Friday, December 2, 2022

1978 Profile: Bruce Harper

Kick Returner-Running Back
No. 42
Kutztown State
"One of the Jets' outstanding crop of 1977 rookies, Bruce signed with the club as a free agent after being overlooked in the draft.
He was an Honorable Mention AP Little All-America in 1976 when he became the first back in Kutztown State history to gain over 1,000 yards. Bruce rushed for 1,132 yards in 10 games including 216 yards in one contest.
Bruce modeled the Jets' new jerseys at a press conference on February 27, 1978."

-1978 Topps No. 362

Friday, November 25, 2022

1978 Profile: Clark Gaines

Running Back
No. 21
Wake Forest
"A hard runner who breaks tackles, Clark is a good blocker, a fine receiver and an excellent specialty teams player. He made the Jets as a free agent in 1976 and became a starter in the seventh game of the campaign. He proceeded to record four 100-yard games and outrush all NFL rookie runners.
Clark worked in construction as a watchman to help earn his college degree."

-1978 Topps No. 81

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

1978 Profile: Joe Fields

Center
No. 65
Widener
"A 'sleeper' draft selection by the Jets in 1975, Joe played in all 14 games while starting the final 10 at center during his sophomore season of 1976. A teammate of Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson in college, Joe never missed a play at Widener despite shoulder and ankle injuries during his senior campaign of 1974.
Joe has good quickness along with a fine attitude. He's a superb blocker and an excellent long-snapper on punts and placements.
Joe's nickname is 'W.C.' "

-1978 Topps No. 161

Friday, October 7, 2022

1978 Profile: John Ebersole

Middle Linebacker
No. 55
Penn State
"An intelligent player who is equally effective against the pass and the run, John is a tough performer who will play when hurt. He has been a Jets' regular for five years.
John owns his own beverage company."

-1978 Topps No. 41

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

1978 Profile: Scott Dierking

Running Back
No. 25
Purdue
"The Jets' second-leading rusher in 1977, Scott is adept at running inside and getting to the outside when called upon. His forte is that he hits the line quickly and keeps his feet moving for extra yardage. Scott is a real hustler who can play on specialty teams.
He was an All-Big Ten choice and team MVP and co-captain at Purdue. Scott was Illinois state wrestling champion as a high school senior."

-1978 Topps No. 206

Thursday, August 11, 2022

1978 Profile: Darrell Austin

Guard
No. 67
South Carolina
"Darrell fits the traditional coaches' description of 'hard-nosed.' He is a strong, straight-ahead blocker. He's good on running blocks and he's developing into an outstanding pass protector.
Darrell started 11 games for the Jets in 1976, seven at right guard and four at center.
He started every game for three years at South Carolina. Darrell played offensive tackle as a sophomore, defensive tackle as a junior and offensive tackle during his senior season.
Darrell's father is a deputy sheriff."

-1978 Topps No. 61

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

1978 Profile: Greg Buttle

Linebacker
No. 51
Penn State
"The Jets defense needs help, and it's players like Greg Buttle who can make it better. He's in his third year in the NFL and it has been all uphill since his rookie year.
'When he hits you, he buries you,' says Coach Walt Michaels. Buttle has good reactions and good range.
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he was an All-American for the Nittany Lions and played in the last College All-Star Game. Last year he returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown.
Buttle is an articulate after-dinner speaker."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"A hard hitter with quick reactions to the ball, Greg made every all-rookie team in 1976. He led the club in tackles with 98 solos and 85 assists and returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown against the Patriots. Chosen by New York writers as Jets' Rookie of the Year, he was an All-American at Penn State.
Greg enjoys playing paddle ball in his leisure time."

