2 in bowl games spread across six different programs, and won a national championship with Notre Dame in 1988. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, but his brief failure in the NFL likely soured any likelihood of being pursued by a pro team (although the Vikings reportedly showed some interest at the time he left Notre Dame in 1996).

As for the Jets, Walt Michaels was promoted to head coach in 1977 and, after a third straight 3-11 campaign, they began to show improvement. Helped along by some good drafts, New York eventually reached the playoffs in 1981 and ’82.

1983: Dolphins Defense Shuts Down Jets to Win AFC Title

It was a rainy day at the Orange Bowl in Miami on January 23, 1983 as the Dolphins hosted the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game. Due to the strike-shortened nine-game 1982 regular season, the divisions had been dispensed with and the playoffs restructured into eight-team tournaments in each conference. Miami, with a 7-2 record, was the second-seeded team in the AFC, while the 6-3 Jets were at number six.

Head Coach Don Shula’s Dolphins were a young club with players averaging four years of pro experience. The defense had been the key to Miami’s success, featuring the “Killer Bees” of Pro Bowl NT Bob Baumhower, ends Doug Betters and Kim Bokamper, and LB Bob Brudzinski, along with brothers Glenn and Lyle Blackwood as the safeties. There was also A.J. Duhe, a former defensive end who had moved to linebacker. The conservative offense featured FB Andra Franklin (701 yards) and wide receivers Jimmy Cefalo and Duriel Harris. QB David Woodley was mobile but nothing special and was occasionally spelled by veteran backup Don Strock. The Dolphins beat the Jets in two meetings during the regular season, including a closely-fought game in December, and handily defeated the Patriots and Chargers at home in the playoffs (the latter game a payback for the wild overtime loss of the year before).

New York, coached by Walt Michaels, was coming off of playoff wins at Cincinnati and against the Raiders in Los Angeles that had highlighted their strengths. RB Freeman McNeil led the league with 786 yards rushing and added 303 more in the two postseason contests. Pro Bowl WR Wesley Walker caught 15 passes for 314 yards and two TDs against the Bengals and Raiders. While the defensive line that had earned the nickname “New York Sack Exchange” the year before was not as dominating due to the loss to injury of DE Joe Klecko, the other three members (DE Mark Gastineau and tackles Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam) did well. QB Richard Todd ranked third in the AFC in passing and rallied the Jets from behind in both playoff games.

There were 67,396 fans in attendance at the rain-soaked Orange Bowl, and they sat through a scoreless first half. While NFL rules required that a tarpaulin be placed over the field during inclement weather prior to a game, the field had been left exposed as heavy rain pelted it in the 24-hour period prior to kickoff, leaving a muddy swamp throughout with the deluge continuing during the contest.

The Jets went from their 34 yard line to midfield on their first possession, but Todd threw to a double-covered WR Johnny “Lam” Jones and Glenn Blackwood intercepted the pass. However, Miami turned the ball back over on its first play when Woodley threw a long pass intended for Cefalo that SS Ken Schroy picked off for the Jets.


Early in the second quarter, Woodley (pictured at left) evaded Gastineau’s grasp and ran 17 yards to his own 39 yard line. But RB Tony Nathan fumbled the wet ball on the next play and CB Bobby Jackson recovered at the Miami 41. New York’s offense couldn’t take advantage and had to punt.

Such was the case until near the end of the half, when Miami’s Tom Orosz booted a punt 45 yards from deep in his own territory to give the Jets possession near midfield. Bokamper sacked Todd twice, on second and third downs, and CB Don McNeal blocked Chuck Ramsey’s punt. With the ball at the New York 20, it appeared that the Dolphins might break the impasse before halftime, but Schroy again intercepted Woodley and the Jets ran out the clock.

In the third quarter, a Todd pass intended for Jones was intercepted by Lyle Blackwood, but a defensive holding penalty nullified the play. However, Todd went to the air again to RB Mike Augustyniak, and the ball hit his hands and was picked off by Duhe. On a second-and-two play at the New York 40, Franklin lost the ball and Gastineau leaped on it, but the officials ruled that the running back was already down and Miami maintained possession. Another key play came on a third-and-three situation at the Jets’ 27 as Woodley completed a pass to Harris for 13 yards. FS Derrol Ray’s vehement protest earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that moved the ball to the seven yard line. From there, RB Woody Bennett ran through the middle of the line for a touchdown.

Midway through the period, Duhe intercepted another pass that gave the Dolphins possession at the New York 41, but this time they were unable to capitalize. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Todd, intending a screen pass for RB Bruce Harper, was picked off for a third time by Duhe, and this time the linebacker returned it 35 yards for a touchdown (pictured at top). The two-touchdown lead proved to be more than enough as the Jets never threatened in the remaining time, and the final score was 14-0.

Neither team accumulated much yardage, with the Dolphins outgaining the Jets by 198 yards to 139 and holding the edge in first downs at 13 to 10. Both teams sacked the other’s quarterback four times apiece, and while the Jets had the most net passing yards (77 to 60) they gained only 62 on the ground, to 138 yards for Miami. There were nine turnovers in all, five suffered by New York (all interceptions) and four by the Dolphins (one fumble and three interceptions).

Freeman McNeil was shut down, gaining just 46 yards on 17 carries. Wesley Walker caught one inconsequential pass, for no gain. Richard Todd completed only 15 of 37 passes for 103 yards and was intercepted five times. Bruce Harper caught four passes out of the backfield for 14 yards, while Johnny “Lam” Jones gained a team-leading 35 yards on three receptions.

In winning, David Woodley was successful on 9 of 21 passes for 87 yards with no TDs and three interceptions, and also led the Dolphins in rushing with 46 yards on 8 carries. Andra Franklin was right behind with 44 yards on his 13 runs before suffering a head injury and Woody Bennett carried 13 times for 24 yards and the only offensive touchdown of the game. RB Tommy Vigorito was the leading receiver with three catches for 29 yards.

“This was the most exciting game of my career,” A.J. Duhe said. “I know I missed a
couple of assignments, and I'll hear about it tomorrow. But I know I made a couple of big plays, too.”


Indeed, Duhe was the player of the game for Miami, with the three interceptions while lining up in six different positions during the course of the contest. Kim Bokamper (pictured at right) recorded three sacks, Glenn Blackwood and Gerald Small each picked off a pass, and Don McNeal had the blocked punt.

Don Shula laid much of the credit on the preparation by defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger and his coaches. “Bill Arnsparger and the rest of the defensive coaching staff did just a tremendous job in getting us ready, not only for this game, but for the playoffs in general,” Shula said. “We gave up 13 points to New England and 13 points to San Diego and we held the Jets to nothing today. That's tremendous defense and Bill Arnsparger is the reason.”

“We were slipping, sliding, twisting and turning out there today and we didn't get the breaks,” said a disappointed Walt Michaels. “I think we were prepared. We just didn't execute…I could make a lot of excuses about the loss, but when it's done it's done. Sometimes you just shouldn't get up in the morning.”

Miami went on to lose the Super Bowl to the Washington Redskins. As for the Jets, Coach Michaels quit the team in the offseason and was replaced by assistant coach Joe Walton, and the team suffered through two losing years before returning to the playoffs following the 1985 season; they would not advance as far as the AFC Championship game again until 1998.

1983: Bradshaw Spurs Steelers to Playoff-Clinching Win in Last Appearance

The Pittsburgh Steelers had gotten off to a 9-2 start in 1983 and appeared to be cruising toward the playoffs. But after winning seven straight games through Week 11, they lost the next three contests. Not only did their record drop to 9-5, but the Steelers were in danger of missing the postseason altogether. Their lead in the AFC Central was down to a game over the Cleveland Browns, and they needed a win to assure a playoff spot.

To start at quarterback against the New York Jets at Shea Stadium on December 10 was Terry Bradshaw, who had led the Steelers to four championships in the 1970s. It would be the 35-year-old veteran’s first start of the season. He had undergone surgery on his right (throwing) elbow in March, which had been considered successful, but aggravated the injury in May and re-injured the elbow in training camp. Placed on injured reserve to start the season, he had been activated the week before, but had not played.

