I got this idea from another forum but I thought this would be a cool topic for us to discuss. You only get one play/moment. For me I'd change the Sanchez fumble in the AFC Championship Game from 2010 before the half. I think we win that game if you take that away 24-0 was just too much of a insurmountable deficit.
The play in the 1999 opener vs. the Pats where CuMar fumbled the ball and Vinny wound up tearing his Achilles.
Same game but Id change Roethlisberger's last completion. Its a shame we'll never know if the offense could've led us to the win if given one more drive. Pitt's D was spent at that point and we had all the momentum on our side.
That team always had trouble getting off the field on 3rd down late in games. Oddly enough the offense usually played better than the defense in the last 5 minutes of games
Yep lots of great comebacks by Sanchez and company that year. The D under Rex always seemed to lose leads in the final minutes. Too many games to mention but the Miami and Atlanta games in 09 stand out. Both losses. The Houston game in 2010 which Sanchez led us back. And Denver with Tebow in 2011 are the ones that stand out the most. Id guess all those 3 and outs by the offense didnt take their toll until the opposing teams final drive.
1997 Jets are up 10-6 on the Lions in the third quarter when a holding penalty on Siupeli Malamala turns a 3rd and 4 on the Detroit 19 yard line into a 3rd and 14 on the 29 yard line. Ray Lucas threw an interception on the subsequent play. Even a field goal from the 19 would have put us up 13-6 in a game that we ultimately lost 13-10 ending our season outside of the playoffs. ------------------------------ Earlier in the same season the Jets lost to the Patriots in overtime when John Hall missed a 28 yard field goal near the end of regulation. A do over on that one may have led to the playoffs even with a loss to the Lions.
Jets & Ron Wolf successfully trade in-front of the Falcons to draft Brett Favre in the 1991 NFL draft. This keeps the Wolf regime in NY for the foreseeable future; and changes pretty much the Jets history from that day on.
While I agree that would have radically changed the Jets' fortunes for the better, I think the OP was just looking for plays on the playing field. Besides, it doesn't appear that the Jets made any mistakes (perhaps other than taking Rob Moore in the supplemental draft). San Diego (I think) just changed their mind and backed out of the trade. Perhaps the Jets could have offered more, but it sounds like San Diego's minds were made up to draft whoever they drafted. But as long as you've introduced the idea of changing an off the field decision, how about Leon Hess' decision to bring Richie Kotite "home"?
He did say one moment - Wolf had a hard-on for Favre, so I wish we were able to get him via trade - we instead took Nagle, so a mistake was made. If I had to change 1 play on the field it would be, Wayne Hunter not tipping the play at the LOS against the Steelers in the 2010 AFCCG [Steelers goal-line stand]. Woodley prob doesn't see it's a passing play and complete the pass to Keller to gain the momentum. Honorable mention goes to Mark Gastineau's roughing the passer penalty against CLE in 86.
Vinny not tearing his achillies tendon week 1 in the year we were going to the SB. Chad not breaking his hand in preseason against the Giants in the year we were going to the SB. Brett Favre not tearing his bicep tendon at 8-3 in the year we were going to the SB. _
I don't see it as a mistake per se. Yes, Wolf wanted Favre, but San Diego backed out of the deal and Atlanta took Favre instead. What was Wolf supposed to do? The Jets needed a QB. Evidently, Wolf had Nagle as the 2nd best QB in that draft. Now maybe he drafted Nagle purely out of need instead of going with BAP. If so, that may have been a mistake, but we don't know how the Jets' scouts and Wolf had Nagle rated, do we? Another thing you could possibly point to as a mistake was taking Rob Moore in the Supplemental draft, which cost us our #1 pick. For a team determined to take a QB, it seemingly was a mistake to take a WR in the supplemental draft, but that was very early in the draft process, and the NFL wasn't the 24 hours a day, 365 days a year obsession it is now. Favre wasn't rated as a can't miss QB high in the first round either. Wolf thought he had a deal in place that would have secured Favre. Perhaps when SD called to let the Jets know that they weren't going to do the trade, Wolf could have sweetened the deal a little more to seal it, but perhaps not. Perhaps he did try and SD rebuffed him and had their minds set on drafting the player they did. All that said, I understand your point that getting Favre and keeping Wolf would have dramatically changed the fortunes of this franchise. Perhaps. Remember that that moron Leon Hess was still the owner. He still allowed Wolf to leave and go to GB (or perhaps forced Wolf to look elsewhere because he grew so disenchanted with Leon's stupidity or perhaps Hess didn't back him enough or pay him enough. I'm sure that Hess could have and probably would have found a way to screw it all up. If I wanted to change one moment in franchise history that would have a dramatic impact on the team's fortunes, it would have been the moment that Hess bought the team. He wouldn't have, and someone better or the previous owner would have retained the team. That moment crowns hiring Kotite, all of the failed draft picks, all of the lousy GM and HC hirings, all of the blown plays, and even not getting Favre.
Probably the worst personnel failing along with not securing Peyton Manning and John Idzik whiffing on QBs AND WRs in the year of both. _
Wolf had Favre rated in a different stratosphere than Nagle, Wolf has said the Nagle pick was a complete knee jerk reaction to the Az Cards backing out of the trade to jump ahead of Atlanta. He said the war room was apoplectic when the Cards reneged on the trade. Wolf had Favre as the best player in the draft and but for us taking Rob Moore in the supp draft, we would have taken Favre in the first. Loved him so much it was his first move as Packer GM. And the funny thing is, Jerry Glanville HATED Farve and said he'd never play him. I think he got in just a few plays as a rookie. Still curious as to why they drafted him. _
Favre would've flopped if he was drafted by the Jets. He was an immature shitbag and NY would've made it worse. Going to siberia, aka, Green Bay was a good thing for him. Glanville hated Favre because he was a shitbag in Atlanta
Wolf was willing to give the Falcons a first round pick for Favre, and Favre was embarrassing in Atlanta. That grade must have been significantly higher than Nagle in my opinion going by what he gave up. Favre would have been our first round pick if not for Rob Moore, so your point is valid in terms of the supplemental draft being just as big if not a bigger mistake. I think Wolf viewed Favre as a can't miss in his own eyes. Hess in the end prob would've fucked it up, that bastard - but if we had a QB and ticket sales were good because of that, maybe he wouldn't touch the team and make more shitty decisions. We will never know.
