AL ATKINSON
Middle Linebacker
No. 62
Villanova
In 1968 Al led the now feared Jet defense with 144 tackles. An AFL All-Star last season, he also registered two interceptions, including one returned 22 yards.
Al was drafted in 1965 as an offensive guard by the Buffalo Bills, but it was with the Jets that he quickly established himself that year- Al made five unassisted tackles on kickoffs in one game against Denver.
LARRY GRANTHAM
Linebacker
No. 60
Mississippi
Larry was a first team All-Pro from 1960-64, including the lean years of the Titans. Still going strong as an AP second team All-Pro in 1968, he was still around to savor the Jet Super Bowl victory.
In his college days on offense at Ole Miss, Larry led the SEC with five receiving touchdowns in 1958 and was in the conference's top ten in receiving yards in '58 and '59.
RALPH BAKER
Linebacker
No. 51
Penn State
Ralph has been a hard working stalwart of the New York linebacking corps since his arrival from Penn State in 1964. No one hits the opposition harder, whether against the run or the pass. Early in the third quarter of Super Bowl III, Ralph recovered a Tom Matte fumble, leading to a 32-yard Jim Turner field goal giving the Jets a 10-0 lead over the Colts.
JIM CARROLL
Linebacker
No. 55
Notre Dame
1966
Playing every game last year, the rookie out of Notre Dame showed great promise as one of the youngsters in the revamped Giant linebacking corps. Jim moves to the middle linebacking spot this coming season. Giant coaches love his hard-hitting aggressiveness.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
1969 Profile: Matt Snell
Fullback
No. 41
Ohio State
"The AFL championship game and the Super Bowl served as a national showcase of the kind of work Matt Snell had been doing all season long in 1968. So completely had he integrated himself into the Jet pattern that Matt's work went largely overlooked in precincts outside of New York.
But Matt's always been that type of player - a team man who blocked like blazes for Joe Namath and would carry the ball through a brick wall when called upon. The only trouble was that Matt was plagued with knee problems during the 1967 season and was slowed down. But off-season surgery restored the knee and Matt ran with his old vigor week after week last year, winding up sixth in the rushing charts with 747 yards on 179 carries for a 4.2 average and six touchdowns.
It was Matt's best season since his Rookie of the Year performance in 1964, when he gained 948 yards."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"Battling back from knee surgery, Matt played one of the greatest games of his career against the Colts in the 1968 Super Bowl. He scored the first touchdown in the game to give New York a 7-0 lead. The speedy back repeatedly ran around and through the Baltimore defense."
-1969 Topps No. 193
No. 41
Ohio State
"The AFL championship game and the Super Bowl served as a national showcase of the kind of work Matt Snell had been doing all season long in 1968. So completely had he integrated himself into the Jet pattern that Matt's work went largely overlooked in precincts outside of New York.
But Matt's always been that type of player - a team man who blocked like blazes for Joe Namath and would carry the ball through a brick wall when called upon. The only trouble was that Matt was plagued with knee problems during the 1967 season and was slowed down. But off-season surgery restored the knee and Matt ran with his old vigor week after week last year, winding up sixth in the rushing charts with 747 yards on 179 carries for a 4.2 average and six touchdowns.
It was Matt's best season since his Rookie of the Year performance in 1964, when he gained 948 yards."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"Battling back from knee surgery, Matt played one of the greatest games of his career against the Colts in the 1968 Super Bowl. He scored the first touchdown in the game to give New York a 7-0 lead. The speedy back repeatedly ran around and through the Baltimore defense."
-1969 Topps No. 193
Monday, October 13, 2014
1969 Jets Defensive Line Profiles
JOHN ELLIOTT
Defensive Tackle
No. 80
Texas
In New York's championship season of 1968, their defensive line proved as punishing as their renowned linebacking corps. One reason was the emergence of John Elliott as an AFL All-Star and both an AP and UPI second team All-Pro. John proved extremely tough against running plays.
PAUL ROCHESTER
Defensive Tackle
No. 72
Michigan State
Paul's veteran presence spearheaded a line charge that harassed opposing quarterbacks and often shut down high powered ground attacks. An AFL All-Star for the Dallas Texans in 1961, his arrival in New York was a major step in the building of the defense of a playoff team.
An All-American who played in the 1957 Rose Bowl, Paul considers the Dallas Texans' double-overtime win in 1962 his greatest thrill.
GERRY PHILBIN
Defensive End
No. 81
Buffalo
"The number 81 on Gerry Philbin's jersey is one of the more familiar sights seen in enemy backfields. That's because Gerry is one of the most accomplished pass rushers in the league.
Besides being tough and aggressive, he's a studious type who is constantly working at improving his technique. He can feint to the inside, then circle around the other way and still get in on the quarterback fast enough to make the tackle.
An All-AFL choice last season, Gerry joined the Jets in 1964 after playing his college football at the University of Buffalo."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"One of the best defensive ends in the league, Gerry is the anchoring force of the Jets' rough and tough front four. He has good range, speed and is an aggressive and hard hitting player. A top pass rusher, Gerry was voted the team's top lineman for the last three years."
-1969 Topps No. 262
VERLON BIGGS
Defensive End
No. 86
Jackson State
Verlon's perennial intimidation of opposing quarterbacks finally paid off with a Jet Super Bowl victory last year. An All-Star for the third year in a row, he made the UPI All-AFL team in 1966 and was one of five Jets to start the 1967 AFL All-Star Game.
Defensive Tackle
No. 80
Texas
In New York's championship season of 1968, their defensive line proved as punishing as their renowned linebacking corps. One reason was the emergence of John Elliott as an AFL All-Star and both an AP and UPI second team All-Pro. John proved extremely tough against running plays.
PAUL ROCHESTER
Defensive Tackle
No. 72
Michigan State
Paul's veteran presence spearheaded a line charge that harassed opposing quarterbacks and often shut down high powered ground attacks. An AFL All-Star for the Dallas Texans in 1961, his arrival in New York was a major step in the building of the defense of a playoff team.
An All-American who played in the 1957 Rose Bowl, Paul considers the Dallas Texans' double-overtime win in 1962 his greatest thrill.
GERRY PHILBIN
Defensive End
No. 81
Buffalo
"The number 81 on Gerry Philbin's jersey is one of the more familiar sights seen in enemy backfields. That's because Gerry is one of the most accomplished pass rushers in the league.
Besides being tough and aggressive, he's a studious type who is constantly working at improving his technique. He can feint to the inside, then circle around the other way and still get in on the quarterback fast enough to make the tackle.
An All-AFL choice last season, Gerry joined the Jets in 1964 after playing his college football at the University of Buffalo."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"One of the best defensive ends in the league, Gerry is the anchoring force of the Jets' rough and tough front four. He has good range, speed and is an aggressive and hard hitting player. A top pass rusher, Gerry was voted the team's top lineman for the last three years."
-1969 Topps No. 262
VERLON BIGGS
Defensive End
No. 86
Jackson State
Verlon's perennial intimidation of opposing quarterbacks finally paid off with a Jet Super Bowl victory last year. An All-Star for the third year in a row, he made the UPI All-AFL team in 1966 and was one of five Jets to start the 1967 AFL All-Star Game.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
1969 Profile: Don Maynard
Flanker
No. 13
Texas Western
"Known as a pattern-breaker throughout his pro career, Don Maynard turned record-breaker last year. The bony 6-1, 179-pound flanker with the flapping jersey established a new mark for yardage on receptions with a lifetime total of 9,435, wiping out Raymond Berry's former high of 9,275.
Maynard did it in his eleventh season as a pro (two were spent with the New York Giants) by catching 57 passes for 1,297 yards, a 22.8 average, and 10 touchdowns; he also finished fifth in the league in receptions. He had his biggest game of the year against Oakland when he caught 10 passes for 228 yards, another AFL record. In 1967, Don finished second among receivers with 71 catches for 1,434 yards.
