He won 3 or 4 games in OT but in most of those cases he screwed up to get the game into OT lol.......he beat NE in OT at the Meadowlands in 85 for first place (temporary).......that's about all I got .
I remember him having a very average leg. In fact he didn't kick a FG longer than 50 yards until 1984 when they were in the Meadowlands. Another thing to consider is that back in Leahy's day place kickers weren't considered as vital as they are today. You saw missed XPs and FGs routinely from all kickers not just Leahy. Kickers were rarely replaced mid season . Nowadays just like turnovers and penalties the NFL has a very short leash. A kicker has one bad game and people grumble . Two bad games ? His job is in jeopardy .....
Thanks. I don't remember that far back, so didn't remember/know that kickers routinely missed XPs and FGs. That helps put things in perspective.
Yep. I know it sounds absurd but I'd say all the way up until roundabout 1990 the average NFL kicker missed about 4 XPs a year and 8-10 FGs a year especially the ones who didn't play in a dome . If a kicker put up those numbers up today he'd be lucky to be invited back to training camp .....
Plus back then kickers didn't have artificial turf or an abundance of domes to goose stats/distance. No FG kicker was higher than 78% in 1976 for example. Kicking at Shea was probably even worse than the Meadowlands in terms of wind/elements.
I remember there were competing signs (when they used to allow signs) in the stand among the fans: "Todd is G-d." "ReTodd". Then I remember him almost taking the team to the SB when the Jets lost to Shula in the Mudbowl. Shula cheated and Walt Michaels had a meltdown after that loss.
Anyone remember when Richard Todd got turf toe in his own living room? He stubbed his toe on the carpet. You heard that right. The friggin' carpet. Unfortunately, this is not a fabrication.
Hah, I was just going to post something about the cardboard signs, swear to God. Some of them were very funny. 'RICHARD AND WALT IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT' - and it was nicely done in a primitive sort of way. A plane with the old/new Jets logo nose-diving and hitting the ground, haha. It was huge, and the two guys holding it up were hellbent on getting it on TV and were parading it around until they were forced to sit down. They did get on TV, though, so mission accomplished. We saw it on the news when we got home. Shea Stadium was a sick gig, but I have so many great memories. Peanut shells. Rheingold caps. Paper airplanes with messages written on them aimed at the Jets bench. Any projectile was fair game when the Jets were stinking up the place. And the ushers were all 90 years old. We were on the 50, Row Excellent, mind you. Animals. But they were our animals. Joe Walton the nose-picker lightened the mood the following year. Well, I guess that's subjective.
So do I - it was literally moments before the famed "Miracle at the Meadowlands" Pisarcik fumble. As a Jet lover/ Giants hater at the time, flipping the TV dial to see that cheered me up from Leahy's shank.
Who else can say they've seen Todd punt as a Jet? Jets Raiders preseason game at what was then considered *New* Yankee Stadium (yes). 1976?. My Dad took me for my birthday. Namath was still a Jet, Todd was a rookie and was being considered as a punter too. (He punted at 'Bama). His punt went 5 or 6 yards and the experiment was over ; ) I've never forgotten it. Looking back, he may have shanked it on purpose LOL
My memories are simple. If we had a better qb we would not discuss 1969 as much as we do. He was the weak link. Give those teams obrien and we win a super bowl. Comeback in 1981 against the dolphins to Jerome Barkum was my best memory of him doing something. I was in the end zone for the Simpson interception. Gaffney wide open ball was under thrown. Sob.
For us, the bathroom lines in the loge section were so long that is was 50/50 whether we could hold out for the bathroom or leave the line to find an alternative spot. At Shea there were girders you could hide behind. Not proud of that, BUT the concourse at Shea didn't look any worse than MetLife's - it just smelled a lot worse. You got used to that beer-peanuts-cigar-urine aroma. Not nearly as many females at the game to offend.
Shea, my Daddy was like a human shield on some Sundays. Fearless. We were always dressed for battle. Tons of clothes, it wasn't only to keep us warm. It served a dual purpose. Anything chucked at the field would bounce off of us and fall harmlessly to the ground.