-1978 Topps No. 382

Saturday, May 21, 2022

1978 Profile: Burgess Owens

Free Safety
No. 22
Miami
"Home, sweet home. Free safety is where Burgess Owens resides now, and he likes the living conditions. Cornerback and strong safety were like Holiday Inns as far as Owens was concerned until he found the comforts of free safety ... like a home.
Owens was a No. 1 draft pick in 1973, who will remain etched in Jets' trivia forever as the man who caught O.J. Simpson from behind to save a touchdown. He intercepted three passes last year to lead the Jets, who had only 11 as a team, low in the AFC. Owens has 10 career pass thefts.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, he was an All-America cornerback at Miami (Fla.). Owens majored in biology. His father is a professor of agronomy at Florida A&M."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"Burgess found a home at free safety with the Jets after spending three campaigns on the strong side. He was the Jets' Rookie of the Year and a member of the NFL All-Rookie Team for 1973.
Burgess had 160 career tackles at Miami (Florida). He majored in biology."

-1978 Topps No. 121

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

1978 Profile: Randy Rasmussen

Guard
No. 66
Kearney State
"The old Jets. Joe Willie, Super Bowl III, Orange Bowl, Colts, the guarantee. Rasmussen survives. 12th season, still the left guard. Namath, Snell, Maynard, Sauer- all gone.
Rasmussen is probably the best pulling guard the Jets have ever had. He's a consistent player.
Born in St. Paul, Nebraska, he had an unlikely beginning. He was drafted 12th by the Jets in 1967 out of Kearney State in Nebraska. Rasmussen was All-NAIA for two years, a shot-putter in track who majored in mathematics. He started as a Jet rookie and has another three or four years left.
Rasmussen is in demand as an off-season banquet speaker. 'He's a better football player than a lot of guys who made All-Pro,' says Jim Ringo, the former Buffalo coach."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"One of the most consistent offensive linemen in Jets history, Randy is rated as perhaps the best pulling guard the club has ever had. Known for his one-on-one blocking technique, he rarely has a bad game.
Randy has played in 108 consecutive games for the Jets heading into 1978, all as a starter. An All-NAIA choice for two years at Kearney State, he played offensive tackle in college and was a three-time all-conference performer. Randy majored in mathematics in college."

-1978 Topps No. 307

Thursday, April 7, 2022

1978 Profile: Carl Barzilauskas

Defensive Tackle
No. 77
Indiana
"A hit or a miss? After four seasons, Barzo has not become the destructible force that the Jets anticipated when the Jets drafted him No. 1 in 1974. Everyone keeps waiting.
Goodness knows, the physical qualifications are there. He's big and strong enough to wipe out one side of the line by himself. Barzo's good against the rush, but not quick or agile enough to be a strong pass rusher.
Born in Waterbury, Conn., he was too big for a crib right away. His first diaper was a bed sheet. King-sized.
A three-year starter at Indiana, he played every down as a senior despite a broken bone in his foot. His uncle Fritz played with the New York  Giants and is now Yale's intramural director."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

1978 Profile: Pat Leahy

Place Kicker
No. 5
St. Louis
"Spirit of St. Louis. St. Louis University, that is. Leahy helped the Billikens win three NCAA soccer championships before getting a tryout with the football Cardinals. But the Cards had Jim Baaken, so Leahy joined the Jets as a free agent in mid-1974 after Bobby Howfield was injured.
He has been about a 60 percent kicker ever since. He misses at least three PATs a season. His longest kick has been 47 yards (three times). Two missed field goals against the Raiders cost the Jets a victory last fall. But Leahy has a steady record of coming through.
Born in St. Louis, he has a bachelor's degree in marketing and business administration. He works in the paint and remodeling business in the off-season."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"Pat has proven to be one the NFL's most accurate field goal kickers. He joined the Jets in 1974 and immediately helped the club defeat the Giants in an overtime game which started a six-game winning streak. Pat has a strong toe.
He works for a painting and remodeling company in the off-season."

