My Favorite Jets Team: 1998

When I think about all the New York Jets teams I have seen since I began seriously following sports, the one team that conjures the fondest memories are the 1998 Jets.

I was 14 at the time, and had never seen a really good Jets team. The bitterness of the Rich Kotite Error was still fresh in the mouths of Jets fans. The Jets hadn’t made the playoffs since 1991 and hadn’t won a playoff game since 1986.

But it was the second year at the helm for Bill Parcells, and the Jets were fresh off a 9-7 season in 1997, their first above .500 season since 1988. Anything was possible.

The excitement was set in motion during the offseason, when Curtis Martin signed a controversial six-year deal with the Jets. It was the second straight offseason that the Jets pilfered the Patriots, setting in motion the rivalry that would consume the two franchises for the next decade.

But Martin wasn’t the only newcomer that would have an immediate impact. Center Kevin Mawae was brought in and solidified the offensive line, making six consecutive Pro Bowls as a Jet. Former Patriot and Dolphin Keith Byars excelled as a blocker and receiver out of the backfield.

Another former Dolphin, linebacker Bryan Cox, signed on late to replace the injured Marvin Jones, and was a shot of adrenaline to the Jets defense, wreaking havoc in the middle of Parcells' 3-4 defense.
 
The Jets also had some solid, if unproven, players on both sides of the ball. Glen Foley looked impressive before being injured in ’97 and was tabbed as the new starting quarterback.

Keyshawn Johnson, the much-heralded first overall pick in 1996, had a rocky first two seasons, but the signs of potential were still prevalent. Wayne Chrebet was slowly turning into a sneaky reliable receiver, especially on third downs.

Jumbo Elliot and Jason Fabini protected the quarterback like they were Secret Service agents. Mo Lewis was the defensive leader at the linebacker position.

Aaron Glenn and Victor Green kept opposing receivers in check. Jason Ferguson was turning into a monster in the middle of the defensive line. On paper, it was the best team the Jets had fielded in years.

The season got off to a rough start, as the Jets lost their first two games—an overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers and an ugly home loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Despite a 415-yard effort against the Niners, Foley looked awful against the Ravens and suffered an injury during the game and was forced to miss the next two games.

The following games against the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins would be when the tide turned, as well-traveled veteran and Long Island native Vinny Testaverde made his Jets debut, leading the Jets to easy victories over their division rivals.

Foley would come back in Week Six against the St. Louis Rams, but his ineffective play sealed his fate and Vinny was named the full-time starter.

Playing for the team he rooted for growing up in Elmont, Testaverde played like his entire career led up to this season.

From Week Seven on, the Jets lost only one game, a 24-23 loss to the Colts led by a rookie quarterback named Peyton Manning. Vinny went 12-1 as the starter, throwing for 3,256 yards and 29 touchdowns against only seven interceptions on the way to a Pro Bowl selection.

While the Colts won only three games that year, the rest of the AFC East was on fire. The Patriots were only two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance and still had much of their roster intact.

The Miami Dolphins were a perennial playoff contender led by Dan Marino.

The Buffalo Bills, meanwhile, found their own reclamation quarterback in Doug Flutie who was showing all the NFL scouts who thought he couldn’t play in the NFL they were dead wrong.

At the halfway point in the season, the Jets, Patriots, Dolphins, and Bills were all 5-3, with the Jets and Bills squaring off in the Meadowlands. The Jets dominated the game, keeping the Bills out of the end zone in a 34-12 victory.

The Jets won their final six games of the season, mostly in convincing fashion. During that run, the Jets were the beneficiaries of one of the calls that guaranteed instant replay was going to be part of the NFL’s future.

In Week 14, the Jets were trailing the Seattle Seahawks by five in the fourth quarter as they drove down to the Seattle goal line in the closing seconds. On fourth down, Vinny tried a QB sneak and was tackled very close to the goal line.

After much conferring, the refs ruled the play a touchdown and the Jets took the lead. But the television replays clearly showed that Vinny was down well before he reached the goal line and the play should’ve been ruled a turnover on downs.

But instant replay had not been instated (in its current form), and the play stood as called, propelling the Jets and crushing the Seahawks.

The Jets final three regular-season games were against the Dolphins, Bills, and Patriots. The Jets-Dolphins tilt in Miami was a see-saw battle, with the Jets trying to keep the Dolphins at an arm's length.

