Monday, October 31, 2005

Same Old: Why Jets Just Don’t Get it

By Joe Pietaro

The New York Jets finished last season on a low note by losing at Pittsburgh in the playoffs by missing two potential game-winning field goals. But this just fueled everyone into believing that this team was ready to turn the corner. Maybe they were, but only into a dead end. This is an organization that has not done a heck of a lot right since Joe Willie Namath held up his index finger jogging off the field in Miami way back in 1969.

Poor Joe was a warrior, but even he could not help this team any more. His bad knees cut his career short, and the Jets were too happy to see him off to Los Angeles while anointing Richard Todd the job. The second Alabama alumni had some good times at Shea Stadium. But as usual with this team, controversy arose. A quarterback battle between Todd and Matt Robinson ensued. Todd ended up on top, and he will always be remembered as the guy who completed his best passes of the AFC Championship game to the Dolphins' A.J. Duhe.

The team eventually drafted a quarterback in the strongest QB draft of all-time, 1983. This was the same draft that produced John Elway, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, etc. So who do the Jets take? None other than Ken O'Brien of Cal-Davis. He did have some good seasons, but took a beating behind some very porous offensive lines.

Following the 1983 season, Jets owner Leon Hess announced that the team was moving from Shea Stadium in Queens, New York (where their fan base is) to Giants Stadium in New Jersey. And they would be sharing the building with the New York Giants. This move took away any homefield advantage and identity they may have had.

The team was having one of their best seasons in 1986 with a 10-1 start. But then O'Brien led them into a tailspin and a five-game losing streak to close out the regular season. He was even benched in the wildcard win and the next game at Cleveland. He only made it back on the field because back up Pat Ryan was injured during the game. The team blew a late 10-point lead and eventually lost the game in overtime on a Mark Mosley field goal.

The next few seasons were just blurry scenes with a sound track of "Joe must go!" Head coach Joe Walton did go and was replaced by Bruce Coslet. The organization seemed to be headed in the right direction with the new staff. In 1991, an exciting overtime victory in the last game at Miami produced a wildcard playoff berth. They did play the Oilers tough at the Astrodome in the playoffs, but were on the short end of a 17-10 score.

What followed in the next six seasons can only be classified as comical. The Jets gave the starting quarterback spot in 1992 to Browning Nagle, who led the team to a 5-0 preseason. You know what they say about exhibition games in the NFL. Poor "Drowning" Nagle fumbled the first snap in the opener at Atlanta, led the team to a 4-12 record, and basically has not been heard from since.

The team brought local guy Boomer Esiason in for the 1993 season, which was as exciting as it was heartbreaking. The team showed its Jekyll and Hyde faces week to week. Their defense had two shutouts in a row. But 3-0 and 6-0 road wins can make you doubt yourself. Especially after your holder takes a long snap off the helmet on a short field goal attempt. They had more than one chance to clinch a playoff berth and could not close the deal, finishing out of the money at 8-8.

A coaching change put Pete Carroll in the hot seat, but this was not the same coach we know from USC. He will be recalled as the guy who setup basketball hoops on the practice facility grounds, having the team within a Dan Marino fake spike of first place, and losing the team and his job because of a six game losing streak to finish the season.

What ensued was perhaps the saddest two seasons for a football team this side of Arizona. Rich Kotite put a product on the field that could muster up only four total wins. Needless to say, it was time once again to shake things up at Hempstead.

Bill Parcells was brought in to run the whole show. His curious offensive calls at Detroit ruined any chance for the team to get back to the playoffs in 1997. The next season the team won their division and went all the way to the AFC Championship Game, bowing to the Broncos in Denver. Injuries the following season killed any chances the team had of reaching those plateaus again. And that was it for the Tuna. He appointed Bill Belichick his successor, who strangely resigned after one day. Al Groh was there to pick up the pieces for one season, and also had many chances to get the team into the postseason before they routinely collapsed.

The current regime took over in 2001. The team has done some good, some bad. Herman Edwards has been second-guessed a lot, rightfully so for much of it. He has also brought the team to the playoffs. The jury may still be out on this staff.

The Jets have had some major issues and tragedy over the years. The injuries to Dennis Byrd, the death of front office man Dick Steinberg, the career-ending concussions to Al Toon. But they have had their share of making their own problems. Bad drafts picks throughout the years (Johnny Lam Jones, Mike Haight, Blair Thomas, to name a few) has set the team back. Recent injuries to "franchise" quarterback Chad Pennington and center Kevin Mawae has the team back on its heels. The current season has all the looks of a Kotite special.

Perhaps the worst sin of this team is agreeing to once again become co-tenants with the Giants on a new stadium in New Jersey. After the West Side project died, Queens was wooing the team to come back home and have a brand new stadium built just for them. But of course this is the Jets were talking about. Not only is the team playing permanently in another state, but they are also moving their home office and practice facility there. Their last connection to New York will be gone. And by the way the future looks, so will their fans.