-1978 Topps No. 482

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

1978 Profile: Marvin Powell

Offensive Tackle
No. 79
USC
"From what everyone says, or intimates, Marvin Powell may be the next great offensive tackle. 'He was the best athlete in the whole draft,' said Oakland's Al Davis after the Jets took him fourth in the 1977 college talent pool.
Powell had his rookie season ruined by injury, but the best is yet to come. 'We can build around him,' says Jets coach Walt Michaels. 'He gives us a double dimension as a great blocker for both passing and rushing.' Most pro experts believe Powell will be another Art Shell.
Born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, his father was a career military officer. Powell was switched from tight end to tackle at  USC. His idol is Muhammed Ali."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"Considered to be one of the best all-around athletes in the 1977 NFL draft, Marvin is an overpowering blocker with quickness, intelligence and durability. Inserted into the Jets' starting offensive line last season, he provided the club with a double dimension as a great blocker for both the pass and run.
Marvin was one of four sophomores to start for the 1974 USC National Championship team. He played in three Rose Bowl games during his phenomenal career at USC.
Marvin's nickname is 'Boomer.' "

-1978 Topps No. 141

Sunday, February 13, 2022

1978 Profile: Rich Caster

Wide Receiver
No. 88
Jackson State
"Musical receivers on the Jets. Caster moved from tight end to wide receiver and Jerome Barkum from wide receiver to tight end. Caster had his lowest production last year because of injuries, just 10 receptions. But he averaged 20 yards a catch, just above his career average of 18.0.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, he went to Jackson State where he caught 28 touchdown passes and was drafted No. 1 by the Jets in 1970. He is a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
The best deep threat in pro football at tight end, Caster now will drive cornerbacks dizzy, not strong safeties. But man-on-man or zone, he knows how to get open.
Caster gives time to numerous causes."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"One of the premier receivers in pro football, Richard is an outstanding deep threat against the zone. He has steadily improved his blocking ability with the Jets. He has a great pair of hands.
Richard makes many personal appearances on behalf of the Jets."

-1978 Topps No. 21

Monday, January 31, 2022

1978 Profile: Jerome Barkum

Tight End
No. 83
Jackson State
Ol' Debbil injury's got him. Barkum has been bothered the last two years by pains and sprains. He was given a new outlook on a successful NFL career by switching to tight end last year. He stayed healthy long enough to catch 26 passes (17.3 yards per reception) for six touchdowns. Barkum remains one of the game's finest deep threats, with many good years ahead.
Born in Gulfport, Mississippi, he set a high school single-game rebounding record of 30 in Gulfport, where he still lives. A teammate of Rich Caster at Jackson State, Barkum was a No. 1 draft pick in 1972. His career average per catch is 16.0.
He's light for a tight end; his blocking won't remind anyone of Dave Casper. So figure on Todd to keep the ball in the air."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"Always considered among pro football's premier receivers, Jerome has excellent size and strength. His most catches in a game were the eight he snared against the Bengals in 1983. He has also become a fine blocker for the Jets.
Jerome is a cousin of the Lions' Lem Barney."

-1978 Topps No. 442

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

1978 Profile: Wesley Walker

Wide Receiver
No. 85
California
"Does things in a big way. He led AFC receivers last year as a rookie with 21.1 yards per catch. Todd's 87-yard touchdown pass to Walker was the second longest in the conference.
Walker is a big-play performer. He set an NCAA record for average career receptions (25.7) at California, set a Pacific-8 record with 289 yards receiving in one game and set a Cal record with an 88-yard touchdown catch. A five-yard reception is out of the question for Walker.
Born in San Bernadino, California, he ran four years of track at Cal, timed once at 10.4 in the 100-meter dash. Walker was Cal's first four-year, double-sport letterman since before World War II. The Jets were able to draft him in the second round and have been grinning ever since."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"One of the finest rookies in pro football last season, Wesley was rewarded for his outstanding performance with selection on the NFL's All-Rookie Team. An exciting deep threat, his longest reception of the campaign went for 87 yards.
Wesley holds the NCAA mark with a 25.7 career average per reception. His 88-yard touchdown catch against Georgia in 1976 was the longest in California history."

