New York Jets Annual Information: 1971 New York Jets Outlook

TEAM DIRECTORY

President: Philip H. Iselin

General Manager and Head Coach: Weeb Ewbank

Assistant Coaches: Walt Michaels, Buddy Ryan, Ken Meyer, C.W. Hewgley

Trainer: Jeff Snedeker

Office: 595 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022

Stadium: Shea (60,000)

Colors: Kelly Green and White

Training Camp: Hofstra University, Hempstead, Long Island, NY

-The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)

"The odds are against a team suffering back-to-back injury-riddled seasons. That's why some experts believe the Jets, a team full of super talent, will outclass the AFC East this year and even go all the way to another Super Bowl. But much depends on the full recovery of many frontline players and the dependability of the rookies. And losing Verlon Biggs was a blow. He was a seven-year regular.

Number one on the list of the returning disabled is Joe Namath, whose attitude toward his livelihood- football, not acting- became more serious when he could no longer play after breaking his right wrist against the Colts last year. The wrist seems to have healed perfectly, and Joe started throwing the ball and getting into shape last spring. It is even said that his knees may be stronger because of the long rest and special exercises. If Namath does make it back all the way, then second-string passer Al Woodall will do little more than handle the sideline phone. But Woodall showed he could lead the team and pass accurately last year. The experience under fire can only have helped him. Also available are Bob Davis, who put in some time relieving Woodall last year, and rookie Jim Betts, drafted as a safety but a backup quarterback at Michigan.
Even if all goes well with the passers, there is a big problem with the receivers. Split end George Sauer, at the peak of his career, announced his retirement last spring, and flanker Don Maynard's future is a big question mark. The 34-year-old Maynard limped along with leg injuries last year. Short (5-7) Ed Bell and tall (6-5) Rich Caster make good showings in their rookie seasons and are the likeliest candidates to carry on this year. Before Sauer decided to retire there was talk of shifting Caster to tight end to give the Jets more of a deep threat there, but he'll be needed at wide receiver now. Caster must overcome a tendency to drop easy passes; he holds the tough ones. Coach Weeb Ewbank is also counting on 11th round draft choice Vern Studdard of Mississippi, who runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds and could be a real deep threat and a kick returner. Harvey Nairn, also very fast, missed two years with the Army but is back to try for a job.
Pete Lammons is an adequate tight end but doesn't have the speed Ewbank would like to see there. He'll be challenged (but not ousted) by third-year man Wayne Stewart, coming back from knee surgery, second-year man Gary Arthur, used as an extra tight end on short-yardage plays and on the special teams last year, and rookies John Curtis and Greg Flaska.
If the young receivers don't develop quickly and up to expectations, that will put cruel pressure on the Jet running game, potentially one of the best in all pro football. The question is: can the Jets' runners support that responsibility? Fullback and Namath bodyguard Matt Smell ruptured his Achilles' tendon in the third game of the '70 season. Until Snell starts running and cutting under game conditions, his recovery must be considered suspect. Emerson also was felled by the injury jinx, though he did look good at the end of the season. Ewbank used his first 1971 draft choice for a running back, John Riggins, a 6-2, 225-pounder from Kansas who broke Gale Sayers' college running records. Riggins is both an inside and an outside threat. He'll contend for a job with holdovers George Nock (a pleasant '70 surprise) and Lee White (injured again part of last year). Others looking for work include Clifford McClain, a 1970 rookie who is still an unknown quantity, and draft choice Steve Harkey. Phil Wise, drafted in the sixth round as a defensive back, will also get a look in the offensive backfield.
When healthy, the Jets' offensive line is good at blasting open holes for the runners and great at protecting Namath. But the only starter to stay healthy last year was left tackle Winston Hill. Guard Randy Rasmussen had an ankle sprain that hindered him throughout the campaign, and both right guard Dave Herman and center John Schmitt were bothered by nagging hurts. They should be fully recovered this year. The problem at right tackle is still unsolved. Roger Finnie, small for tackle but extremely strong, held the job at the start of 1970 but dislocated his ankle and missed the rest of the season. Dave Foley, his replacement, still seemed bothered by his knee- a holdover injury from '69. Both Finnie and Foley will compete with number two draft choice John Mooring, a 6-6, 250-pounder from Tampa. Depth will come from guards Dave Middendorf and Tom Bayless, center/tackle Pete Perreault and rookies Roy Kirksey, Jack Harping and Dan Dyches.
Despite the injuries the Jets finished first in total defense in the AFC- first against the rush, only ninth against the pass. But the opposition completed only 43.1 percent of its passes against New York, lowest in the conference. The continued superiority of the Jets' defense depends heavily on the complete recovery of left end Gerry Philbin. Philbin dislocated his shoulder, missed several games, then played the rest of the season wearing a restrictive harness. Rookie Mark Lomas filled in at both tackle and end last year and wound up starting at left tackle in place of veteran Steve Thompson, who was bothered by injuries. They'll battle for the job this year. Right tackle John Elliott returns to scare the pants off opposition runners and passers, but the loss of right end Biggs, who played out his option and jumped to the Redskins, can't help. The Jets occasionally criticized Verlon's attitude, but he is a first-rate football player when he wants to be. Those contending for his job will be second-year man Lomas, John Little, Ray Hayes (last active in 1969) and rookies Scott Palmer and John Eggold. Fourth round choice Bill Zapalac (Texas) could wind up on the line, at linebacker, or even at tight end.
The linebackers are Al Atkinson in the middle, Larry Grantham and Ralph Baker outside. Coach Ewbank calls Atkinson the best linebacker around against both the pass and the rush. Grantham calls the defensive signals. This unit, playing together since 1966, is backed up by Paul Crane, Dennis Onkotz and John Ebersole. Carl McAdams, last active with the Jets in '69 as a defensive lineman, will give it a try at linebacker this year. He has never recovered from that pre-rookie season ankle fracture.
The Jets' secondary was completely revamped last season with the addition of rookies Earlie Thomas and Steve Tannen at the corners and two veterans acquired through trades, W.K. Hicks and Gus Hollomon, at the safeties. Coach Ewbank was especially pleased with the way the new cornerbacks controlled sweeps. And by season's end, few quarterbacks dared pass into Thomas' area. For added strength, the Jets drafted Chris Farasopoulos of Brigham Young in the third round. He runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds. Other draftees, Phil Wise, Rich Sowells and Jim Betts, will also get a look, along with holdover reserves John Dockery, Cecil Leonard, Mike Battle and taxi squadder James Williams. Veteran safety Jim Hudson had back trouble all through the '70 season and is unsure about his future.
To bolster what Coach Ewbank felt was one of the Jets' biggest weaknesses, New York traded place kicker Jim Turner to Denver for Bobby Howfield. What Howfield is expected to do is kick field goals (which Turner did) and get Jet kickoffs deep into the end zone (which Turner didn't). Rookies Farasopoulos, Studdard, Wise and Sowells will get looks as kickoff and punt return men, along with the fearless Battle. Ewbank hopes that at least one of the rookies will emerge as a much needed game-breaker. Steve O'Neal is the punter. Last year he had a 40.1-yard average, a substantial drop from his 1969 record but still good enough."