His success is attributed more to his ability to find an opening than to his habit of breaking patterns."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"In 1967, Don was voted the club's Most Valuable Player as he led the American Football League in yards gained (1,434) and in average gain per catch (20.2). Last year, he led the AFL with a 22.8 average gain per reception.
He has speed to spare and can catch anything within reach."
-1969 Topps No. 60
No. 13
Texas Western
"Known as a pattern-breaker throughout his pro career, Don Maynard turned record-breaker last year. The bony 6-1, 179-pound flanker with the flapping jersey established a new mark for yardage on receptions with a lifetime total of 9,435, wiping out Raymond Berry's former high of 9,275.
Maynard did it in his eleventh season as a pro (two were spent with the New York Giants) by catching 57 passes for 1,297 yards, a 22.8 average, and 10 touchdowns; he also finished fifth in the league in receptions. He had his biggest game of the year against Oakland when he caught 10 passes for 228 yards, another AFL record. In 1967, Don finished second among receivers with 71 catches for 1,434 yards.
His success is attributed more to his ability to find an opening than to his habit of breaking patterns."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"In 1967, Don was voted the club's Most Valuable Player as he led the American Football League in yards gained (1,434) and in average gain per catch (20.2). Last year, he led the AFL with a 22.8 average gain per reception.
He has speed to spare and can catch anything within reach."
-1969 Topps No. 60
Saturday, October 11, 2014
1969 Profile: Joe Namath
Quarterback
No. 12
Alabama
"His accomplishments through the Super Bowl notwithstanding, Joe Namath can't do everything. What he can't do is own a restaurant and play professional football. Such was the edict handed down by Commissioner Pete Rozelle back in June, and it was presumed even then that all parties would be able to work things out before the start of the 1969 training season.
But Joe can do everything else, and he proved it last season when he directed the Jets to the AFL championship and then pulled off the biggest upset in pro football history by beating the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl - just the way he had boasted he would do. But he backed up his boasts with deeds.
Joe finished third in the league in passing with 187 completions out of 380 attempts for 3,147 yards, a 49.2 percentage, and 15 touchdowns. He wasn't up to his 1967 performance when he accounted for a record 4,007 yards passing, but he was an infinitely better quarterback. In one six-game stretch he didn't throw a single touchdown pass, but the Jets won five of those games.
At season's end, Joe won virtually every honor, from All-League, to the AFL's Most Valuable Player award, to Sport Magazine's sports car awarded as hero of the Super Bowl."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
FOOTBALL'S NEW GOLDEN BOY
"Life, whether it be the manicured greensward of a football field, the broken sidewalks of Second and Third Avenue in New York or the tailored causeways of Miami Beach, has been a series of automatics for Joe Namath.
The rebellious, non-conformist from Beaver Falls, Pa., a steel town some 26 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, has been battling the rigged defenses- real or imagined- most of his adult 26 years and it was culminated last January when the New York Jets upset the Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in the Super Bowl for the World Championship.
That was it for Joe Willie ... the Establishment had been met and it was his. This, too, was it for the nine-year-old American Football League- termed the Mickey Mouse League by the purists- reached maturity by tumbling the 49-year-old National Football League and a new star, Joe Willie Namath, joined Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr in the galaxy.
Namath, of course, by press-agent standards reached stardom years ago- in fact, five years ago- when Jets' co-owner Sonny Werblin signed him out of Alabama for a bonus of $387,000 and a Lincoln convertible. The publicity conscious Werblin got Namath ink, triggered an internecine War of the Raises for talent and ultimately brought the two leagues together for next season.
Most of the established stars court fame and fortune by running for daylight but Joe Willie ran for the lights- the fashionable clubs of the East Side. Namath was certainly a cut above a journeyman quarterback but it was his off-the-field exploits that constantly made the papers, and last year was no exception.
The cool, calculating Namath piloted the Jets to the Eastern Division title and then held them together in a come-from-behind triumph over the Oakland Raiders for his personal moment of truth with the Colts and NFL.
Figuring that the best defense was the best offense, Joe Willie started throwing verbal passes at the Colts even before the Jets started prepping in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the date in the Super Bowl. The Colts were generally conceded to be one of the best defensive teams in the history of the NFL- limiting the opposition to 144 points in 14 games. Still, Namath refused to believe the figures and, although he was in a minority, he spoke his peace- a prophetic piece.
'When the Colts lost to the Browns in mid-season they didn't get beat by any powerhouse,' Namath pointed out. 'I'm not going to take what I read about their defense ... I'm going to go with what the one-eyed monster shows me. The one-eyed monster (a projector that flashed films of an opponent's games) doesn't lie. He shows it like it is.'
Having reduced the vaunted Colt's defense to papier-mache, Joe Willie had a word for a rival quarterback, Earl Morrall, the NFL Player of the Year.
'When we won the title,' Namath added, 'I said that Daryle Lamonica of the Raiders was a better quarterback than Earl Morrall, and now that's supposed to fire up the Colts. I said it and I meant it. Lamonica is better. If the Colts use newspaper clippings to get up for a game ... they're in trouble. And if they're football players they know Lamonica can throw better than Morrall. I watch quarterbacks. I watch what they can do.
'You put Babe Parilli (Namath's back-up man) with Baltimore and Baltimore might have been better. Babe throws better than Morrall. There are more teams in the NFL, they should have more good teams, but you put their good teams and our good teams together, or their bad teams and our bad teams together, and it's 50-50. Flip a coin. And we've got better quarterbacks in our league ... John Hadl, Lamonica, Bob Griese and myself.'
Throwing another verbal dart- this one a down-and-in pattern- Namath added: 'I read where some NFL people joked about Lamonica and me throwing 100 passes. We threw 97, but what's so terrible about that? How many NFL teams have a quarterback who could complete that many passes to their wide receivers? In our league, we throw much more to our wide receivers. I completed 49 percent of my passes this season, but I could have completed 80 percent if I dropped the ball off to my backs like they do in their league.'
Finally, leaving no Colt standing, Namath praised his receivers and downgraded Baltimore's in the same sentence.
'For wide receivers, the Jets have the best,' he continued. 'George Sauer has the best moves, nobody can cover him one on one, and Don Maynard (an NFL castoff) is the smartest.'
Ignoring Morrall and Unitas and such other standout passers as Don Meredith, John Brodie, Roman Gabriel and Fran Tarkenton, Namath declared: 'The best thrower in the NFL is Sonny Jurgensen of the Redskins. I've said that if Jurgensen had been with the Packers or Colts or Rams the last few years, he would have won the championship for any of them. But if you put any other pro quarterback on our team, only a few would not be on the third string.'
Most observers at the time thought Joe Willie was on an emotional tirade but it proved to be an overall incisive analysis.
'That's my opinion, and I don't care how they value my opinion,' Namath concluded. 'But I value it very highly, especially when I'm talking about football.'
The Colts, to be sure, read Namath's remarks- particularly placekicker and reserve defense end Lou Michaels. The two met by chance in a restaurant but, unlike the paths of glory that lead but to a grave, their path was almost to a parking lot and a fight.
At the time of the incident, Michaels was the more vocal and explained the chance meeting as he and some fellow Colts ran into Namath and his teammate, safetyman Jim Hudson.
'I said hello,' Michaels declared, 'and his first remarks were that the Jets were going to kick the (censored) out of our team.'
Reconstructing the dialogue as best as he could recall, Michaels said one word just led to another.
Michaels: 'Haven't you ever heard of the word modesty, Joseph?'
Namath: 'We're going to beat you and pick you apart.'
Michaels: 'If you (the Jets) do, Joseph, I believe you are the man to do it. It's kind of hard, though, throwing out of a well and finding receivers.'
Namath: 'Don't worry about that. My blockers will give me time.'
Michaels: 'I never heard of John Unitas or Bobby Layne talking that way. I guess I hold him that Ordell Braase, Fred Miller, Billy Ray Smith and Bubba Smith (the Colts' Front Four) would be out to get your ribs, but I've told them not to touch your teeth. I want to get them.'
A cooler head prevailed as Colts' guard Dan Sullivan calmed down Michaels, who had invited Joe Willie outside to the parking lot 'to knock his head off.'