The ‘Fins nearly came back with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but time ran out on Miami and the Jets escaped South Florida with a victory.

The Jets then went up to Buffalo for a Saturday afternoon game with the opportunity to clinch their first AFC East crown. The game went head-to-head against the Clinton impeachment, and it was hard to tell which had more tension.

The Bills matched the Jets first two scores, a touchdown and a field goal, but had no answer for a 71-yard touchdown pass from Testaverde to Dedric Ward late in the third quarter.

The Jets had become the final non-expansion since the AFL-NFL merger team to win their division. The final game against the Pats was a blowout, and the Jets were on their way to the postseason as the second seed in the AFC.

By this point, the season was already a smashing success, but all the Jets faithful wanted more. Parcells changed the culture of the franchise from the owner to the fans.

People expected the Jets to win now. Parcells had turned the New York Giants from the team that couldn’t handle a simple handoff to run out the clock, into a two-time Super Bowl champion.

Then he brought the Patriots from cellar-dweller to a Super Bowl berth in four seasons.

Now he was working his magic with the Jets, all in two short seasons. Jets fans were ready to believe the impossible: A Super Bowl berth was well within reach.

The top seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos, had just lost two games after winning their first 13 of the season.

While the Jets hadn’t played the AFC Central winner Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jets were 6-0 against the three wild-card teams, their AFC East rivals, the Dolphins, Bills and Patriots.

All the Jets players had stepped up. Martin was as good as advertised, rushing for 1,287 yards and eight scores. Johnson and Chrebet each had more than 1,000 yards receiving.

Glenn led the way with six interceptions, and Lewis led the team with seven sacks. Cox and Anthony Pleasant had six sacks each.

Green led the team in tackles. Lewis, Glenn, Martin, Keyshawn, and Vinny earned spots in the Pro Bowl.

The Jets offense ranked fifth in points scored, and the defense ranked second in points allowed. The two dreadful seasons of Rich Kotite seemed like a lifetime ago.

This season also saw the emergence of another Jets icon, Fireman Ed. His famed "J-E-T-S-Jets-Jets-Jets" chant had started in the previous years, but it became popularized during the 1998 season as the Jets piled on the victories, especially at home, where their record was 7-1.
 
The Jets' opponent for the divisional round would be the Jacksonville Jaguars, led by Mark Brunell and Fred Taylor.

Even though they had just entered the league four seasons earlier, the Jaguars were a well-built team that had reached the AFC Championship game two seasons earlier.

The Jets stormed out to a 17-point second quarter lead, thanks to two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing, by Johnson.

The Jets and Jags would continue to trade scores into the fourth quarter, but the closest Jacksonville could cut the deficit was seven.

Johnson had the game of his life with nine receptions for 121 yards along with two rushes for 28 yards, a fumble recovery, and an interception to end the game, as the Jets won 34-24 and were on their way to Denver for the AFC Championship game, their first since the strike-shortened 1982 season.

The Broncos were the defending Super Bowl champs, and played all of 1998 like they were desperate for another title.

Led by John Elway and Terrell Davis, the Broncos flirted with an unbeaten season before falling to the Giants and Dolphins at the end of the season, but were still the best team in the AFC at 14-2.

The Jets would have to play a perfect game to have any shot at going to the Super Bowl. It looked like they were going to do just that in the early going, holding Elway to zero passing yards in the first quarter and taking a 3-0 lead into halftime.

The Jets increased the lead to 10-0 on a Curtis Martin touchdown run early in the third quarter.

But it was all Broncos from that point out as Elway, in what would be his final home game, clicked with his receivers, and Davis scorched the Jets for 167 yards on the ground as the Broncos prevailed 23-10, knocking off the Jets en route to their second consecutive Super Bowl victory. 

Just like that, the Jets' wonderful season had come to an end.

The Jets have not been to the AFC Title game since. The 1999 season started with unparalleled optimism, as the Jets were the preseason favorite of many in the NFL, but Vinny Testaverde blew out his Achilles' tendon during the first game of the year and was done for the season.

Bill Parcells retired after an 8-8 season (salvaged by the play of Ray Lucas) and the Bill Belichick fiasco ensued.

Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini each had brief moments of glory as Jets head coaches, but none could compare to the Tuna.

Parcells transformed the Jets into winners. The team has had its ups and downs, but has not sunk to the depths of the pre-Parcells era.

But here I am in 2009, still waiting for a team to recapture the magic of 1998.