Backup Cliff Stoudt was the starting quarterback while Bradshaw was out, and while the team had been winning, it was primarily because of the running game and defense. The passing offense had not kept pace, and Head Coach Chuck Noll decided that, with the postseason on the line, it was time to turn to the most successful quarterback in the franchise’s history.

The Jets, under first-year Head Coach Joe Walton, were 7-7 and entertaining slim playoff hopes of their own. New York had been in the postseason the previous two years, advancing all the way to the AFC Championship game in ‘82. But Walt Michaels had resigned as head coach and Walton, the highly regarded offensive coordinator, was elevated to the top job. The result had been regression as the Jets played inconsistently.

As a side note, the game against the Steelers would be the last for the Jets at Shea Stadium, their home since 1964. They were moving to Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands for the ’84 season, a venue they would share with New York’s other NFL club.

There were 53,996 fans on hand, with 6314 no-shows on a partly sunny and cool day. The teams traded punts on their first possessions. But when Pittsburgh got the ball back after another punt by the Jets, Bradshaw completed a 24-yard pass to TE Bennie Cunningham, followed by a 22-yard run by RB Frank Pollard to the New York 28 yard line. The drive stalled, but on a third-and-ten play, Bradshaw sprinted to his right and threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to WR Gregg Garrity, who was wide open in the middle of the end zone. The eight-play possession had covered 77 yards.

The Jets punted again, and again the Steelers moved down the field. After a three-yard run by RB Franco Harris, another aging veteran of the glory years in the ‘70s, Bradshaw threw a pass to Pollard for a 17-yard gain. Harris carried again on a sweep that picked up 18 yards. After two runs by Pollard, a pass interference penalty on New York made it first down on the Jets’ 14. Three plays later, and now into the second quarter, Bradshaw, being blitzed, fired a bullet to WR Calvin Sweeney who caught the ball at the five and ran into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. The Steelers were ahead by 14-0.

That was the end for Bradshaw, however. He suffered a bruise to the injured elbow when throwing the pass to Sweeney and was through for the game (and ultimately for his career). He had been in for a total of 20 plays covering three series, but it was enough to give the Steelers momentum and a lead they would not relinquish.

Stoudt came in at quarterback and the Pittsburgh offense cooled off. However, Jets QB Richard Todd, who couldn’t get his team across midfield in the first half, was intercepted by safety Ron Johnson, and the return was to the New York nine. The result was a 29-yard Gary Anderson field goal. Following another punt by the Jets, the Steelers drove 42 yards in 10 plays and Anderson kicked another field goal, of 40 yards, just prior to the end of the half. The score at halftime was 20-0, and Pittsburgh was very much in command.

After being intercepted twice and sacked three times, Todd was relieved by backup QB Pat Ryan in the third quarter. Ryan’s first pass was intercepted by CB Mel Blount after bouncing off the hands of WR Wesley Walker, setting up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Stoudt to Cunningham.

New York’s best series of the game followed when Ryan moved the team 75 yards in three plays, with two of them passes to WR Johnny “Lam” Jones of 36 yards and 27 yards for a TD. But it was 27-7 after three quarters. Stoudt threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Sweeney just over four minutes into the fourth quarter, and that provided the final score of 34-7.

Fans tore up the Shea Stadium turf, as well as some of the temporary seating for football, leading to numerous injuries and arrests. It was an ugly end to both the season and the tenure at the stadium in Queens.

But the big story had been Terry Bradshaw, who launched the big win for the Steelers by completing 5 of 8 passes for 77 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

“He was a major factor,” said Coach Noll of Bradshaw. “It was a remarkable performance considering what he's gone through. We saw him work during the week and we felt he was ready and I think he showed it today.”

“When you have a guy like Terry coming back, you have to use him,” said Cliff Stoudt. “And I guess his performance shows why. He wasn't 100 percent but he showed a lot of courage. He was the leader out there and when he got us the two quick scores, that was the ballgame.”

Other noteworthy performances were turned in by Franco Harris, who rushed for 103 yards on 26 carries, and Frank Pollard, who added 78 yards on 15 attempts as the Steelers rolled up 242 yards on the ground. Johnny “Lam” Jones was one of the few bright spots for New York, catching 7 passes for 146 yards and the team’s lone TD.

Pittsburgh lost the following week, with Stoudt at quarterback, but won the AFC Central with a 10-6 record. They lost in the Divisional round of the playoffs to the Raiders. The Jets, officially eliminated by the loss to the Steelers, also fell again in the season finale to finish at 7-9, tied with the Colts at the bottom of the AFC East.

While Chuck Noll hoped his veteran quarterback would be ready for further action, it was not to be. No one knew at the time, but the appearance against the Jets was the last of Bradshaw’s distinguished career. The damage to his throwing arm was too much to overcome.


The end for Bradshaw came fittingly enough as part of a clutch performance. While he might not always have received the credit he was due for quarterbacking the team to four championships, especially considering the strong supporting cast on offense and the many stars on defense, Bradshaw was an outstanding athlete and leader who was a key to the club’s success. He was selected to the Pro Bowl on three occasions and was a consensus first-team All-Pro choice in 1978, a year in which he led the NFL with 28 touchdown passes and the Steelers won their third Super Bowl. And Bradshaw did receive the ultimate honor – he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

2000: Four NFL Runners Reach 200 Yards on Same Day

As much as modern pro football has become more pass-oriented, running the ball is still an integral part of the game and running backs still achieve big performances. December 3, 2000 was a day for ground-gaining achievements as an unprecedented four NFL runners gained 200 yards rushing on the same date.

The highest total was registered by rookie RB Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos (pictured at right), who had 251 yards on 37 carries in a game against the Saints at the Louisiana Superdome. Both the 6’0”, 230-pound Anderson and the Broncos had been on a hot streak. Denver had won six of its last seven games, including four straight, coming into the contest against the 8-4 Saints. Anderson had already gone over 100 yards on four occasions and twice flirted with 200, including 195 the week before at Seattle, making the most of his opportunity to play after injuries had cut down veterans Terrell Davis and Olandis Gary.

Anderson scored the first of his four touchdowns (all by rushing) in the opening period and his second TD, of five yards, in the second quarter put the Broncos ahead to stay. They won handily, 38-23.

Cincinnati RB Corey Dillon, who at the time held the NFL single-game record with 278 yards in a game that he set just six weeks before on October 22 (coincidentally, against Denver), reached the 200-yard threshold for the second time in 2000 with 216 on 35 attempts against the 3-9 Arizona Cardinals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals had not been as successful as the 6’1”, 225-pound fourth-year running back out of Washington – they were 2-10 entering the game and had lost four straight.


Dillon (pictured at left) set the pace from the start, running for 57 yards on the team’s second play from scrimmage to set up a short TD pass from QB Scott Mitchell to TE Tony McGee. By the half, he had gained 134 yards and scored on a one-yard TD run to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 14-0. It was 21-0 in the third quarter before the Cardinals began to come back and narrowed the margin to 21-13. But Dillon, along with RB Brandon Bennett, keyed a long, 17-play fourth quarter drive that ran the clock down and ended with a 32-yard Neil Rackers field goal to cap the 24-13 win.

At Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium, fourth-year RB Warrick Dunn gained 210 yards on 22 rushes with two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. The Buccaneers were 7-5, and had won four of their last five, while Dallas was a dismal 4-8. The 5’8”, 180-pound Dunn typically split duty with FB Mike Alstott, who was struggling with injuries, and with more of an opportunity to run the ball had his first 100-yard game of the year the previous week (106 vs. Buffalo).

Tampa Bay dominated the Cowboys throughout the game. It was already 3-0 in the first quarter when Dunn took off on a 70-yard run for the first touchdown of the game. He scored again in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard carry that made the final tally 27-7. It was the third 200-yard rushing performance of the year against the Cowboys, who had given up just two such performances over the previous 40 seasons, and also marked Tampa Bay’s first-ever win over Dallas.