Michaels admitted he cooled off after thinking of his wife, two sons, his mother and his brother Walt, a Jets' defensive coach.
'I know I didn't want to cause any trouble,' Michaels said. 'I told myself this is football and it's not life itself.
'I knew that Walt would be mad if I knocked the head off the only guy who had any chance at all of beating us.
After a few rounds, Michaels and Joe Willie were buddy-buddy and Namath threw a bomb- a $100 bill- and picked up the tab.
'I don't know what he tips ... I didn't see that,' Michaels said. 'But I know he's a gentleman and not the kind of guy you figure him to be. When all was said and done, I was ready to take back the things I had said when we first met. If you meet Namath, it's better to hear him out first. He strikes you as being cocky but I went away thinking he's a gentleman. Underneath this guy, there's a lot of good.'
When asked about the incident, Namath just grinned and said: 'It was all in fun ... good fun.'
The time for fun and games was over and Coach Ewbank really honed Namath and the Jets for the confrontation with the Colts. The Jets were an 18-point underdog but Namath played down the spread and repeatedly said: 'We'll win. We'll win.'
Few, if any, with the exception of his teammates believed him. Namath was confident but not cocky along with Ewbank who led these same Colts to back-to-back World Championships in 1958-59.
The Colts, however, broke like quarterhorses- hitting for first downs on the first two plays from scrimmage. John Mackey was bowling over would-be tacklers, Morrall was on target and Tom Matte was twisting and grinding out the yardage as the Colts rolled for 42 yards in five plays.
Suddenly, the Jets' forward wall starting getting to the ball carriers and the drive stalled and Michaels missed a field goal.
Now it was the Jets' turn and Namath was quick to establish his running game. Matt Snell was the bellwether, hitting inside and out and finally going over for the lone touchdown in the second period.
Meanwhile, Namath continued to pick the Colts apart- hitting for a Super Bowl record of 17 completions on 29 passes. He showed restraint, disdaining the pass and setting Jim Turner for three field goals.
Coach Don Shula of the Colts knew of the Jets' passing game but voiced surprise at their running.
'They have good running,' Shula declared woefully. 'Snell is a real good back. They ran better against us than any other team the entire season.'
Asked if Namath measured up to expectations, Shula added: 'He moved the club. He has a strong, quick arm. He beat our blitz more often than we beat him. He beat it about three or four times ... we beat him only once. He did everything. He knows what's happening and mixes his plays and running very well. He does everything.'
Namath stood out like a chunk of coal on a snow-covered Pennsylvania hill but he had a pro cast, too. Like Snell handling the running game, Sauer, Pete Lammons and Maynard running endless pass patterns, defensive end Gerry Philbin, linebackers Al Atkinson and Larry Grantham and the ball-hawking secondary of Johnny Sample, Randy Beverly and Hudson.
Proud in victory, Namath summed it up for his teammates and said: 'Congratulations to the American Football League.'
Then, in an aside, to some newspaper critics in some NFL cities- New York included- Namath laughingly added: 'I hope they eat their pencils and pads.'
Ewbank, the roly-poly mentor who became the first coach to win AFL and NFL championships said: 'This is the start of a new era.'
Actually, it could be the Joe Namath Era. Right now, Joe Willie is the toast of the town .. any town because he's a winner.
Also, he's called Broadway Joe- a tribute to his after-hour activities. His on the field efforts, however, earned him AFL Player of the Year and Pro Athlete honors last season ... a season of peaks and dark-deep valleys.
In his fourth year, Joe Willie exhibited the poise of a Unitas in the season's opener, too. The Jets were clinging to a one-point lead against the Chiefs at Kansas City but Namath preserved it with six minutes of brilliant ball control.
Joe Willie had arrived for sure, everyone chorused, but he suddenly did an about face- throwing five interceptions against [both] the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills. The cheers turned to jeers ... it was a trip from Broadway to the Bowery but, in a moment of humble self-effacement, he realized his shortcomings.
'After those games with the five interceptions,' he points out, 'I disciplined myself as to throwing the ball. I was overcautious at times but I remembered an old rule: The only way to win is to keep from losing.'
Well, Joe Willie was intercepted but seven times the rest of the season but his critics, and there are many, quickly pointed out he hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in six straight games.
'What the hell difference does it make if I don't throw a touchdown pass,' he angrily told reporters. 'We're winning aren't we?'
The Jets continued to win and annexed the Eastern title to set up a replay of the famed 'Heidi Game' with the Raiders, who tallied two touchdowns within nine seconds to pull it out as most of the nation watched that Swiss moppet, secure that the Jets had won. NBC preempted the last half-minute for the classic and it turned out to be the classical error of the year.
The Jets-Raiders rematch was a bona fide vendetta, Joe Namath & Company against Ben Davidson and Ike Lassiter, the crushing rushmen. The Raiders had the championship within their grasp via a Namath interception but Joe Willie took the Jets 68 yards in 55 seconds for the winning touchdown.
'After that interception,' Namath told a jam-packed dressing room full of reporters, 'I just told myself 'you got eight minutes and you got to score.' That's all.'
The long, interminable season was over ... the Jets were the Super Bowl champs. Still, Namath continued to get his share of headlines sometimes, perhaps, to the embarrassment of the organization.
Namath, what with his long sideburns and Fu Manche mustache is controversial- you either idolize him or loathe him off the field. But on field, despite two badly battered knees, Joe Willie is all business and he does it automatically.
That's a star with box office appeal- and Joe Namath has the talent to be the Jets' automatic pilot for years and years and years."
-Joe O'Day, Sports Desk, The New York Daily News (Sports Quarterly Presents The Pros Football 1969)
AS WE GO TO PRESS, NAMATH QUITS?
"The trials and tribulations of Joe Namath are bound to come to an end. He simply has too much talent to waste it all throwing footballs in the movies. And it's difficult to imagine him staying out those football togs any length of time, whatever the reason. He has the best wishes of football fans everywhere, all plugging for him to overcome the obstacles which block his way to becoming one of the truly great football players of all time. If and when he should actually quit the football field, it would have to be for a damn good reason ... one much better than his cocktail lounge."
Herber M. Furlow, Editor, Sports Quarterly Presents The Pros Football 1969
"Pulling off one of the greatest upsets in professional football, Joe methodically picked apart the Baltimore Colts defense to give the AFL their first Super Bowl championship team.
He was MVP of the AFL All-Star game in both 1965 and 1968. In 1967, Joe set a passing mark for yards gained (4,007) in a single season."
-1969 Topps No. 100
No. 12
Alabama
"His accomplishments through the Super Bowl notwithstanding, Joe Namath can't do everything. What he can't do is own a restaurant and play professional football. Such was the edict handed down by Commissioner Pete Rozelle back in June, and it was presumed even then that all parties would be able to work things out before the start of the 1969 training season.
But Joe can do everything else, and he proved it last season when he directed the Jets to the AFL championship and then pulled off the biggest upset in pro football history by beating the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl - just the way he had boasted he would do. But he backed up his boasts with deeds.
Joe finished third in the league in passing with 187 completions out of 380 attempts for 3,147 yards, a 49.2 percentage, and 15 touchdowns. He wasn't up to his 1967 performance when he accounted for a record 4,007 yards passing, but he was an infinitely better quarterback. In one six-game stretch he didn't throw a single touchdown pass, but the Jets won five of those games.
At season's end, Joe won virtually every honor, from All-League, to the AFL's Most Valuable Player award, to Sport Magazine's sports car awarded as hero of the Super Bowl."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
FOOTBALL'S NEW GOLDEN BOY
"Life, whether it be the manicured greensward of a football field, the broken sidewalks of Second and Third Avenue in New York or the tailored causeways of Miami Beach, has been a series of automatics for Joe Namath.
The rebellious, non-conformist from Beaver Falls, Pa., a steel town some 26 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, has been battling the rigged defenses- real or imagined- most of his adult 26 years and it was culminated last January when the New York Jets upset the Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in the Super Bowl for the World Championship.
