After reading this article from the NY Post: https://nypost.com/2023/09/12/ranking-aaron-rodgers-injury-among-jets-catastrophes/ I thought I would go to the experts. Which of these is the worst all-time New York Jets Catastrophe? NOTE: I am excluding the Dennis Byrd injury which the Post lists 8th. I feel it doesn't belong in the same category as these other items, as the paralysis of a player is on a different level of catastrophe.
It’s hard to pick one - some are injuries and some are specific plays or situations. For instance the fake spike not only ended any hope of the ‘94 season but led to the Kotite hiring and effectively ruined the next two years. On paper the Belicheat fiasco looks bad but how do we know the Jets would of had the same success as the Patriots? Would they still have drafted Pennington? And if so do they draft Brady also? Belicheat’s record without Brady is barely .500 Personally I can point to Victor Green getting burned in Denver opening the flood gates for the Broncos comeback. The Jets were 25 minutes from the SB and a win over the Falcons …that’s would be my pick.
Peyton Manning staying in school in 1997, that changed everything. If we draft him, Belichick probably stays, and we'd have been what the Patriots were.
I voted for Belichick resigning but your nomination is a probably more refined and proper way to frame it. Catastrophe.
I voted for passing on Marino, but this is a worthy variation of that theme - getting one of the best QBs of all time that doesn't end up happening (a QB who turns out to not only be great, but also durable). They are the much worse versions of the Rodgers injury, since they ruined 10 or 15 years, not at most two or three.
As far as which IMPACTED the Jets worse for the future its not Rodgers injury, but its definitely the worst ive felt so I picked that.
Fuck the NY Post. One of the worst media outlets ever. Jets fans are all depressed now and they just need to drive that dagger deeper. Fuck them, they almost never have good material, it's always doom & gloom and emotional rhetoric.
I mean, we were favorites this year, too, for the most part. Maybe not THE best team, but could have been. Aaron Rodgers hurts much more because of all the off season positivity and hype. The whole time it seemed like a dream that was too good to be true... and of course it was. Back in 99 we didn't have this kind of widespread coverage. No Hard Knocks, no 1 Jets drive, etc.
Vinny (who of course was at the game and celebrated last night) would be my pick. That team was primed for a run from coaching on down. Brien missing that kick pissed me off so he’s my #2. Mo letting Brady loose on the league is #3.
From not covering the field the night before during a downpour, to Richard Todd obviously throwing the game away (3 INTs to one LB???), this game had bullshit written all over it before it even started. The nonsense that took place in the game was so obvious, that there isn't even a complete replay of it available. Maybe they recorded over the master tape. From the looks of it, doesn't look like much has changed in 40 years.
I am not arguing you. I am an ignorant fan asking an honest question. Did Richard Todd really have enough talent to beat the Dolphins if the playing conditions of that field were perfect?
Ugh….what a bunch of misfits LOL. I’ve never seen this picture. 4 years ago….none of them still on the team.
The answer is yes. In fact he would of beaten them 5 weeks earlier in the regular season on a perfectly sunny day had Pat Leahy not missed an XP and shanked an easy FG (it was blocked but kicked way too low). Bobby Jackson dropped a game saving INT with under a minute left. Now that being said Todd didn’t play great in that game (regular season game) either and I don’t think the Jets would have beaten the Redskins had they advanced past the AFCE title game. Todd was just too erratic overall. On a decent field assuming the Jets held them to 20 or under he could of beaten them if things went right. Another factor people don’t bring up is the Jets played the last 6 games on the road that year. The last two regular season games plus the added one due to the strike and then the 3 playoff games. That’s a lot of traveling and the Super Bowl was played the following week - not two weeks later. That would of meant another cross country flight…in 6 weeks the team flew to Miami, back home, Minnesota, back home, KC, back home, Cincy, back home, Los Angeles, back home, then back to Miami….that was a good team but an awfully tired one too. But it wasn’t meant to be…..thanks to the weather, Shula, and the refs …