Finally, RB Curtis Martin of the New York Jets (pictured at right) rolled up a then-club-record 203 yards on 30 carries at Giants Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts. The Jets were 8-4 and battling the 7-5 Colts in the AFC East. The 5’11”, 210-pound Martin was in his third year in New York after three seasons with the Patriots and had been to the Pro Bowl three times. He had been over a hundred yards twice thus far in 2000.

The Jets were ahead by 7-0 in the first quarter when Martin’s 36-yard run keyed a drive that was capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from QB Vinny Testaverde to WR Dedric Ward. It was 20-0 at halftime, but the Colts came back in the second half to close to within 20-17. A fumble recovery by the Jets set up a two-yard scoring run by Martin that clinched the 27-17 win for New York.

Mike Anderson not only led the day but, of the four, had the highest yardage total of the season with 1487, fourth-ranked in the league, on 297 carries. His 5.0 average gain ranked third and 15 rushing touchdowns second (and first in the AFC). It was the high point of his seven-season career in which he reached the thousand-yard mark just once more (1014 in 2005). He did not have any more 200-yard games.

Corey Dillon was right behind Anderson at fifth in the NFL with 1435 yards on 315 carries. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns. It was the fourth of an eventual six straight thousand-yard seasons and was his highest yardage total with the Bengals, although his career high of 1635 came with New England in 2004. Dillon was named to the Pro Bowl for the second of three straight years (and four overall).Including a 246-yard game as a rookie in 1997, and with the two in 2000, he ended up with a total of three 200-yard games for his career.

Curtis Martin ended up with a 12th-ranked 1204 yards on 316 attempts for a 3.8-yard average and nine touchdowns. Factoring in pass receiving yards, however, he ranked ninth in yards from scrimmage with 1712, the highest total of the four. Also the most prolific rusher of the group, his thousand-yard season was the sixth of an eventual 10 straight to start his career, a distinction he shares with Detroit’s Barry Sanders (Emmitt Smith had 11 consecutive, but that streak started with his second season). Martin led the NFL with a career-high 1697 yards in 2004, at age 31, when he was a consensus 1st-team All-NFL selection. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. The performance against the Colts was his only career 200-yard game.


Warrick Dunn (pictured at left) ranked 18th with 1133 yards on 248 attempts. His 4.6-yard average gain ranked considerably higher, tying him for seventh in the league with Dillon. He scored eight touchdowns on the ground. It was the second thousand-yard season of an eventual five for Dunn, with his career high being 1416 with the Falcons in 2005. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000 for the second of three times. Like Anderson and Martin, the game against the Cowboys marked his only rushing total over 200 yards.

1961: George Blanda Throws 7 TD Passes Against NY Titans

The Houston Oilers, defending champions of the American Football League, had gotten off to a rough start in 1961. They were 1-3-1 after five games, and George Blanda (pictured above), the 33-year-old quarterback who had revived his pro football career in ’60 while leading the club to the title, was benched for two games.

However, owner Bud Adams fired Head Coach Lou Rymkus at that point and replaced him with Wally Lemm. There was an immediate turnaround, and by the time the Oilers hosted the New York Titans at Jeppesen Stadium on November 19, they had reeled off four straight wins. Blanda was back at the helm. In the preceding four contests, he had passed for 1076 yards (including 464 in a game at Buffalo alone) with 11 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

The Titans, coached by legendary QB Sammy Baugh, were 5-4 coming into the game. While the offense was capable of providing some excitement, in particular due to the presence of split end Art Powell and flanker Don Maynard, the defense was porous, especially the defensive backfield. Having started off 3-1, New York was in danger of falling out of contention in the Eastern Division.

There were 33,428 fans in attendance at the small venue as Houston took command quickly and decisively. Blanda tossed his first touchdown pass, of 28 yards to flanker Charley Hennigan, at the conclusion of an 80-yard drive early in the first quarter. With 4:40 remaining in the opening period, Blanda tossed a six-yard TD pass to HB Billy Cannon to conclude a six-play possession that covered 31 yards. Before the first quarter was over, the Oilers scored again as Blanda threw another pass to Cannon that covered 78 yards for a third touchdown.

The Titans offense didn’t threaten until midway through the second quarter. Flanker Don Maynard put New York on the board, making an outstanding catch on a four-yard pass from QB Al Dorow, but DE Don Floyd blocked the extra point attempt.


Blanda poured it on as he connected with split end Bill Groman for a 66-yard TD and with Cannon once more for a six-yard score. The tally at the end of the first half was 35-6 and the veteran quarterback had set a new AFL record with five touchdown passes.

Three minutes into the third quarter, Blanda threw for his sixth touchdown, connecting with Groman on a 46-yard play. He tossed his seventh, tying the NFL record held at that point by Sid Luckman of the Bears and Philadelphia’s Adrian Burk, in the fourth quarter on a play that covered 11 yards to Groman.

Dorow, who was constantly harassed by the aggressive Houston defense, tossed a second TD pass, of 11 yards to TE Thurlow Cooper, to salvage a slight bit of pride for the Titans. Houston won by a final score of 49-13.

The Oilers rolled up 555 yards, to 347 for New York, and the Titans further hurt their cause by turning the ball over four times, as opposed to just once by Houston. There was plenty of aggressive play on both sides, and several fights broke out, including one that cleared both benches. Altogether, 18 penalties were called, resulting in 193 yards (11 for 128 yards on Houston, 7 for 65 yards on the Titans). Three players were ejected.

In throwing for seven touchdowns, George Blanda completed 20 of 32 passes for 418 yards and was picked off once. Three Houston receivers gained over 100 yards – Bill Groman led the group with 5 catches for 152 yards and three TDs, followed by Charley Hennigan, who caught 8 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Billy Cannon added 122 yards on 7 receptions with three scores. Cannon added another 41 yards on 14 rushes, behind FB Charley Tolar, who gained 58 yards on 11 carries, and FB Dave Smith with 49 yards on six attempts.

For the visitors, Al Dorow went to the air 47 times and had 21 completions for 278 yards with two TDs and three interceptions. HB Dick Christy led the club with 7 catches for 103 yards out of the backfield. FB Bill Mathis ran for 68 yards on 14 carries.

It was another big performance by the defending champions as they surged back into the Eastern Division race. Ultimately, the Oilers went undefeated the rest of the way, winning the division with a 10-3-1 record and again beating the Chargers for the AFL title. The Titans ended up in third place at 7-7.

The offense in particular achieved many superlatives. George Blanda threw 36 touchdown passes, exceeding the existing NFL record of 32, and also led the AFL in passing yards (3330), yards per attempt (9.2, almost two yards per pass better than the runners-up), yards per completion (17.8), and percentage of TD passes (9.9). Considering he had actually missed two full games due to being benched, it was an amazing overall performance. Blanda was selected as AFL Player of the Year by the Associated Press and UPI.


Bill Groman, with his three touchdown catches against New York, caught a TD pass in his 8th consecutive game. While he was shut out the next week, he ended up with 17 touchdown receptions to not only lead the league but tie the existing NFL record. Groman caught 50 passes for 1175 yards.

Charley Hennigan set a single-season record with 1746 receiving yards that not only was never beaten in the AFL, but wasn’t exceeded in the NFL until 1995. He ranked second in both receptions (82) and receiving touchdowns (12).

Billy Cannon led the AFL in rushing with 948 yards on 200 carries and was also the league’s all-purpose yardage leader with 2043. The 1959 Heisman Trophy-winner out of LSU scored a total of 15 touchdowns (6 rushing, 9 receiving). As his performance against the Titans demonstrated, Cannon was a potent pass receiving threat out of the backfield and caught 43 passes for 586 yards.

1981: Jets and “New York Sack Exchange” Dominate Patriots

The 1981 season had not started out in a promising way for the New York Jets, as they lost their first three games and gave up a total of 100 points in the process. Head Coach Walt Michaels was on the hot seat. But by the time they took on the New England Patriots at Schaefer Stadium on November 15, the situation looked much better. The Jets had won four of their past five games and brought a 5-4-1 record into the contest.