That was it for Joe Willie ... the Establishment had been met and it was his. This, too, was it for the nine-year-old American Football League- termed the Mickey Mouse League by the purists- reached maturity by tumbling the 49-year-old National Football League and a new star, Joe Willie Namath, joined Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr in the galaxy.
Namath, of course, by press-agent standards reached stardom years ago- in fact, five years ago- when Jets' co-owner Sonny Werblin signed him out of Alabama for a bonus of $387,000 and a Lincoln convertible. The publicity conscious Werblin got Namath ink, triggered an internecine War of the Raises for talent and ultimately brought the two leagues together for next season.
Most of the established stars court fame and fortune by running for daylight but Joe Willie ran for the lights- the fashionable clubs of the East Side. Namath was certainly a cut above a journeyman quarterback but it was his off-the-field exploits that constantly made the papers, and last year was no exception.
The cool, calculating Namath piloted the Jets to the Eastern Division title and then held them together in a come-from-behind triumph over the Oakland Raiders for his personal moment of truth with the Colts and NFL.
Figuring that the best defense was the best offense, Joe Willie started throwing verbal passes at the Colts even before the Jets started prepping in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the date in the Super Bowl. The Colts were generally conceded to be one of the best defensive teams in the history of the NFL- limiting the opposition to 144 points in 14 games. Still, Namath refused to believe the figures and, although he was in a minority, he spoke his peace- a prophetic piece.
'When the Colts lost to the Browns in mid-season they didn't get beat by any powerhouse,' Namath pointed out. 'I'm not going to take what I read about their defense ... I'm going to go with what the one-eyed monster shows me. The one-eyed monster (a projector that flashed films of an opponent's games) doesn't lie. He shows it like it is.'
Having reduced the vaunted Colt's defense to papier-mache, Joe Willie had a word for a rival quarterback, Earl Morrall, the NFL Player of the Year.
'When we won the title,' Namath added, 'I said that Daryle Lamonica of the Raiders was a better quarterback than Earl Morrall, and now that's supposed to fire up the Colts. I said it and I meant it. Lamonica is better. If the Colts use newspaper clippings to get up for a game ... they're in trouble. And if they're football players they know Lamonica can throw better than Morrall. I watch quarterbacks. I watch what they can do.
'You put Babe Parilli (Namath's back-up man) with Baltimore and Baltimore might have been better. Babe throws better than Morrall. There are more teams in the NFL, they should have more good teams, but you put their good teams and our good teams together, or their bad teams and our bad teams together, and it's 50-50. Flip a coin. And we've got better quarterbacks in our league ... John Hadl, Lamonica, Bob Griese and myself.'
Throwing another verbal dart- this one a down-and-in pattern- Namath added: 'I read where some NFL people joked about Lamonica and me throwing 100 passes. We threw 97, but what's so terrible about that? How many NFL teams have a quarterback who could complete that many passes to their wide receivers? In our league, we throw much more to our wide receivers. I completed 49 percent of my passes this season, but I could have completed 80 percent if I dropped the ball off to my backs like they do in their league.'
Finally, leaving no Colt standing, Namath praised his receivers and downgraded Baltimore's in the same sentence.
'For wide receivers, the Jets have the best,' he continued. 'George Sauer has the best moves, nobody can cover him one on one, and Don Maynard (an NFL castoff) is the smartest.'
Ignoring Morrall and Unitas and such other standout passers as Don Meredith, John Brodie, Roman Gabriel and Fran Tarkenton, Namath declared: 'The best thrower in the NFL is Sonny Jurgensen of the Redskins. I've said that if Jurgensen had been with the Packers or Colts or Rams the last few years, he would have won the championship for any of them. But if you put any other pro quarterback on our team, only a few would not be on the third string.'
Most observers at the time thought Joe Willie was on an emotional tirade but it proved to be an overall incisive analysis.
'That's my opinion, and I don't care how they value my opinion,' Namath concluded. 'But I value it very highly, especially when I'm talking about football.'
The Colts, to be sure, read Namath's remarks- particularly placekicker and reserve defense end Lou Michaels. The two met by chance in a restaurant but, unlike the paths of glory that lead but to a grave, their path was almost to a parking lot and a fight.
At the time of the incident, Michaels was the more vocal and explained the chance meeting as he and some fellow Colts ran into Namath and his teammate, safetyman Jim Hudson.
'I said hello,' Michaels declared, 'and his first remarks were that the Jets were going to kick the (censored) out of our team.'
Reconstructing the dialogue as best as he could recall, Michaels said one word just led to another.
Michaels: 'Haven't you ever heard of the word modesty, Joseph?'
Namath: 'We're going to beat you and pick you apart.'
Michaels: 'If you (the Jets) do, Joseph, I believe you are the man to do it. It's kind of hard, though, throwing out of a well and finding receivers.'
Namath: 'Don't worry about that. My blockers will give me time.'
Michaels: 'I never heard of John Unitas or Bobby Layne talking that way. I guess I hold him that Ordell Braase, Fred Miller, Billy Ray Smith and Bubba Smith (the Colts' Front Four) would be out to get your ribs, but I've told them not to touch your teeth. I want to get them.'
A cooler head prevailed as Colts' guard Dan Sullivan calmed down Michaels, who had invited Joe Willie outside to the parking lot 'to knock his head off.'
Michaels admitted he cooled off after thinking of his wife, two sons, his mother and his brother Walt, a Jets' defensive coach.
'I know I didn't want to cause any trouble,' Michaels said. 'I told myself this is football and it's not life itself.
'I knew that Walt would be mad if I knocked the head off the only guy who had any chance at all of beating us.
After a few rounds, Michaels and Joe Willie were buddy-buddy and Namath threw a bomb- a $100 bill- and picked up the tab.
'I don't know what he tips ... I didn't see that,' Michaels said. 'But I know he's a gentleman and not the kind of guy you figure him to be. When all was said and done, I was ready to take back the things I had said when we first met. If you meet Namath, it's better to hear him out first. He strikes you as being cocky but I went away thinking he's a gentleman. Underneath this guy, there's a lot of good.'
When asked about the incident, Namath just grinned and said: 'It was all in fun ... good fun.'
The time for fun and games was over and Coach Ewbank really honed Namath and the Jets for the confrontation with the Colts. The Jets were an 18-point underdog but Namath played down the spread and repeatedly said: 'We'll win. We'll win.'
Few, if any, with the exception of his teammates believed him. Namath was confident but not cocky along with Ewbank who led these same Colts to back-to-back World Championships in 1958-59.
The Colts, however, broke like quarterhorses- hitting for first downs on the first two plays from scrimmage. John Mackey was bowling over would-be tacklers, Morrall was on target and Tom Matte was twisting and grinding out the yardage as the Colts rolled for 42 yards in five plays.
Suddenly, the Jets' forward wall starting getting to the ball carriers and the drive stalled and Michaels missed a field goal.
Now it was the Jets' turn and Namath was quick to establish his running game. Matt Snell was the bellwether, hitting inside and out and finally going over for the lone touchdown in the second period.
Meanwhile, Namath continued to pick the Colts apart- hitting for a Super Bowl record of 17 completions on 29 passes. He showed restraint, disdaining the pass and setting Jim Turner for three field goals.
Coach Don Shula of the Colts knew of the Jets' passing game but voiced surprise at their running.
'They have good running,' Shula declared woefully. 'Snell is a real good back. They ran better against us than any other team the entire season.'
Asked if Namath measured up to expectations, Shula added: 'He moved the club. He has a strong, quick arm. He beat our blitz more often than we beat him. He beat it about three or four times ... we beat him only once. He did everything. He knows what's happening and mixes his plays and running very well. He does everything.'
Namath stood out like a chunk of coal on a snow-covered Pennsylvania hill but he had a pro cast, too. Like Snell handling the running game, Sauer, Pete Lammons and Maynard running endless pass patterns, defensive end Gerry Philbin, linebackers Al Atkinson and Larry Grantham and the ball-hawking secondary of Johnny Sample, Randy Beverly and Hudson.