-1978 Topps No. 327

WESLEY WALKER: SECOND HALF OF THE JETS' BOMB SQUAD
Around Shea Stadium, The Todd-Walker Connection Has Stirred Up Memories Of Namath-Maynard
"If it weren't for the green helmets and spiffy new uniforms the New York Jets are wearing, their fans might have thought for a moment they were living in the past.
Richard Todd and Wesley Walker were so impressive in the Jets' early season games they couldn't help but remember the great Namath-to-Maynard passing combination.
Todd and Walker gave notice to NFL foes early with touchdown passes of 47 and 43 yards and saw a third called back due to a holding penalty in the season opener against Miami. In all, Walker caught four passes for 108 yards, an average of 27 yards a catch, and he represents a major headache for Jets' opponents this season.
While he and Todd have shown the potential that could develop into the Namath-Maynard of the 1980s in New York, Walker acknowledges it's a little early to put them in the same class.
Wesley had some trouble holding on to passes in his rookie season a year ago, but that doesn't stop the comparisons.
'I remember when they said that Don Maynard was a pass-dropper,' says Jets head coach Walt Michaels.
Using that to link the two is stretching the point, but the second-year receiver from California has demonstrated the ability to get open deep- no easy task with today's sophisticated defenses.
Last year he was named to the National Football League's and Football Digest's All-Rookie teams after leading the entire league in average yards per catch (21.1).
Many a hot-shot young receiver will brag about his speed or natural talent as the reason for his success. Walker gives much of the credit to Jets receiving coach Dan Henning.
'I think the big reason I'm getting open as well as I have is that I'm very well coached,' the modest 23-year-old says.
'When I first came to the Jets I didn't necessarily agree with some of the things they were teaching. I was used to just running straight up and down patterns.
'We have things we do here to make the defensive backs react a certain way ... I come off the ball at different angles or approach a defensive back to turn him in a different direction.'
The moves combine with 4.4 to 4.5 speed (in the 40-yard dash) to make Walker a constant deep threat.
Walker feels his problems with catching the ball last year were just a matter of concentration. Three times he dropped passes in the end zone when open.
'I'd catch the ball over the middle where you have to be concentrating,' he says. 'But I'd get out there (open) waiting on the ball and I could see the ball coming down and I could see the defensive back coming and I'd be ready to take off before I had it. It would go right through.
'I didn't know what the problem was because I never had the problem in college,' he adds.
'You can be running down the field and you can think you have it, it's an easy catch, that's when it goes through your hands. So you've got to watch it all the time.'
Walker feels improved concentration and being more familiar with the pro game this year will help erase the problem. He worked on it this off-season with another University of California product.
'During the off-season I got the opportunity to throw with Fred Besana (cut this year by Buffalo). He helped me a lot by being out there to throw. You need a quarterback in the off-season to throw with to get your timing and work on different things,' he says.
The NFL's new one-chuck rule was expected to help receivers like Walker, and many feel he benefited from it as much as anyone.
'I don't think it has made that much difference because it depends on the type of defense,' he explains. 'Most of the time people are running a zone so they are not using it (the bump). They are just dropping back.'
He said he also feels that officials aren't really calling it, although anyone who has witnessed all the illegal chuck calls in the Buffalo games might disagree.
Whether it's called or not, Walker is going to catch his share of bombs this year. He did it last year.
Michaels doesn't hedge on his praise for the young receiver. 'For a second-year player at his position, he's as good as anyone ever,' the coach says.
The California native's success is remarkable when you consider he is legally blind in his left eye because of a cataract he has had since birth. He said doctors were going to operate when he was 14, but didn't and the feeling is now it wouldn't have helped anyway.
'Everyone is like a blur when I close my right eye,' he says, adding that he could manage to walk around like that, but certainly wouldn't be able to drive a car or play football.
With both eyes open, it obviously isn't a major handicap on the field. 'I still have good peripheral vision,' he notes.
With that plus his speed, moves and determination to hold the ball, Jet opponents better have plenty of eyes on him this year."