The Jets offense was coming on thanks to improved play by QB Richard Todd and an outstanding line anchored by OT Marvin Powell and C Joe Fields. But it was the defense that drew attention, in particular the line that became known as “the New York Sack Exchange”, comprised of DE Joe Klecko, DT Marty Lyons, DT Abdul Salaam, and DE Mark Gastineau (pictured above in that order). The nickname was apt, as they were leading the league in sacks with 38.

The Patriots, under Head Coach Ron Erhardt, had been contenders in 1980 but had fallen on hard times in ’81. There was plenty of talent, as there had been through several prior underachieving seasons, but key injuries, poor play on the offensive line (other than All-Pro guard John Hannah), and a defense that couldn’t stop the run or mount a strong pass rush negated the benefits of a good offensive backfield and experienced and effective wide receivers in Stanley Morgan and Harold Jackson. Quarterback Steve Grogan missed half the season due to a knee injury, and third-year backup Matt Cavanaugh struggled in his place. They were ill-prepared to deal with the spirited team that they had already lost to once earlier in the season.

The weather was windy and rainy in Foxboro, Massachusetts, further favoring the defense. Neither team could mount much offense in a scoreless first quarter. In the second quarter, New England’s John Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal into the wind that just made it over the crossbar and gave the Patriots the lead.

Later in the period, New England drove to the Jets’ 19 yard line before LB Greg Buttle intercepted a pass from Grogan at the 15 and returned it 12 yards. 14 plays later, HB Bruce Harper ran four yards up the middle for a touchdown and the Jets were ahead 7-3 with 2:30 remaining in the period.

On the next series, Patriots RB Mosi Tatupu fumbled after catching a pass from Grogan at his own 36 yard line and Buttle recovered for the Jets. Pat Leahy kicked a 47-yard field goal with eight seconds left to play in the half, and New York took a 10-3 lead into the intermission. The defense had made the big plays, in particular Buttle, who set up possessions that resulted in 10 points with the interception and fumble recovery.

In the third quarter, FB Tom Newton capped another long drive by the Jets with a five-yard touchdown run to make the score 17-3. It was more than enough as the aggressive defense kept New England from threatening the rest of the way – all the Patriots could muster was another field goal by Smith, of 29 yards, and that provided the final score of 17-6. It was the first win for New York in Foxboro since 1975.

In all, on a day when conditions made it difficult for either offense, the Jets outgained the Patriots by 226 yards to 197. New York’s defense recorded eight sacks and forced two turnovers (as opposed to no sacks and one turnover for New England). Joe Klecko and Mark Gastineau had three sacks apiece (still a year away from being an official statistic). Following the game, Klecko was (unofficially) leading the NFL with 15.5 sacks with Gastineau right behind at 14.

As for the offense, Richard Todd completed just 6 of 13 passes for 56 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. WR Wesley Walker, normally a potent deep threat, gained just 25 yards on three catches with a long gain of 11 yards. Running effectively, the Jets gained a total of 166 yards on the ground, with rookie RB Freeman McNeil leading the way with 50 yards on 13 attempts and Tom Newton right behind at 45 yards on 14 carries.

Steve Grogan and Matt Cavanaugh combined threw 34 passes and completed just 14 of them for 153 yards and with one picked off, thanks to Greg Buttle. RB Andy Johnson was New England’s leading receiver with 6 catches out of the backfield for 61 yards. Only one pass was completed to a wide receiver (Stanley Morgan) and it gained just four yards. RB Tony Collins gained 66 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

“It's nice to come up here and finally beat them,” said Buttle (pictured at bottom) afterward. “It's also a lot easier to play in November when you have something to play for and this is the first time since I've been here (six years) that we have something to play for in November.”

“The weather wasn't pretty. The game wasn't as scientific as we'd like it to be. But the most important thing is we're in the middle of the playoff race,” summed up Walt Michaels. “We said all along that if we continued to work hard and play hard and be aggressive, we would start turning things around. And we have.”

“We were pretty well dominated on both sides,” said New England Coach Erhardt. “We just couldn't stop them once they got going. They throttled us up both ways. Give the Jets credit. They are playing good football. There are a lot of people who think they may be the best team in the division right now.”

The Jets stayed hot, losing just once more in the regular season to finish second in the AFC East with a 10-5-1 record, their best since 1969. Qualifying for a wild card berth in the postseason, they lost to Buffalo in the first round. Things continued to go badly for the Patriots, who ended up at the bottom of the division along with the Colts with a league-worst 2-14 tally (Erhardt was dismissed as head coach).

“The New York Sack Exchange” continued to terrorize quarterbacks for the remainder of the season, as the Jets easily led the NFL with 66 sacks (runner-up Oakland had 52).

1974: Jets Defeat Giants in Overtime After Namath Runs for Tying TD

Any game between New York City’s two NFL teams can’t help but generate interest, no matter how the clubs rank in the standings. The NFL-AFL merger in 1970 had made possible regular season play between the long-established Giants and the comparative newcomers from the rival league, the Jets. On November 10, 1974 the two clubs met for the second time at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut - the temporary home of the Giants, with Yankee Stadium under renovation and the new stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands still two years from completion (they shifted to Shea Stadium for ’75).

The Giants were under a first-year head coach, Bill Arnsparger, and had finished with a winning record just twice in the previous ten years. The situation was no better in ’74 as they came into the contest with the Jets at 2-6. However, they had made a major switch at quarterback two weeks before, dealing away underperforming veteran Norm Snead to the 49ers while trading a first draft choice to the Dallas Cowboys for Craig Morton. Morton, once a promising starter in Dallas who had lost out to Roger Staubach, played well in a win at Kansas City in the Giants’ previous game. Snead, Carl Summerell, and Jim Del Gaizo had failed to throw a touchdown pass to a wide receiver in six games, but Morton managed to do that much in his second game with the club.

The Jets had a new head coach as well in Charley Winner, designated successor to the retired Weeb Ewbank, but there was no question at quarterback for the Jets, as long as Joe Namath (pictured above) was healthy enough to play – even if he and the club were off to a poor start. The Jets had been 4-10 in ’73, with Namath missing most of the season, and were 1-7 thus far in 1974 while Broadway Joe had been intercepted 17 times.

There were 67,740 fans at the Yale Bowl for the battle of the New York teams. The Jets started off the scoring in the first quarter as Namath connected with WR David Knight for a 19-yard touchdown. Pete Gogolak kicked a 26-yard field goal for the Giants later in the period, and the older club took the lead in the second quarter when Morton threw a two-yard TD pass to TE Bob Tucker.

Pat Leahy, in his first NFL game with the Jets following an injury to Bobby Howfield, booted a 34-yard field goal to tie the score, but it was 13-10 in favor of the Giants at the half after Gogolak kicked a second field goal of 22 yards.

The Jets launched the third quarter with a drive that used up the first ten minutes and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Leahy. In their next possession, the Giants struck quickly with Morton throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to WR Bob Grim, and maintained a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Jets put together another long possession, using 14 plays to drive down to the Giants’ three yard line. With a third-and-goal situation, Namath tied the score with a three-yard touchdown run (more accurately, a hobble) that surprised everyone, including his teammates. Originally, the play was to be a handoff to HB Emerson Boozer, but Namath saw the Giants’ weak-side LB, Brad Van Pelt, move inside and decided to keep the ball. With Leahy’s extra point, the game was tied at 20-20.

The Jets had an opportunity to win in regulation, but with 12 seconds left Leahy’s 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by CB Jim Stienke.

1974 was the first season in which regular-season games ending in a tie went into an overtime period. The Giants won the toss and RB Joe Dawkins returned the kickoff 53 yards to give them good field position. They drove to the Jets’ 25 but, after coming up a yard short on a third-and-three play, Gogolak missed the resulting 42-yard field goal attempt.

Starting from his own 25, Namath completed consecutive passes of 42 yards to TE Rich Caster and 12 yards to WR Jerome Barkum. From the Giants’ 21, Boozer ran for back-to-back six yard runs and then RB Jazz Jackson took a pitchout for four yards to the five. From there, Namath lobbed a pass to Boozer, who had beaten Van Pelt, in the left corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown at 6:53 in overtime. The final score was 26-20.