Proud in victory, Namath summed it up for his teammates and said: 'Congratulations to the American Football League.'
Then, in an aside, to some newspaper critics in some NFL cities- New York included- Namath laughingly added: 'I hope they eat their pencils and pads.'
Ewbank, the roly-poly mentor who became the first coach to win AFL and NFL championships said: 'This is the start of a new era.'
Actually, it could be the Joe Namath Era. Right now, Joe Willie is the toast of the town .. any town because he's a winner.
Also, he's called Broadway Joe- a tribute to his after-hour activities. His on the field efforts, however, earned him AFL Player of the Year and Pro Athlete honors last season ... a season of peaks and dark-deep valleys.
In his fourth year, Joe Willie exhibited the poise of a Unitas in the season's opener, too. The Jets were clinging to a one-point lead against the Chiefs at Kansas City but Namath preserved it with six minutes of brilliant ball control.
Joe Willie had arrived for sure, everyone chorused, but he suddenly did an about face- throwing five interceptions against [both] the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills. The cheers turned to jeers ... it was a trip from Broadway to the Bowery but, in a moment of humble self-effacement, he realized his shortcomings.
'After those games with the five interceptions,' he points out, 'I disciplined myself as to throwing the ball. I was overcautious at times but I remembered an old rule: The only way to win is to keep from losing.'
Well, Joe Willie was intercepted but seven times the rest of the season but his critics, and there are many, quickly pointed out he hadn't thrown a touchdown pass in six straight games.
'What the hell difference does it make if I don't throw a touchdown pass,' he angrily told reporters. 'We're winning aren't we?'
The Jets continued to win and annexed the Eastern title to set up a replay of the famed 'Heidi Game' with the Raiders, who tallied two touchdowns within nine seconds to pull it out as most of the nation watched that Swiss moppet, secure that the Jets had won. NBC preempted the last half-minute for the classic and it turned out to be the classical error of the year.
The Jets-Raiders rematch was a bona fide vendetta, Joe Namath & Company against Ben Davidson and Ike Lassiter, the crushing rushmen. The Raiders had the championship within their grasp via a Namath interception but Joe Willie took the Jets 68 yards in 55 seconds for the winning touchdown.
'After that interception,' Namath told a jam-packed dressing room full of reporters, 'I just told myself 'you got eight minutes and you got to score.' That's all.'
The long, interminable season was over ... the Jets were the Super Bowl champs. Still, Namath continued to get his share of headlines sometimes, perhaps, to the embarrassment of the organization.
Namath, what with his long sideburns and Fu Manche mustache is controversial- you either idolize him or loathe him off the field. But on field, despite two badly battered knees, Joe Willie is all business and he does it automatically.
That's a star with box office appeal- and Joe Namath has the talent to be the Jets' automatic pilot for years and years and years."
-Joe O'Day, Sports Desk, The New York Daily News (Sports Quarterly Presents The Pros Football 1969)
AS WE GO TO PRESS, NAMATH QUITS?
"The trials and tribulations of Joe Namath are bound to come to an end. He simply has too much talent to waste it all throwing footballs in the movies. And it's difficult to imagine him staying out those football togs any length of time, whatever the reason. He has the best wishes of football fans everywhere, all plugging for him to overcome the obstacles which block his way to becoming one of the truly great football players of all time. If and when he should actually quit the football field, it would have to be for a damn good reason ... one much better than his cocktail lounge."
Herber M. Furlow, Editor, Sports Quarterly Presents The Pros Football 1969
"Pulling off one of the greatest upsets in professional football, Joe methodically picked apart the Baltimore Colts defense to give the AFL their first Super Bowl championship team.
He was MVP of the AFL All-Star game in both 1965 and 1968. In 1967, Joe set a passing mark for yards gained (4,007) in a single season."
-1969 Topps No. 100
Friday, October 10, 2014
1969 Profile: Weeb Ewbank
Head Coach
"It was an incongruous setting, but there was Weeb Ewbank sitting at the head table at last winter's New York Baseball Writers' dinner. Comedian Phil Foster got up to make a few cracks, and spotting Ewbank on the dais, got off his best shot of the night when he said, 'Last year nobody knew you. You wouldn't even have been invited here.' It broke up the entire room, and nobody laughed harder than Ewbank did. He could afford to laugh. There he was, the head coach of the Super Bowl winning New York Jets, the first AFL team to beat the NFL for the professional football championship.
He is also the first coach to have won a championship in both the NFL and AFL (Weeb did it with the Colts back in 1958 and '59). But funnyman Foster had a point. A year earlier, Weeb had been an object of some sympathy and humor. He'd never really been able to handle his star quarterback, Joe Namath, and there were rumors that he might turn over the coaching reins to someone else. But he survived the rumors and a front office shakeup to enjoy what was his most rewarding season ever as a coach.
His coaching dossier goes back to his alma mater, Miami of Ohio, where he spent 14 years as an assistant. He later served under Paul Brown at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, then, after a few more college stints, rejoined Brown when he started the Cleveland Browns in the old All-America Conference. Weeb stayed on through the transitional years into the NFL, then in 1954 got his first head coaching job in the pros when he was asked to take over the foundering Baltimore Colts. He thought those years were his most rewarding ones.
But then, how could he anticipate Joe Namath coming into his life?"
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"It was an incongruous setting, but there was Weeb Ewbank sitting at the head table at last winter's New York Baseball Writers' dinner. Comedian Phil Foster got up to make a few cracks, and spotting Ewbank on the dais, got off his best shot of the night when he said, 'Last year nobody knew you. You wouldn't even have been invited here.' It broke up the entire room, and nobody laughed harder than Ewbank did. He could afford to laugh. There he was, the head coach of the Super Bowl winning New York Jets, the first AFL team to beat the NFL for the professional football championship.
He is also the first coach to have won a championship in both the NFL and AFL (Weeb did it with the Colts back in 1958 and '59). But funnyman Foster had a point. A year earlier, Weeb had been an object of some sympathy and humor. He'd never really been able to handle his star quarterback, Joe Namath, and there were rumors that he might turn over the coaching reins to someone else. But he survived the rumors and a front office shakeup to enjoy what was his most rewarding season ever as a coach.
His coaching dossier goes back to his alma mater, Miami of Ohio, where he spent 14 years as an assistant. He later served under Paul Brown at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, then, after a few more college stints, rejoined Brown when he started the Cleveland Browns in the old All-America Conference. Weeb stayed on through the transitional years into the NFL, then in 1954 got his first head coaching job in the pros when he was asked to take over the foundering Baltimore Colts. He thought those years were his most rewarding ones.
But then, how could he anticipate Joe Namath coming into his life?"
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
1969 New York Jets Outlook
"After spending their first three years as Titans, the Jets finally became the Titans of pro football last season. Unless you have a very short memory or were out of the country at the time, that was when they captured the Eastern Division and AFL titles, then pulled the upset of upsets by defeating the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl. Now when you dial the Jets on the telephone, a voice comes on saying, 'World Champions.' There's a good chance they'll be using that line again this year unless the man who made them World Champions, Joe Namath, sticks to his resolve to stay in the restaurant business.
Indeed, any repeat performance by the Jets as Eastern champs hinges on Namath's returning to quarterback. Which there was every likelihood of his doing when the summer training camps began opening up. But before Joe could put on his green football jersey and white shoes again, he had the fundamental business of settling his affairs with Commissioner Pete Rozelle who, in effect, gave Joe an ultimatum; he was to sell his one-third interest in Bachelors III, an East Side Manhattan bistro where unsavory characters were said to be hanging out. In a characteristic display of emotion, Joe called a hasty press conference at which he tearfully said he'd sooner quit than bow to such an edict.