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

IN BRIEF

Probable 1971 Finish: 2nd (AFC Eastern)

Strengths: a superior defense, especially against the run, Namath's arm, Boozer and Snell running.

Biggest Needs: complete recoveries for Namath, Snell and Maynard, and improved kickoffs.

1970 finish: 3rd (AFC Eastern, 4-10-0)

-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971

"Coach Weeb Ewbank went into the 1970 season saying his Jets, 'had better material than when we won the Super Bowl.' As it turned out, the Jets had the worst record in the history of the franchise, which includes the late Harry Wismer's late Titans. Last season the Jets won only four of 14 games. But a bad record is not always due to a bad team. Sometimes a bad record is merely the result of bad luck. Certainly, that was true of the New York Jets last season, who suffered 30 disabling injuries, many of them to irreplaceable performers.

The fact is that despite their dismal record, the Jets probably gained more respect from opponents than they did even their Super Bowl season. They never quit.

Ewbank's primary concern going into the 1970 season was his defensive secondary. In 1969, it had looked like a travel terminal, with players pouring in and out of it like so many commuters. So Weeb discarded the entire unit and started all over. He traded for free safety W.K. Hicks from Houston and acquired strong safety Gus Hollomon from Denver, two solid veterans who could both tackle and play the pass. At cornerback the Jets took a tremendous gamble- they decided to start rookies. Steve Tannen from Florida, the No. 1 draft choice from Florida, was no surprise. But Earlie Thomas from Colorado State wasn't drafted until the eleventh round, which shows again how uneven scouting can be at times. Thomas looked better than Tannen at cornerback right from the start, though both took their beatings early and lived to develop into potential stars.

With his outstanding linebacking trio of Al Atkinson, Ralph Baker and Larry Grantham helping the secondary with their quick, intelligent pass drops, Ewbank could afford to rely on rookies at the corners. Of course, the Jet linebackers could afford to overplay the pass because the front line was not only difficult to run against but among the game's best pass-rushing units. John Elliott is as quick as any tackle in football, while Gerry Philbin and Verlon Biggs put on tremendous pressure from the outside.

