Criswell from what I recall was a late round pick. In his first game he was bigtime schooled by Bruce Smith on national TV for all to see. For years that game haunted him, but reality was he became a very solid, dependable LT and played many solid games against some of the best the game has ever had including Lawrence Taylor.
Bruce Smith schooled quite a few guys including those two. You're right it wasn't Criswell's first start, but I remember the spin move Bruce Smith put Criswell, just devastating. Here's an article from the New York Times before the game was played. LEAD: The Jets learned today that Dave Cadigan, their No. 1 draft pick, would be out from four to six weeks. The rookie left tackle suffered a sprained left foot in practice Friday after he was kicked twice. Cadigan will be placed on the inactive list for Monday night's game against Buffalo. The Jets are likely to place him on injured reserve later in the week after bringing back one of their previously injured players or acquiring a lineman. Once Cadigan is on injured reserve, he will have to miss a minimum of four games. Jeff Criswell will replace Cadigan. He has already started twice for Cadigan, who had suffered a sprained right ankle, and he alternated with him in last Sunday's loss to the Bengals. Criswell's next task will be to face the Bills' Pro Bowl defensive right end, Bruce Smith, in Monday's game at Giants Stadium. ''I have confidence in Criswell,'' said Coach Joe Walton. When asked about the difficulty Criswell would face going against Smith, Walton replied, ''Whoever faces Smith would not have it easy.''