But personal problems and his chronically bad knees aside, Joe was expected back, if only for the reason that football is what makes him what he is, and it's what he does best. As he proved last year, he is now at the peak of his game. He threw for less yardage and fewer touchdowns in 1968 (and fewer interceptions, too) than he did in 1967, when he set a professional football record by gaining more than 4,000 yards in the air. But the Jets still didn't win in '67; they did win last year as Joe rallied the Jets from behind in several games and led an attack that produced 419 points. Were the Jets to lose Namath for any reason, they would be restored to the rest of the pack and resemble an ordinary football team. They would have to fall back on the veteran Babe Parilli, a fine quarterback in his day, who now holds the ball for place kicker Jim Turner, the third string quarterback. Behind them is a rookie from Duke named Al Woodall, so you see the spot the Jets would be in without Joe.
Lining up as a unit for the fourth year in a row as Namath's receivers are George Sauer, Don Maynard and Pete Lammons, who are regarded widely as the best three starters on any club in the league. Last year they caught 155 passes among them for a total of 2,838 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Lammons adds spice to his performance by being a hard-nosed blocker. In reserve, the Jets have seasoned pass catchers in Bake Turner and Bill Rademacher, and they will have such rookies and taxi squaders as Harvey Nairn, Jerry Zawadzkas, Tommy Burnett and Wayne Stewart for any extra jobs available.
As Namath demonstrated last season, he is perfectly willing - and able - to dispense with the pass and rely on running plays to move the ball. And he has two excellent movers in fullback Matt Snell, who came back strong in 1968, and halfback Emerson Boozer, who was running at full speed again at the end of the season after returning from knee surgery. The backfield is endowed with depth, following the retirement of Bill Mathis and Mark Smolinski. Competing for jobs will surgical cases Billy Joe and Lee White; the rookies are number five draft choice Chris Gilbert, who became the third leading rusher in NCAA history at Texas, and the aptly named George Nock from Maryland State.
For years the New York line was assailed for being strictly a pass protection unit, designed to give Namath maximum protection, but highly immobile on running plays. The way the line blocked against the Baltimore defense in the Super Bowl may have dispelled that notion, for while no one was looking, it underwent some changes. The Jets are getting good two-way blocking up front from Winston Hill and Sam Walton at the tackles, Bob Talamini, Randy Rasmussen and Dave Herman at the guards, and John Schmitt at center. The veteran Talamini and the youthful Rasmussen shared the left guard post last season, then when Walton got a case of rookie-itis before the Super Bowl, Herman moved into his spot and Rasmussen played right guard. The other relief men will come among third-year pro Jeff Richardson, who backs up Hill, top draft choice Dave Foley, a 6-5, 255-pound All-America from Ohio State who will battle Walton for right tackle, Gary Roberts, Frank Peters and Ezell Jones, who will also get a look at defensive tackle.
On defense, the Jets have what Weeb Ewbank likes to call a front five, instead of a front four. Either way, he only plays four of them at a time, and they were good enough last season to hold the opposition to an average of 85 yards rushing a game. They normally line up with Gerry Philbin and Verlon Biggs at the ends, and Paul Rochester and John Elliott at the tackles. (Elliott, incidentally, had an outstanding rookie year in 1968 and could develop into a star.) But alternating with Rochester is Carl McAdams, the prize draft choice of a couple seasons back when he joined the Jets as a linebacker. Rochester is bigger and slower, but wins points on his ability to hang in there on runs; McAdams is quicker and more active, and he has excellent pursuit. Behind them are ample replacements in young vets Steve Thompson, Ray Hayes and Karl Henke, and rookies Ezell Jones, Cliff Larson, Roger Finnie and Fred Zirkle.
As the Colts found out in Miami, the Jets have good linebacking, too. Returning intact this year is the unit comprising Larry Grantham and Ralph Baker at the corners, and Al Atkinson in the middle. Mike Stromberg, Paul Crane and John Niedert are the experienced subs, while the rookie candidates are Gary Magner, Mike Hall and Jimmy Jones.
Once the weakest line of the Jet defense, the deep secondary is an aggressive and savvy platoon that came up with 23 interceptions last year and finished second in pass defense. The starters figure to be chatty Johnny Sample and quick-hitting Randy Beverly, who's already getting a hatchet man reputation after only two years in the league, at the corners, with the steady Jim Hudson and Bill Baird at the safeties. Cornell Gordon, who lost his cornerback job though injury a couple seasons ago, is good enough to challenge any of the starters. Behind them are Mike D'Amato, Jimmy Richards and John Dockery among the holdovers, and fledglings Mike Battle, the All-American from USC, and Cecil Leonard from Tuskegee."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
IN BRIEF
Probable 1969 Finish: 1st (East)
Strengths: Namath's aerial circus balanced with a strong running attack, and an aggressive, grudging defense.
Biggest Needs: some depth at tight end, linebacker and in the deep secondary.
1968 finish: 1st (11-3-0)
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"None of us who sat in the faded, rusted anachronism known as the Polo Grounds in 1960 and watched the New York Titans- a team made up mostly of mad dogs, misfits and missing persons who drew their plays on the field in huddles- could have conceived that this club would in eight years be world champions. There were few of us there in that first season of the American Football League- despite the attendance figures personally announced by Titan owner Harry Wismer. Harry's numbers would reverberate over the public address system and we'd look around in disbelief, wondering what he was counting. New York News columnist Dick Young decided Harry was counting not bodies but eyes. George Vecsey, then of Newsday, thought it was arms and legs.
If there were few of us who had much hope for the AFL's New York team in '60, though, there weren't a whole lot of people with great faith in the Jets as recently as five games into the '68 season. Quarterback Joe Namath threw touchdown passes almost at will in the first two games as the Jets beat the Kansas City Chiefs and the Boston Patriots. Then a strange thing happened when the Jets, 19-point favorites, journeyed to Buffalo for game number three. Namath started throwing the ball to the other guys. The Bills picked off five of his passes and upset New York, 37-35.
The next week, back home at Shea Stadium, the Jets barely beat a solid San Diego Charger team, 23-20. The following Sunday the Jets were again 19-point favorites, over the Denver Broncos, and again Namath had trouble distinguishing the right color jerseys to throw to. The Broncos caught five of his passes ... and won, 21-13. Afterward, Namath was found sitting in front of his dressing cubicle with his head down. 'Fellas,' he said to the newspapermen who gathered to question him, 'I've always been willing to talk to you before, but this time give me a break. Just say I stink.'
The fact was that not all of the interceptions were Namath's fault, and in both losses he was under great pressure from the left defensive ends, Ron McDole of Buffalo and Rich Jackson of Denver. New York was going with a rookie right tackle, Sam Walton, who simply broke down in those games. As the Jets prepared for their upcoming game against the Houston Oilers, coach Weeb Ewbank made one all-important decision. From then on Walton would have blocking help until he proved he could do the job alone. Fullback Matt Snell, one of the game's most underrated ballplayers, was the man who usually helped out Walton.
Ewbank made one other move in this game that allowed him to bench Walton in the AFL championship game and in the Super Bowl game. He started veteran All-League guard Bob Talamini. The former Oiler had been obtained just before the start of the season and his unfamiliarity with the Jet system coupled with some nagging physical problems caused Ewbank to take his time in using Bob. The fact that the Jets already had two excellent guards in Dave Herman and Randy Rasmussen gave Ewbank the time. But Weeb felt Talamini, who had no love for OIler management when he left Houston, would be a good man to have in the lineup against his former teammates. And this game turned out to be a key to the Jets' success in '68.
Namath was plain awful in the first half, missing his first ten passes and completing only three of 15. Still, he did not make his earlier mistake of forcing his throws into areas where obviously the chances were excellent there would be an interception. Instead of jamming the ball in there, he purposely overthrew or ate the football. So he wasn't intercepted. And his three completions came on one drive that took the Jets to the one-yard line. Namath carried it in and Babe Parilli, holding for the PAT, passed to Bill Mathis for a two-point conversion. A safety and a Jim Turner field goal gave the Jets a 13-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the New York defense had been superb, having dropped quarterback Bob Davis five times for losses. The last one sent him staggering to the sideline, which was not such a good thing. Don Trull came in and quickly passed for two touchdowns to give Houston a 14-13 lead.