The Jets outgained the Giants (425 yards to 340) and had the edge in first downs (27 to 22). There were no turnovers and game had few penalties – the Jets were flagged twice for a total of 15 yards, and the Giants just once for five yards.

Joe Namath completed 20 of 31 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. RB Bob Burns, who played only one season and gained a total of 158 yards on the ground, had the best game of his brief career filling in for the injured FB John Riggins with 101 yards on 21 attempts. Emerson Boozer (pictured above left) added 58 yards on 13 carries and had four pass receptions for 43 yards and the game-winning TD. Jerome Barkum caught 5 passes for 24 yards, while Rich Caster gained the most yards receiving with 68 on three catches.

Craig Morton had a solid outing for the Giants in defeat, with numbers that were almost identical to Namath’s – 21 of 32 passes completed for 237 yards with two TDs and none picked off. Joe Dawkins led the club in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries and caught 6 passes for 37 yards. WR Walker Gillette gained 83 yards on his five receptions.

“It was a great victory for us when we really needed one,” said Namath afterward. “Emotionally, it has to rank with the Oakland game in 1968 when we won the AFL title, it was a big game for us. You lose one to the other guys in town and you have to take a lot of heat from a lot of people.”

Of the decision to keep the ball on the game-tying touchdown run rather than hand off, Broadway Joe added, “I didn’t tell Boozer, I didn’t tell anybody. The fake always works better that way.” Said Boozer, “I didn’t know what to think. When I didn’t get the ball, I thought fumble.”

Since the first regular season game to go into overtime (between Denver and Pittsburgh) ended in a tie, the Jets became the first NFL team to win a regular season overtime game. It also gave the club a big lift as it proved to be the first of six straight wins (following six consecutive losses) to end the season. The Jets finished at 7-7 and tied with the Patriots for third in the AFC East. The Giants lost the remainder of their games to end up at 2-12 and at the bottom of the NFC East.

Joe Namath’s statistics improved along with the team’s fortunes. While he still ended up leading the NFL by throwing 22 interceptions, only five of those came during the season-ending winning streak. His 2616 passing yards and 20 touchdowns both ranked second in the NFL, as did his 361 attempts.


Craig Morton (pictured at left) threw for 1510 yards in eight games for the Giants with 9 TD passes and 13 interceptions. His 29.6 pass attempts per game ranked second in the NFL and his averages of 188.8 yards and 15.3 completions ranked third. But taking over in the midst of the season and with a mediocre supporting cast, the resulting record in his starts was 1-6.

The new placekicker, Pat Leahy, made the most of his opportunity with the Jets. He ended up playing for them through 1991, a total of 18 seasons, and ended up as the franchise leader in points (1470) and field goals (304).

1975: Bert Jones & Colts Overwhelm Jets & Joe Namath

The Baltimore Colts had fallen on hard times since winning the Super Bowl following the 1970 season. Outstanding players like QB Johnny Unitas, HB Tom Matte, TE John Mackey, WR Jimmy Orr, DT Billy Ray Smith, DE Bubba Smith, and safety Jerry Logan were gone. Joe Thomas had been brought in as general manager in order to deconstruct and rebuild, and the rebuilding was moving along far too slowly for Colts fans used to winning. The club had gone 11-31 from 1972-74, and was off to a 1-4 start in 1975 under new Head Coach Ted Marchibroda as they traveled to New York to take on the Jets at Shea Stadium on October 26.

The Jets had fallen on hard times as well. Since winning the AFL title in 1968 and upending the Colts in the Super Bowl, and then making it to the postseason again in ’69, New York had only twice done as well as .500 (including their 7-7 tally in ’74). Weeb Ewbank, the head coach and GM who had built the team into a winner, retired following the ’73 season, and was succeeded by Charley Winner. Franchise QB Joe Namath had suffered through injury-riddled years in 1970, ’71, and ’73, but when healthy he was still productive. He had played out his option and flirted with the World Football League, but Broadway Joe was back for an 11th season at age 32. The club was 2-3 thus far in 1975.

HB Carl Garrett fumbled on each of New York’s first two possessions, thus helping to put the Jets behind by two touchdowns early on. Garrett fumbled initially on the first play from scrimmage, and three plays later Colts QB Bert Jones (pictured above) ran for a 15-yard TD with just over a minute run off the clock. On the fourth play of the next possession, Garrett lost the ball again to set up a two-yard touchdown run by Baltimore RB Don McCauley five plays afterward. The score remained 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Early in the second period, the Jets got on the board as Namath tossed a 42-yard touchdown pass to WR Jerome Barkum. However, Jones brought the Colts right back and, on a play in which he scrambled to buy time, hit rookie WR Marshall Johnson with a 15-yard TD pass (it was Johnson’s first NFL catch as well as score).

On the next possession, Namath hit WR Eddie Bell for a 22-yard gain. A pass interference penalty on Colts CB Nelson Munsey gave New York a first down on the one yard line, and Namath threw a short TD pass to Barkum.

With just 24 seconds left in the half, Jones passed the Colts into scoring position and on the last play Toni Linhart booted a 36-yard field goal. Baltimore went into halftime with a 24-14 lead.

In the third quarter, the Colts extended the lead to 31-14 when Jones connected with Johnson again for a 68-yard touchdown. Not to be outdone in the big-play department, the Jets responded with a 91-yard pass play from Namath to TE Rich Caster to the New York one yard line (it was the longest play from scrimmage in the franchise’s history). From there, FB John Riggins fumbled into the end zone where TE Willie Brister recovered for a TD. The Colts led by 31-21 after three quarters.

Namath threw his only interception early in the fourth quarter, and it was a costly one as Colts safety Jackie Wallace returned it 38 yards for a TD and 38-21 lead that essentially sealed the game. Namath threw one more TD pass, of 22 yards to Bell. But later the Jets failed to get a first down on fourth-and-one at their own 20 and the Colts put the final nail in the coffin as RB Lydell Mitchell ran for a touchdown from there. The final score was a decisive 45-28 in favor of Baltimore.

The Colts gained 400 total yards to 341 for the Jets, who were undone by the three key turnovers while Baltimore suffered none. A gritty performance by Joe Namath was wasted – while he completed 19 of 28 passes for 333 yards with three touchdowns and the one interception, he was sacked seven times for 74 yards.

The Jets gained just 82 yards on 28 rushes, as Carl Garrett led the club with 33 yards on 10 carries (which hardly made up for the two early fumbles). John Riggins, who was held to 23 yards on 11 attempts, led the team with 6 catches, for 66 yards. Rich Caster gained 115 yards on three catches while Jerome Barkum added 71 yards on four receptions with two TDs.


Third-year QB Bert Jones gave notice of his steady improvement as he completed 17 of 25 passes for 209 yards with two touchdowns against no interceptions; he also ran for 27 yards on three carries that included a TD. Marshall Johnson (pictured at left) caught three passes for 105 yards and the two scores, while WR Glenn Doughty grabbed 5 for 44 yards and Don McCauley four for 22.

The Colts ran all over the Jets, gaining 212 yards. Lydell Mitchell led the way with 98 yards on 14 attempts and the one TD.

“I threw the ball perfectly today,” said Bert Jones afterward. “The offensive line is the key. It's enabled me to do a lot of things that I want to do. It gives me all sorts of opportunities to throw what I want...and today I did it.” As to Namath, he added, “Joe is the best there is. In fact, I think he's the best there ever was.”

For his part, Namath said, “I was impressed with their front four,” Referring specifically to DE Fred Cook and DT Mike Barnes, he added, “I thought two of them were part of my backfield.”

“We got in a hole early, but the defense has to rise to the occasion, doesn't it?” said a disgusted Coach Charley Winner. “When you have your backs to the wall you have to stop them once in a while and make them settle for a field goal at least. We just simply didn't stop anyone.”

