The Jets: Through the Years

As a kid, I grew up a big New York Jets fan, and today I am still a huge fan of this team. Watching them in the 80's was, at times, brutal as they had some rough seasons. The year I do remember was 1986, when they started out 10-1 and would lose their remaining five games to end the season on a bad note.

They would also go into the playoffs and lose their home game to Miami Dolphins with score. Players like Ken O'Brain, Freeman McNeil, and Al Toon were the guys that would make those teams thrive in the late 80's.

Another game that I recall was when the Jets and Dolphins played in the 1990 season. Whoever won the game would go to the playoffs and they would be the Dolphins at the Orange Bowl. The early 90's were years to forget when players like Browning Nagal and Blair Thomas could not help turn the Franchise around.

In 1993 Boomer Esiasoncame and had little success and could not get the same success as he had with the Bengals. The 1995 and 1996 were also seasons to forget, as they won a total of three games in that period and it was time for a change. Bill Parcells would come in and replace Rich Kotite in 1997 and would change the franchise around.

Parcell, who is known as a defensive minded coach, would bring players in the pass from the Giants and Patriots. He also brought in Vinny Testaverde to back up Glen Foley, and when Foley was injured Testaverde replaced him and helped lead them to AFC Championship game. Players Curtis Martin and Keyshawn Johnson were a big part of that success as well.

In the 2000's, Chad Pennington was the focus of the franchises as he had some good years with Jets. His biggest win was against the Colts, with a 41-0 beating on a good team. Many fans felt that Pennington's injuries and his problem with throwing the deep ball had become issues that needed to be addressed, and it was when Brett Favre would come in replace him in the 2008 season. The team would have a great start but could not finish strong as they finished with a 9-7 recorded and no playoff berth. When that happened Head  Coach  Eric Mangini was fired and was replaced by Coach Re Ryan.