Namath took over at his own 20-yard line with four minutes remaining on the Astrodome clock. Joe hit split end George Sauer on a slant-in for 14 yards. When the running game stalled, he came back to Sauer on square outs for nine- and 14-yard gains. Halfback Emerson Boozer was responsible for the fourth straight completion, stretching for a pass off the grass, then cutting [down] field for a 27-yard gain. After Boozer picked up 12 yards [on] two carries, Snell drove to the two. Then Matt smashed between the blocks of Rasmussen and tackle Winston Hill to score. It was 20-14 Jets with 48 seconds left. Ewbank put Gerry Philbin, one of the finest defensive ends in pro football and the inspirational leader of the Jet defense, in on the kickoff team. He raced downfield, jarred the football loose from return man Zeke Moore and Bill Rademacher recovered for New York.
That was the ball game and the beginning of the new Jets, the ones who would end up Super Bowl champs. As Namath later admitted, 'I began to do some things differently in that game. ' The Jets lost only one game- the famous Heidi game to Oakland- the rest of the season. After the Oiler victory they beat Boston, Buffalo and Houston again. Namath didn't throw a single touchdown pass in this streak. He didn't throw a single interception, either.
One reason Namath stopped forcing passes was that he began to have tremendous confidence in his own defense. 'I'll throw the ball away rather than risk an interception because I know our defense can hold'em and get the ball back for us,' he said before the Super Bowl.
The Jet defense became the best all-around unit in the AFL. The key here was the switch of John Elliott, a reserve end and linebacker as a rookie in '67, to a regular job at right tackle. An amazingly quick 6'2", 250-pounder, Elliott is already a very fine pass rusher and he's still learning. His partner on the right side, 6'4", 268-pounder Verlon Biggs, can play football on any team when he wants to. He's not always as motivated as he should be, but last season he came to play more than he came to watch, fortunately for the Jets. Left tackle Paul Rochester is a steady, consistent ballplayer who doesn't penetrate a whole lot but, like Hawg Hanner in his heyday at Green Bay, Paul's an invaluable asset to a front four. He sits there, knocking down everything that comes through the middle, and he makes virtually no mistakes. Philbin, as noted, is simply a superb left end, using his speed, quickness and savvy to make big plays all over the field.
The linebackers, Larry Grantham, Al Atkinson and Ralph Baker, work well with the front four and with the secondary. With the pass rush improved so much, the linebackers didn't have to blitz as often in '68 and could afford to drop back and help on pass coverage. This was particularly necessary at the corners, where young Randy Beverly was inexperienced and older Johnny Sample at times showed he had too many ballgames under his surgically scarred legs. Sample, who harasses receivers with his mouth and his elbows, led the team in interceptions with seven. But in at least one game he had to be pulled off the field by Ewbank for ineffective coverage. The deep backs, Jim Hudson at strong safety and Bill Baird at free safety, are both good ones. Baird is a good roamer and Hudson is a vicious tackler.
Generally the defense played a conservative, here-we-are, you-beat-us kind of game. The offense was more flamboyant. Not only because of Namath and Sauer and flanker Don Maynard (who averaged 22.8 yards gained for each of his 57 receptions) and clutch-catching tight end Pete Lammons. Matt Snell was a solid fullback who rushed for 747 yards, but he was the only solid runner New York had. Halfback Boozer spent much of the season trying to regain his rushing form of '67, before he was injured. He gained 441 yards, but it wasn't until the very end of the season that he began to show his old cutting, slashing abandon. So Ewbank occasionally employed a triple wing, a double slot, even an unbalanced line to unbalance defenses. More often than not the unusual (for Jets) formations paid off. In the AFL championship game against Oakland, New York showed a double-slot formation that so confused the Raiders that Maynard was wide open for a touchdown pass from Namath. New York went on to win, 27-23.
So all in all the Jets had a lot of football team going into the Super Bowl. Yet most experts gave them little chance of beating the Baltimore Colts, 18 to 20-point favorites with the bookies. Frankly, that seemed about right to this correspondent. Not because we disparaged the Jets but because we felt the Colts were one of the great football teams of the past decade. The feeling was that the only way the Jets could win was if Namath threw at least three touchdown passes and Jim Turner- who set an all-time record by scoring 145 points with his toe- kicked a few field goals. As it turned out he did, hitting from 32, 30 and nine yards out. But Namath passed for no touchdowns. Snell scored New York's only one on a four-yard run as the Jets ran for 142 yards against the Colts. However, Namath did call the plays, directing the attack at the Colt weaknesses and completing 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards. He was not intercepted. He did exactly what he had to do to win, which is what he said he was going to do before the game. Win.
Afterwards, he was named the game's outstanding player by Sport Magazine and received a $5,000 Dodge Charger. 'Is that one of those things I have to give back after a year?' Joe asked. 'You keep it forever,' Al Silverman, the editor of Sport, said. 'That's more like it,' said Namath.
This season the Jets are obviously the team to beat. Assuming quarterback Jack Kemp is fully recovered, Buffalo with its formidable defense and its one-man offense in O.J. Simpson, will be very tough. The Jets will have to be even better and they should be. Boozer should be all the way back from his operation now and he and Snell should provide a more solid running game to go with Namath's passing- which is still improving. And the offensive line now has tremendous flexibility with Dave Herman having shown he can play tackle if Sam Walton does not come on early. The Jets also drafted an excellent tackle, Dave Foley of Ohio State, who has the potential to move into a regular job if need be. Dave Foley probably never even heard of a faded, rusted anachronism called the Polo Grounds, either. Which is just as well."
-Berry Stainback, Pro Football Forecast for 1969
THE NAMATH THE GAME IS NAMATH
"The mark of a champion is repeating and that is the goal of the New York Jets, world champions of professional football.
'We have but one goal in mind and that's winning the Super Bowl again' says Weeb Ewbank. the man who became the first coach to win world titles in both leagues. And Ewbank feels the Jets have a good shot at accomplishing that difficult feat. 'I feel we have a young ball club that is actually still improving. This last season we had more cohesiveness than we've had in the past and I like to think it was because we are maturing and playing together more.'
The Jets had several strong points in 1968- mainly their passing game and their defense- and there is no reason to believe that they won't be just as strong in those same areas this fall unless injuries strike. Any rundown on a pro club must begin at the quarterback position, and the Jets presently have one of the best in the game in Joe Namath. This past season, Namath was selected to every all-pro team, every all-AFL team and was named the AFL's MVP, Super Bowl MVP, New York Jets' MVP and winner of the Hickok Belt. Namath's statistics weren't what they were the year before when he set a pro record for most yards gained passing (4,007), but he was a much better quarterback as the Jet record shows.
Namath went through a period of six games without throwing a touchdown pass, but the Jets won five of those games and the guy leading them was Namath. His passes and his play calling generally got the Jets into scoring range, whether it was by rushing (the Jets led the AFL in rushing touchdowns with 22) or by field goal (Jim Turner set a pro record for most field goals in a season with 34). Namath's stats do show one big improvement over 1967 and that was that his interception total was down from 28 to 17. (And 10 of those 17 errant passes were committed in two early season games.)
Ewbank is fortunate to have a fine back-up quarterback on hand in veteran Babe Parilli and this year he will be bringing along a rookie who played last year in the Atlantic Coast League, Al Woodall. So the signal calling department in New York is in A-1 order. Ewbank has built his offense around Namath's passing ability and so it isn't by chance that the Jets have a great trio of receivers and a line that is known for pass protection.
Before the last Super Bowl Ewbank stated that he prides himself on being able to protect his quarterback- and protect the quarterback is what the Jets' line and running backs do. Heading the line are Dave Herman, all-AFL guard, and Winston Hill, an all-Star selection at tackle. Ewbank actually has three standout guards- Herman, Bob Talamini and Randy Rasmussen and it was this flexibility that enabled him to move Herman to the troubled right tackle spot for the AFL championship game and the Super Bowl with great results. The right tackle spot this year is up for grabs with a battle developing among sophomore Sam Walton, who had the job last year until he started to wane late in the season; third-year man Jeff Richardson; and the Jets' No. 1 draft choice, Dave Foley, a 6-5, 225-pound All-America selection from Ohio State. At center is John Schmitt, a solid performer who begins his fourth year as a starter. Ewbank has some fine rookies on hand for depth purposes including Gary Roberts, Frank Peters and possibly Ezell Jones, who will also get a shot on defense.