The two teams moved in markedly different directions over the remainder of the year. Baltimore didn’t lose again for the rest of the regular season, a total of nine straight, to win the AFC East with a 10-4 record. The Colts lost to Pittsburgh in the Divisional playoff round. Meanwhile, the Jets won only once more to go 3-11 and tie for last in the division with the Patriots. Charley Winner was dismissed and replaced by Ken Shipp before it was all over.

For Bert Jones, it was a breakout season as he responded well to ex-quarterback Marchibroda’s coaching and the solidifying of the offensive line. He passed for 2483 yards with 18 touchdowns and just 8 interceptions; his 2.3 % interception percentage ranked as the lowest in the NFL. His completion percentage of 59.0 ranked third.

Joe Namath (pictured below) threw for 2286 yards and 15 touchdowns. While his 14.6 yards per completion topped the NFL, so did his 28 interceptions. The weaknesses of the team around him, exposed by the Colts, were too much to overcome.

Marshall Johnson caught just one more pass in 1975 and totaled only five for his three-year NFL career, all with the Colts. He was primarily used as a kick returner in the end.

1993: Eric Allen’s 94-Yard INT Return Caps Eagles Win Over Jets

The Philadelphia Eagles had gotten off to a good start in 1993, winning their first three games under Head Coach Rich Kotite. 30-year-old QB Randall Cunningham, in his second year back from a devastating knee injury that had cost him virtually the entire ’91 season, was in good form and coming off a 360-yard passing performance in a 34-31 victory over Washington. Wide receivers Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams were productive and while the defense had lost stalwart Reggie White to free agency, there was still plenty of talent remaining.

In Week 4, the Eagles traveled to the New Jersey Meadowlands to face the New York Jets on October 3 at Giants Stadium. The Jets, coached by Bruce Coslet, had a new quarterback in veteran Boomer Esiason (pictured below right), who was prospering in fresh surroundings while tossing passes to WR Rob Moore and TE Johnny Mitchell as the club got off to a 2-1 start.

The Jets scored on each of their first two possessions, with an opening 11-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown pass from Esiason to TE James Thornton. New York CB James Hasty then recovered a fumble by Barnett that he returned 30 yards to set up a 14-yard Esiason TD pass to Mitchell.


The score remained at 14-0 as the Eagles did nothing on their next two possessions. After veteran safety Ronnie Lott picked off a Cunningham pass early in the second quarter, it took just four plays to put New York up by a 21-0 margin as Esiason tossed another touchdown pass to Mitchell, this one covering 12-yards.

The Eagles offense came alive on the next series, moving 78 yards in eight plays that included runs of 9 and 10 yards by RB Herschel Walker and passes of 12 yards to RB James Joseph and 21 yards to Barnett. Walker finished the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run.

However, the series had been costly for the Eagles as Barnett suffered a torn knee ligament when tackled by Jets CB Eric Thomas and safety Brian Washington at the conclusion of his 21-yard reception - while he was able to walk off the field, he was in fact finished for the season. An even more devastating loss occurred on the next possession when Cunningham suffered a broken leg, also season-ending.

Backup QB Bubby Brister, who had played seven years with Pittsburgh before being released prior to training camp and signed by the Eagles, concluded the drive by tossing a 10-yard TD pass to TE Mark Bavaro with just seconds remaining in the half. The Jets lead was down to a touchdown at 21-14 as the teams left the field at halftime.

After Philadelphia went three-and-out to start the second half, Esiason immediately passed to Mitchell who gathered the ball in at midfield and eluded tacklers on the way to a 65-yard touchdown. However, the Eagles got a break later in the third quarter when Jets RB Johnny Johnson fumbled and LB William Thomas recovered at the New York 17 yard line. Three plays later Brister threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Williams and the Jets’ lead was cut to 28-21.

After New York punted, the Eagles put together a long, 87-yard drive in 13 plays that culminated early in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown run by RB Vaughn Hebron. With the successful PAT, the score was now tied at 28-28.

The Jets struck back quickly. On their first play following the kickoff, Esiason fired a pass to WR Chris Burkett for a 60-yard gain to the Philadelphia 20. However, safety Rich Miano intercepted a pass two plays later to seemingly end the scoring threat. But Brister, fading back to the goal line, threw the ball away under heavy pressure and was called for intentional gounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety. The Jets had regained the lead at 30-28.

RB Adrian Murrell returned the ensuing free kick to the 50 yard line, and it appeared that the Jets would drive to another score with the help of a roughing the passer penalty that moved the ball deep into Eagles territory at the 21. But two plays later Esiason’s pass intended for Burkett was intercepted by CB Eric Allen (pictured at top) at the six yard line. With a spectacular return, Allen went 94 yards for the touchdown that proved to be the game-winner. The Eagles came away with a 35-30 victory.

The win had been a costly one for Philadelphia – in addition to Cunningham and Barnett, special teams standout WR Jeff Sydner also went down with a season-ending injury.


The Jets outgained the Eagles with 412 yards to 303. Boomer Esiason passed for 297 yards while completing 19 of 33 passes and had four TDs along with two interceptions. Johnny Mitchell (pictured at left) had an outstanding day with 7 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns, and Chris Burkett contributed four receptions for 103 yards. Johnny Johnson led the running attack with 36 yards on 9 carries, closely followed by RB Blair Thomas with 7 rushes for 33 yards and FB Brad Baxter, who gained 29 yards on 9 attempts.

Bubby Brister had a solid outing in relief, completing 11 of 17 passes for 108 yards with two TDs and no interceptions; Randall Cunningham was 10 for 13 with 89 yards and had one picked off before his injury. WR Victor Bailey had the most pass receptions for the Eagles, with 5 for 36 yards, while the veteran tight end Bavaro gained 60 yards on four catches with a TD. RB Heath Sherman was the team’s top rusher, gaining 37 yards on 12 carries.

From promising beginnings, both clubs suffered through disappointing seasons the rest of the way. The Eagles, without Cunningham and Barnett, lost their next six games and ended up with an 8-8 record to place third in the NFC East. New York, after winning five midseason games in a row, lost four of the last five contests to also end up at 8-8 and third in the AFC East. Coach Coslet was dismissed afterward.

Boomer Esiason passed for 3421 yards, but his production dropped off significantly in the last six games of the season following a neck injury. Johnny Mitchell’s production also fell off after he suffered a sprained knee and he ended up with just 39 catches for 630 yards (16.2 avg.) and six TDs.

Eric Allen’s long touchdown return was no fluke – he intercepted six passes in ‘93 and tied the league record by returning four of them for touchdowns. Not surprisingly, he also led the NFL with 201 yards in interception return yardage. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall, on his way to eventually being chosen six times in the course of his career.

Bubby Brister passed for a respectable 84.9 rating while tossing 14 touchdowns against just five interceptions in place of Cunningham. His 1.6 interception percentage was second lowest in the NFC.

1972: Namath & Unitas Engage in Epic Passing Duel as Jets Beat Colts

By the 1972 season, QB Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts was 39 years old and in the twilight of his great career. Joe Namath of the New York Jets (pictured above) was ten years younger but had missed most of the previous two seasons due to injuries. After winning the Super Bowl following the ’70 season, the Colts had gone 10-4 in 1971 to make the playoffs as a wild card team, but were now in a transition under a new owner, Bob Irsay, and vice president and general manager, Joe Thomas. New York had fallen under .500 in both 1970 and ’71 without Namath, following the ’68 season that had resulted in an AFL title and Super Bowl victory over the Colts and a division championship in ’69. Age and injuries had taken their toll on both the teams in general and starting quarterbacks in particular.

The Colts and Jets, division rivals since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, met at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium on September 24, 1972. New York had won its opening game the previous week at Buffalo handily, but more due to the running of second-year FB John Riggins (125 yards on 26 carries) than Namath’s passing (5 completions in 14 attempts for 113 yards with a TD and an interception). Baltimore, meanwhile, had lost dismally to the Cardinals – while Unitas passed for 257 yards, the Colts couldn’t get in the end zone and two passes were intercepted while PK Jim O’Brien misfired on three field goal attempts.