-Mike Dodd, The Buffalo Evening News (Football Digest, December 1978)

Sunday, January 9, 2022

1978 Profile: Richard Todd

Quarterback
No. 14
Alabama
"'Just plain Richard.' Which is Todd's way of saying he isn't Joe Namath. Broadway Richard? No way. Todd doesn't even live in New York year-round, like Joe Willie. One thing they have in common, though, is the arm. The right arm. Namath had the power touch, and Todd has that same touch, although only time will prove whether it's comparable to Namath's.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he was another in the long line of Alabama quarterbacks who've paraded past the Bear.
Todd doesn't have a defense- the Jets were 26th in the NFL- that will get him the ball in good field position. But he does have great receivers, and so always is a threat."

-Dave Newhouse, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1978 Edition)

"Richard has great potential. He has a strong arm and adds another dimension to the Jets' offense with his ability to scramble. He can run out of trouble on the third and long situations and is doing a good job of learning the coverages. Richard has good poise and a great desire to succeed in pro football with added experience.
His biggest thrill was playing under Bear Bryant at Alabama."

-1978 Topps No. 267

RICHARD TODD: TRYING TO SHAKE HIS JOE NAMATH IMAGE
Both On And Off The Field, The Two Ex-Alabama QBs Have More Differences Than Similarities
"In many ways, Richard Todd is a lot like Joe Namath. In even more ways, Todd is not like Namath. The Jets are thankful for both.
Namath may never be replaced in the minds of many Jets fans, but Todd has made the transition in quarterbacks easier for the fans and the team's management.
On the field, Todd has provided enough glimpses of potential greatness to satisfy Jet fans who hunger for a winning season to build their dreams around.
Off the field, Todd is already in the gossip columns. Whenever he appears in public with a model or actress, the Namath image is revived. For many Jet fans it's an image they won't let die.
'I guess I will always be compared with Joe,' Todd says with a tone of resignation. 'I don't mind being compared with someone I respect so much like Joe. He is probably the purest passer ever to play the game.
'Joe caused the merger of the leagues and without that, a lot of us wouldn't be playing pro football today.
'Joe was my idol growing up, and I still respect him. But I don't have Joe's arm, and he didn't have my legs. I want to earn an identity for myself, and I think I've begun to do that.'
Unfortunately for Todd, after leading the Jets to a 2-1 start, he suffered a separated shoulder and was due to miss much of the season.
Todd was New York's first-round draft choice in 1976, and the newest quarterback from Alabama was told he was being groomed to replace the older quarterback from Alabama. Todd, at first, accepted his role.
But that was the year of chaos under Lou Holtz, who was proving that good college coaches don't necessarily make good pro coaches. Todd found himself running college-type veer offenses and wondering if he would be taught how to play quarterback in the National Football League.
'The year under Holtz was difficult,' says Todd. 'I don't think I ever lost my confidence, but I did get depressed a little. Everything was so disorganized. It knocked down my ideas of how a professional football team was supposed to operate.'
What made Todd's rookie season even more painful was watching the erosion of Namath on the field. Todd wanted to be the Jets' starting quarterback, but he wanted to earn it on his own merits, not on a collapse of Broadway Joe's abilities. He was granted his wish less than a year later.
Walt Michaels was named the coach- a move many observers though should have happed a lot earlier- and he promptly said Todd would be his quarterback.
Namath then moved on to Los Angeles, where after a year on the Rams' bench he decided it was time to go into movies and television on a full-time basis. Todd's reign as Jets quarterback had begun.
'What Walt did really helped me a lot,' says Todd. 'He said I was the quarterback, and he stuck with me. I started with bad games against Houston and Baltimore, but he stuck with me and the next week we buried New England. I got to play and I got to learn.
The learning process had its ups and downs, but when Todd threw for 396 yards in a near upset over Oakland in the first game in which he had all his receivers healthy, Jets fans had visions of another Namath.
By mid-season, Todd had moved up to fourth place statistically among American Football Conference quarterbacks. Then misfortune struck.