Unfortunately, the thing that wrecked the Jets last season was injuries. Philbin was the first to go; he had to have a shoulder operation in the preseason and missed the first five games, then had to play with a harness that hampered him for weeks. But the only other serious injury on defense was sustained by tackle Steve Thompson. He missed four games, but not until after Philbin returned. Eighth round draft choice Mark Lomas filled in capably for both.

Although the Jets gave up a lot of points, 286 (only Buffalo, Boston, Houston and Oakland gave up more), many of those were not the fault of the defense. The fact is that the Jet defense was the toughest in the conference to run against and ranked No. 1 in total defense in the AFC. Ewbank's rookie gamble cost him some touchdowns, but the close-guarding cornerbacks were heavy contributors to the Jets' allowing the lowest percentage of pass completions in the entire NFL: 43.1.

However, New York's really crippling injuries occurred on offense. 'One time I looked up and we had only four of our offensive regulars in the game,' says Ewbank. The line was bothered by nagging hurts all season, with tackle Winston Hill the lone man in the unit to avoid missing any playing time. The line stayed intact, though, through the first three games. Although the Jets lost two of the three- to Cleveland, 31-21, and to Buffalo, which always plays tough against New York, 34-31- they had the top rushing attack in the conference to this point. But in the Bill game tackle Roger Finnie dislocated an ankle and fullback Matt Snell, who gained almost 300 yards in less than three games, tore an Achilles tendon. Both were lost for the rest of the season. Dave Foley replaced Finnie, but a postoperative knee bothered him and in the second half of games he couldn't fire out at all. As for Snell, there is just no replacing a fullback who runs, blocks and catches passes the way Matt does.

Meanwhile, New York's regular wide receivers, Don Maynard and George Sauer, were in and out of the lineup with injuries. Maynard missed seven full ball games. He and Sauer still ended up leading the club in receptions with 31, but both had been averaging over 60 catches per year before 1970. Their replacements, little Ed Bell and big Richard Caster showed a lot of speed but lacked experience.

The Jets lost to Miami in game four, 20-6, and then to Baltimore, 29-22, as Namath had six passes intercepted. Worse, Joe broke his hand and was sidelined for the season. The following week, with inexperienced Al Woodall at quarterback, halfback Emerson Boozer went out with an injury that sidelined him for four weeks. The Jets lost to the Giants, 22-10, and then were beaten by Pittsburgh, 21-17.

The following week, with reserve runners George Nock and Lee White grounding out 153 yards, the Jets upset the Rams, 31-17. Then they beat Boston, 17-3, as the defense limited the opposition to 80 yards on offense. A week later the Jets managed the biggest upset of the season, beating Minnesota, 20-10. Boozer was back and he and Nock picked up most of the 187 yards New York gained against the famed Viking front four. The Jets played tough the last three games, too, barely losing to Oakland, 14-13, and Miami, 16-10. They knocked John Unitas out of the finale, but Earl Morrall came in and beat them, 35-20.

Ewbank wasn't dejected, though. 'I was proud of our players,' he said. 'If we had been healthy, I don't know if anyone would have caught us.' At least his reserves got a lot of playing time and that blooded youth now provides the Jets with the finest depth they've ever had. Ewbank now has two solid young cornerbacks in Tannen and Thomas, a competent reserve quarterback in Woodall and a respectable third man in Bob Davis, as well as a tough backup defensive lineman in Lomas.

'Our biggest problems last year,' Ewbank says, 'besides injuries, were our kickoffs, our kickoff and punt returns, lack of depth for the offensive line and our lack of speed at tight end.'

He feels he solved the kickoff problem by trading Jim Turner to Denver for Bobby Howfield, whose kickoffs are usually too deep to be run back. Howfield is a better long field goal kicker than Turner, though perhaps not as consistent on short kicks. As for the kick returns by New York, the Jets drafted four speedsters to handle them, led by Chris Farasopoulos, the all-time NCAA kick return leader. Pete Lammons is still a tough tight end, though Ewbank may shift the 6-5, 225-pound Caster to the slot to get more speed there. Although Caster has the speed, does he has the nose for blocking? And if George Sauer's sudden retirement announcement holds, Caster will have to replace him. The Jets' No. 1 draft choice is a runner, John Riggins of Kansas, who can reportedly play halfback or fullback.

Perhaps the most important plus to come out of the Jets' 1970 debacle is the new attitude Joe Namath seems to have acquired. Being sidelined appears to have made him realize how much he really LIKES football. If he stays healthy this season, look for the Jets to return to the Super Bowl."

-Berry Stainback, Pro Football Forecast For 1971

STRENGTHS: Joe Namath's talent and leadership when he's healthy; talented array of receivers; solid front wall and linebackers on defense; improved kicking game; solid running attack when Emerson Boozer and Matt Snell healthy.

WEAKNESS: Many stars must prove themselves able again after injuries; premature retirement of George Sauer.