Expectations could not have been great for a high-scoring passing display, but that is what the 56,626 fans in attendance got. Namath set the tone in the first quarter by connecting with diminutive (5’10”, 160-pounds) WR Eddie Bell for a 65-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was missed, and Unitas responded with a touchdown pass of his own that covered 40 yards to WR Sam Havrilak. O’Brien was successful on the PAT and the Colts held a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Baltimore tacked on six more points in the second quarter as O’Brien booted field goals of 14 and 32 yards. The pace of the scoring sped up as the Jets responded with a 67-yard touchdown pass play from Namath to Riggins that was quickly followed by Baltimore’s RB Don McCauley returning the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a TD. Namath struck again to knot the score at 20-20 with a 28-yard touchdown pass to WR Don Maynard. Broadway Joe’s fourth TD pass of the half, a mere 10-yard toss to TE Rich Caster, provided the Jets with a 27-20 lead at halftime.

The tide receded a bit in the third quarter, which was marked only by Bobby Howfield kicking a 14-yard field goal to put the Jets ahead by 10 points. But in the fourth quarter, McCauley ran in for a Colts TD from a yard out to make it a three-point game. Namath followed with a 79-yard touchdown pass to Caster. Unitas connected with HB Tom Matte for a 21-yard touchdown, but Namath iced the cake by again throwing to Caster, this time for an 80-yard TD that provided the final score of 44-34.

“I know it sounds dumb, but I’ve had better days throwing the ball,” said Namath afterward. While he completed just 15 of his 28 passes, they went for an astounding 496 yards with six touchdowns against one interception.

Rich Caster gained 204 yards on six catches with three touchdowns. Eddie Bell added another 197 yards on 7 receptions with a score. Don Maynard and John Riggins each caught one pass apiece, for touchdowns of 28 and 67 yards respectively; Riggins also was the leading rusher with 87 yards on 21 carries.


It all overshadowed an outstanding effort by Johnny Unitas (pictured at left), who completed 26 of 45 passes for 376 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Tom Matte was the leading rusher, with 42 yards on nine carries, and also caught the most passes, with 9 for 69 yards and a TD. The converted halfback Sam Havrilak gained 115 yards on four receptions with a touchdown, and TE Tom Mitchell was right behind with 114 yards on 8 catches.

The game proved to be the last great performance for Unitas in Baltimore. While the Colts shut out Buffalo the next week, they proceeded to lose the next four games. After a 21-0 loss to the Cowboys in Week 5, GM Thomas fired Head Coach Don McCafferty, who had refused to bench Unitas – John Sandusky, the interim head coach, was ordered to do so and the nondescript Marty Domres started at quarterback ahead of the all-time great for the remainder of the year. It was the conclusion of an outstanding era for Unitas and the Colts. Baltimore ended up with a 5-9 record for third place in the AFC East.

The Jets finished second in the division with a 7-7 tally. Joe Namath stayed healthy enough to start all but one game and led the NFL in passing yards (2816), touchdown passes (19, tied with Washington’s Bill Kilmer), yards per attempt (8.7), and yards per completion (17.4).

2001: Tom Brady Replaces Injured Drew Bledsoe at QB for Patriots

Since making it to the Super Bowl following the 1996 season (and immediately losing Head Coach Bill Parcells), the New England Patriots had steadily declined over the following four years. From 11-5 in the AFC championship season, they had gone 10-6 under Pete Carroll in ’97, and lost in the Divisional round of the playoffs; 9-7 in 1998 to just snag the last wild card spot and go out in the first postseason round; 8-8 and out of the running in 1999, Carroll’s last season; and 5-11 under first-year Head Coach Bill Belichick in 2000.

Through it all, Drew Bledsoe had been the team’s quarterback. The club’s first draft pick in 1993 (and first overall) out of Washington State, he had put up significant numbers, especially in his first few seasons. Big, at 6’5” and 240 pounds, with a strong arm, he was also immobile and prone to taking hits (he was sacked 45 times in 2000). Still, he was tough enough to keep coming back and the club had shown confidence in Bledsoe by signing him to a 10-year, $103 million contract. At 29, he was still in his prime.

New England lost its first game of the 2001 season at Cincinnati. Two days later, the terrorist strikes on New York City and the Pentagon caused football to take a back seat to far greater concerns and the following weekend’s games were postponed.

When play resumed, the Patriots hosted the New York Jets at Foxboro Stadium on September 23. The game was a low-scoring affair. New England’s Adam Vinatieri kicked a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter and New York’s John Hall responded with a 26-yarder at the end of the half.

In the third quarter, New York DT Steve Martin recovered a fumble by the Patriots deep in Jets territory and they responded by going 93 yards in 12 plays to score on an eight-yard touchdown run by RB Curtis Martin.

But the play that had huge consequences, if not for this game than for the season and beyond, occurred in the fourth quarter. Bledsoe took off in an attempt to run for a first down and was hit hard by Jets LB Mo Lewis. He suffered a chest injury that knocked him out of the game and, ultimately, out of the season and off the team.

In for Bledsoe came the unknown backup quarterback, Tom Brady. Brady was an unheralded sixth-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2000, having had an undistinguished college career at Michigan where he had difficulty competing for playing time against the likes of Brian Griese and Drew Henson. As a rookie, there were questions about his size (while he had good height at 6’4”, he was initially listed at 210 pounds) and arm strength. But Brady worked hard on the practice field and in the weight room.

By the 2001 preseason, Brady had improved to the point that Coach Belichick was suitably impressed with his development - even if Bledsoe had not gone down to injury, he might have gotten an opportunity to play. Brady had also added about 25 pounds to his frame and no longer looked too spindly for the NFL.

The young quarterback wasn’t able to salvage the game against the Jets; after completing five of his first six passes, he misfired the rest of the way and ended up successful on 5 of 10 attempts for 46 yards (Bledsoe had completed 18 of 28 passes for 159 yards with no TDs and two interceptions prior to his injury). New York held on to win, 10-3.

The Patriots won their next game against the Colts in what would be the first of many memorable showdowns between Brady and Peyton Manning. It was also the first of 11 wins in the remaining 14 contests as New England ended up with an 11-5 tally and won the AFC East. Carefully coached by offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, Brady showed tremendous composure and leadership skills. While he didn’t possess Bledsoe’s arm strength, he was more accurate. A come-from-behind 29-26 win over the Chargers was a defining performance for the young quarterback. Even after Bledsoe was cleared to play again, Brady continued to start.

The Patriots defeated Oakland in a snowy Divisional playoff game, the last at Foxboro Stadium, and won at Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship (a game in which Brady was knocked out of by injury and Bledsoe stepped in). They upset the heavily-favored St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl to cap the stunning season.

Tom Brady ranked third in the AFC in passing (86.5) and second in completion percentage (63.9) as he threw for 2843 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl. By the time another three seasons had gone by, he had also quarterbacked the Patriots to two more NFL titles.

Drew Bledsoe was traded to Buffalo following a season in which he displayed typical class after being relegated to the bench. He had a Pro Bowl year with an 8-8 club in ’02, but a porous line and declining skills made his last two years with the Bills far less successful. Bledsoe finished up with two years in Dallas, reunited with Head Coach Bill Parcells.

1964: Jets Debut at Shea Stadium Before Record Crowd

The New York Jets franchise took a significant step forward on September 12, 1964 when they played their first game at the new Shea Stadium. For four seasons (three as the Titans, one as the Jets) the club had played at the badly decaying Polo Grounds and had difficulty drawing fans. The move to the new stadium solved that problem immediately, as there was a crowd of 45,497 on hand, the largest to attend an American Football League game to date.

Since the new ownership group, led by David A. “Sonny” Werblin, had taken over the former Titans franchise from the bankrupt original owner, Harry Wismer, following the 1962 season, the club had gone through a revitalization process. There was a new name, new uniforms, and highly-respected new head coach in Weeb Ewbank. Now they were moving into a new stadium and the only remaining question to address was the quality of the players.