He sprained his right knee against Miami and sat out the next two games. Then he tried to come back. 'I think the injury was on his mind when he came back,' says Michaels. 'He tried to fight through it, but he was rusty.'
Statistics bore out Michaels. Todd completed only 33 of 84 passes after the injury. After completing 100 of 181 passes for 1,449 yards and eight touchdowns in the first half of the season, he had to settle for 414 yards and three touchdowns (plus nine interceptions) in the second half.
Now that the knee has healed again, Todd puts it behind him. 'I don't think about the knee injury anymore except when I'm asked about it,' he says. 'All I'm thinking about it is playing this season.'
Todd showed enough in the preseason to further convince Michaels and his teammates that when he's healthy, he's capable of leading them back to respectability, which began with a 33-20 rout of Miami, including three Todd touchdown strikes.
'Richard is much more relaxed,' says Michaels. 'All you have to do is hear him call plays in the huddle to know the difference. He's the boss out there now.'
Todd has become a rallying force for the young Jets. The offense talks about him, the defense talks about him, and both agree that Todd is going make them a better team than the last three Jet squads, all of which had 3-11 records.
The experience of starting has helped Richard,' says Wesley Walker, Todd's long-ball target. 'He's picking up defenses better, and he's more loose and relaxed. The offensive line is giving him more time to throw. We'll all get better when he gets better.'
Todd's three-touchdown performance against the Giants in this season's annual exhibition game impressed guard Randy Rasmussen, the Jets' elder statesman.
'He had a couple of beautiful checkoffs on the line,' says Rasmussen. 'One was for a touchdown and another for a first down. He calmly checked off and burned them. That's a big plus for a quarterback.
Jim Kensil, the Jets' president, is satisfied with Todd's progress, but he doesn't want the rest of the team to become too dependent on the quarterback, a trait that Jet teams showed when Namath starred.
'The key to Richard was that when he was healthy last season he did the job,' says Kensil. 'In some cases, a team plays well and it makes the quarterback play well. But with all his skills, a quarterback can't do it if the others on the team don't play well.'
'I feel that the team makes the quarterback, the quarterback doesn't make the team,' says Todd. 'Everybody, not just me, has to do his job to make us a winner. This is a team game.'
Todd's NFL education never ceases. He spends considerable time with offensive coordinator John Idzik. (They even play cards together on airplane flights).
'Everybody always asks me if I call my own plays,' says Todd. 'Sure I do. But when I get to the sidelines I go over different things with Idzik and other coaches. If a quarterback can't listen to advice, then he better get out of the game.'
Todd's development as quarterback is progressing the way he wants, but he is realistic enough to know that there's a long way to go.
'I have the same system and the same offensive coordinator for the second straight season, and that's a big help,' he says. 'I have much more confidence because I know what I'm doing now.
'You have to remember that I came from Alabama, where we had a running game, to a pro team that depended on a passing game. It was tough. A lot of people said I couldn't make it, but I wanted to prove I could. I've never been a quitter.
'I've learned to read defenses and keys a lot better. I never read keys at Alabama. Last year I had guys telling me my arm was stronger because my passes weren't wobbling like my first year. Heck, my arm wasn't any different. I just wasn't throwing off balance like I had been.'
Todd attracted some Namath-like attention last year after his knee injury. Dr. James Nicholas, the team physician, infuriated Michaels by putting Todd in a hospital overnight without telling the coach. Later, Todd was seen dancing in a Manhattan discotheque when Michaels thought he should have been resting.
'The whole incident was blown out of proportion by the papers,' says Todd. 'How serious could it have been? The team doctor was fined $10.'
But Michaels asserted his authority, something nobody ever did when Namath was with the Jets. He told Todd he wanted him away from the Manhattan scene and this year the quarterback lives on Long Island.
'But I think I'll get to the city a couple of times, you can bet on that,' Todd says."

-John Rowe, The Bergen County Record (Football Digest, December 1978)