To that end, another significant change for 1964 was that the team was able to sign some high draft picks – something that had not happened during the Wismer era. The biggest prize had been FB Matt Snell (pictured at left), the first draft choice out of Ohio State who had also been selected in the NFL draft by the rival Giants (third round). Other signees from the draft who would have an impact were Gerry Philbin out of Buffalo in the third round, selected as a linebacker but who would play defensive end as a pro, and LB Ralph Baker from Penn State, chosen in the sixth round.

The Jets, coming off of a 5-8-1 season in ’63, faced the Denver Broncos in the season-opening game, a club that had been the worst in the AFL with a 2-11-1 tally. Head Coach Jack Faulkner came to the team amid great expectations in 1962, but after breaking even at 7-7 that year, the Broncos had regressed. In an odd arrangement, QB Jacky Lee was obtained from Houston, where he had backed up veteran George Blanda for four years, as part of a two-year lease agreement (the Broncos gave up DT Bud McFadin and a first round draft choice as part of the deal). He was to be returned to the Oilers after the lease was up, where no doubt it was anticipated that the 37-year-old Blanda would be ready to retire and Lee, having gained experience as a starting quarterback, could step in.

Lee’s first regular season performance was a poor one. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 127 yards and three interceptions. Star end Lionel Taylor contributed a fourth interception on an option pass, and in all the Broncos couldn’t move the ball and turned it over five times.

The Jets, with the lanky and immobile Dick Wood at quarterback, took advantage of the turnovers and gave up none of their own. Wood threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to TE Gene Heeter in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter connected with star flanker Don Maynard, who made an outstanding catch that resulted in a 39-yard TD. In between, rookie placekicker Jim Turner connected on field goals of 11 and 27 yards in the second quarter and 21 yards in the final period.

Two Gene Mingo field goals provided the only scoring for the Broncos, who were as close as 13-6 in the fourth quarter, but following that the Jets scored two touchdowns and a field goal to win easily, 30-6.

While Wood completed just 9 of 18 passes for 144 yards, two of them were touchdowns and none were picked off. Maynard was the top receiver with four catches for 101 yards and the TD. But the star on offense was the rookie fullback Snell, who gained 82 yards on 22 carries and scored the final touchdown. It was a good start to a season in which he would rank second among the AFL’s rushers with 948 yards.

The Jets outgained the Broncos with 247 yards to 192. They also sacked Lee five times, while Denver’s defense never got to Wood, and were flagged three times while the Broncos drew 9 penalties. FB Billy Joe led Denver in rushing with 41 yards on 9 attempts, and Lionel Taylor and HB Charley Mitchell both caught five passes, with Taylor gaining 61 yards.


Aside from Snell’s performance, the other player for the Jets who drew attention was Ed “Wahoo” McDaniel (pictured at right), a middle linebacker who had been obtained from Denver. A 6’1”, 235-pound Native American (Choctaw and Chickasaw) who was a professional wrestler on the side, McDaniel had played college football at Oklahoma under legendary Head Coach Bud Wilkinson. He was drafted by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and AFL’s Los Angeles Chargers in 1960 but failed to make either club. After catching on with the Houston Oilers as a guard, he was dealt to Denver and returned to his regular position of linebacker. As Coach Faulkner put it, “he was a tough guy, but he wasn’t very big…he didn’t have great speed, but he gave you effort.”

McDaniel’s acquisition hadn’t been considered a major one by the Jets, but he made it into the starting lineup and became an instant fan favorite. From the first time he made a tackle and his name was announced over the public address system to each occasion that his face appeared on the big Jetorama screen, the crowd cheered wildly. After awhile the PA announcer simply asked “Who made the tackle?” and the fans shouted back “Wahoo!”

There were times when that likely wasn’t the correct answer to the question, for the announcer began asking it on most every gang tackle and, it was said, on occasions when McDaniel was nowhere near the play. But it became a popular part of Jets home games for the remainder of the season. Owner Werblin, an entertainment executive who knew how to market talent, had McDaniel’s last name removed from the back of his jersey and replaced with “WAHOO” thereafter.

New York ended up with another 5-8-1 record in ’64, placing third in the Eastern Division. However, Coach Ewbank was assembling the pieces that would bring greater excitement and success, and overall home attendance jumped from 91,000 in 1963 to 298,000. Denver also repeated its 2-11-1 tally of the previous year; Faulkner was let go after a 0-4 start and replaced by former Cleveland Browns star Mac Speedie.

As a footnote, Jacky Lee lost his starting job to the equally-ineffective Mickey Slaughter. Rather than preparing him to be a starting quarterback, the leasing deal only made Lee less appealing to his original club, the Oilers, who sat him back on the bench when he returned in 1966.

1977: Joe Namath Signs with LA Rams

Joe Namath had brought attention to the New York Jets from the moment he signed with them as a high-priced rookie first draft choice in 1965. Under the tutelage of Head Coach Weeb Ewbank, he had developed into an outstanding quarterback; the high point of his career came when the Jets won the AFL championship in 1968 and then upset the NFL champion Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

But after reaching the postseason again in ’69, Namath missed significant time and the Jets fell into mediocrity. While the condition of his knees was an issue from the beginning of Namath’s pro career, he never missed a game due to injury in his first five seasons. But that changed in 1970 and ’71 as he missed a total of 19 contests – to a broken wrist in ’70 and torn knee ligaments in 1971. While he missed just one game (the season finale) in ’72, Namath missed eight games due to a shoulder separation in ’73. He made it through complete 14-game seasons in 1974 and ’75, but missed three more games in 1976. Moreover, while his presence continued to lend respectability to a mediocre team, the physical beating was taking a toll on his performance (he threw 28 interceptions to just 15 TDs in ’75).

The Jets had dropped to 4-10 in 1970 and failed to rise above .500 in any of the ensuing six seasons. Ewbank had retired following the ’73 campaign, but his designated successor, Charley Winner, failed to last through a second season and Lou Holtz, who had been hired away from North Carolina State in ’76, decided to forego the last two years of his contract to return to college coaching at Arkansas.

Richard Todd, like Namath a product of legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s program at Alabama, had been drafted in the first round in ’76. With a new quarterback available (who split time with Namath in his rookie season) and new head coach in Walt Michaels, it appeared time for the 34-year-old veteran to move on. Waived so that he could work out his own deal with another team, Namath signed with the Los Angeles Rams on May 12, 1977.

The Rams had been coached since 1973 by Chuck Knox, who had been offensive line coach with the Jets during Namath’s early years with the club. Knox had been successful in LA, leading the Rams to a 44-11-1 record and division titles in each of his four seasons. However, the team had not made it to the Super Bowl (they had lost the last three NFC title games) and instability at quarterback had been a nagging issue.

Veteran John Hadl had been obtained from the Chargers and performed well in ’73, but was traded away during the 1974 season in favor of James Harris. Ron Jaworski, who led the Rams to a divisional playoff win in ’75 after Harris was injured, joined the mix, as did Pat Haden, a USC product, Rhodes scholar, and WFL refugee who started seven games in 1976.

The team was winning, but the competition at quarterback created problems both on and off the field. Jaworski refused to sign a contract extension, determined to play out his option, and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Harris bridled at being benched in favor of Haden and there was talk of racism among African-American players and fans alike at a less experienced white quarterback replacing a black one with a 21-6 record in his starts (not to mention leading the NFC in passing in ’76). Harris also was dealt away in a trade to San Diego.

Namath was initially listed second on the depth chart behind Haden, but entered the season as the starting quarterback. Alas, any hopes that the brittle veteran could provide the missing element that would take the Rams to a championship were dashed by the fourth week of the season. The team started off 2-1 with Namath directing the offense, but on a cold and rainy Monday night in Chicago he was intercepted four times in a 24-23 loss to the Bears and took a significant beating along the way. It was the final appearance of his Hall of Fame career.

For his last year, Namath ended up with 50 completions in 107 attempts (46.7 %) for 606 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions. It was an inglorious end for a quarterback who brought so much talent to the football field that, mixed with his off-field exploits and celebrity, made his career a legendary one.