Ewbank likes to refer to his trio of receivers as the best group of starters in football. George Sauer was named to the combined all-pro team and Don Maynard is the all-time pro yardage receiving leader with 9,435 yards. The combination of Sauer and Maynard has made it hard for opposing teams to decide who to double cover. In the AFL championship game, it was Maynard who had a field day with two touchdowns on six catches for 118 yards. Sauer had seven grabs for 70 yards. In the Super Bowl, Maynard was bothered by a leg injury and didn't catch any, but Sauer grabbed eight for 133 yards. The other wheel in the threesome is tight end Pete Lammons, who was bothered by a knee injury in 1968 but is expected to be okay for this fall. Lammons consistently gives Namath an open target when Sauer and Maynard are occupied. Last year he caught 37 passes. The Jets have unusual depth on hand here including veterans Bake Turner and Bill Rademacher. The rookies and taxi squaders are Harvey Nairn, Gerry Zawadzkas, Tommy Burnett and Wayne Stewart.
In Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer, the Jets have two fine all-around running backs. Snell, who performed in fine all-around fashion all season, received due credit with back to back performances in the AFL title game and the Super Bowl. He is called the best pass protecting back by Ewbank. Last year Boozer came back slowly from knee surgery that sidelined him for the final games of the '67 season, but still had a good year. He should be completely recovered this autumn. Backing up these starters are veterans Bill Mathis and Mark Smolinski and two players returning from knee surgery- Bill Joe and Lee White. Ewbank also has two hard-running rookies on hand in Chris Gilbert, the third leading rusher in the history of the NCAA, and George Nock from Maryland State.
New York's defense was ranked No. 1 in the AFL last year as it permitted only 240.2 yards per game and it should be just as strong in 1969. The whole unit returns and the extra year of experience for tackle John Elliott and cornerback Randy Beverly should pay off. The front four, or front five as Ewbank likes to call it, put a strong pass rush on rival quarterbacks last year, dumping them 43 times for losses of 399 yards. The opposition's ground attack was also halted as the Jets led the loop in rushing defense, permitting only 85.4 yards a game and 3.2 yards per carry. Heading up the line is All-Pro choice Gerry Philbin. No. 81 caused havoc for opposing quarterbacks and runners alike. Elliott had a great first year and could be All-Pro this coming season if he continues his progress. Ewbank employs a combination at left tackle with veteran Paul Rochester and Carl McAdams used interchangeably. Verlon Biggs, who made the all-star team for the third year, is holding down right end. There's excellent depth in sophomores Steve Thompson, Ray Hayes and Karl Henke and rookies Ezell Jones, Cliff Larson, Roger Finnie and Fred Zirkle.
The linebacking is solid with a veteran trio of Larry Grantham, Al Atkinson and Ralph Baker. This unit will begin its fourth year together. Fine depth is on hand behind them in Mike Stromberg, Paul Crane, John Neidert and good looking prospects Gary Magner, Mike Hall and Jimmy Jones.
The defensive secondary, which finished second in pass defense last year allowing only 154.8 yards a game, comes back as a unit and should be stronger. Leading the group is Jim Hudson, one of the most underrated strong safeties in the game. The other safety is competent veteran Billy Baird. John Sample and Randy Beverly held down the corner posts last season but will receive a challenge again from all-around Cornell Gordon. Gordon can and has played both cornerback spots and also free safety and he gives Ewbank good flexibility. Several fine candidates will be pressing for jobs including sophomore Jimmy Richards, Mike D'Amato and John Dockery. Newcomers on hand are All-America choice Mike Battle and speedy Cecil Leonard.
The Jets kicking game is in good hands with Jim Turner, who established a pro record for most points purely by kicking (145) and also a pro field goal mark of 34. Curley Johnson returns as the punter with Steve O'Neal an All-America booter on hand."
-Sports Quarterly Presents The Pros Football 1969
1969 New York Jets Preseason Roster
Bob Anderson (K) Iowa
62 Al Atkinson (LB) Villanova
46 Bill Baird (DB) San Francisco State
51 Ralph Baker (LB) Penn State
* Mike Battle (DB) Southern California
42 Randy Beverly (DB) Colorado State
86 Verlon Biggs (DE) Jackson State
32 Emerson Boozer (HB) Maryland State
Tommy Burnett (FL) Arkansas
45 Earl Christy (SP) Maryland State
56 Paul Crane (LB-C) Alabama
47 Mike D'Amato (DB) Hofstra
43 John Dockery (DB) Harvard
80 John Elliott (DT) Texas
* Roger Finnie (DE-TE) Florida A & M
* Dave Foley (OT) Ohio State
Bill Gibson (LB) Delaware State
* Chris Gilbert (RB-FL) Texas
48 Cornell Gordon (DB) North Carolina A & T
60 Larry Grantham (LB) Mississippi
* Mike Hall (LB) Alabama
73 Ray Hayes (DT) Toledo
70 Karl Henke (DT) Tulsa
67 Dave Herman (OG-OT) Michigan State
75 Winston Hill (OT) Texas Southern
22 Jim Hudson (DB) Texas
35 Billy Joe (RB) Villanova
33 Curley Johnson (P-TE) Houston
* Ezell Jones (DT-OT) Minnesota
* Jimmy Jones (LB) Wichita State
87 Pete Lammons (TE) Texas
* Cliff Larson (DE-OG) Houston
* Cecil Leonard (DB) Tuskegee
Gary Magner (DE-LB) Southern California
13 Don Maynard (WR) Texas Western
50 Carl McAdams (DT-DE) Oklahoma
* Harvey Nairn (FL-DB) Southern
12 Joe Namath (QB) Alabama
* George Nock (RB) Morgan State
* Steve O'Neal (P) Texas A & M
15 Babe Parilli (QB) Kentucky
* Frank Peters (OT-C) Ohio
81 Gerry Philbin (DE) Buffalo
23 Bill Rademacher (WR) Northern Michigan
66 Randy Rasmussen (OG) Kearney State
26 Jim Richards (DB) Virginia Tech
74 Jeff Richardson (OT-C) Michigan State
* Gary Roberts (OG) Purdue
72 Paul Rochester (DT) Michigan State
24 John Sample (DB) Maryland State
83 George Sauer (WR) Texas
52 John Schmitt (C) Hofstra
41 Matt Snell (RB) Ohio State
* Wayne Stewart (TE) California
68 Mike Stromberg (LB) Temple
Dennis Stuewe (DB) Nebraska
85 Steve Thompson (DE) Washington
29 Bake Turner (WR) Texas Tech
11 Jim Turner (K-QB) Utah State
71 Sam Walton (OT) East Texas State
34 Lee White (RB) Weber State
* Al Woodall (QB) Duke
Jerry Zawadzkas (TE) Columbia
* Fred Zirkle (DT-OT) Duke
-Pro Football 1969
1969 New York Jets Preseason Depth Charts
OFFENSE
QB - Joe Namath (Alabama) 12, Babe Parilli (Kentucky) 15, Jim Turner (Utah State) 11, Al Woodall (Duke)*
HB - Emerson Boozer (Maryland State) 32, Chris Gilbert (Texas)*
FB - Matt Snell (Ohio State) 41, Billy Joe (Villanova) 35
SE - George Sauer (Texas) 83, Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
T - Winston Hill (Texas Southern) 75, Jeff Richardson (Michigan State) 74
G - Randy Rasmussen (Kearney State) 66
C - John Schmitt (Hofstra) 52, Frank Peters (Ohio)*
G - Dave Herman (Michigan State) 67, Gary Roberts (Purdue)*
T - Sam Walton (East Texas State) 71, Dave Foley (Ohio State)*
TE - Pete Lammons (Texas) 87
FL - Don Maynard (Texas Western) 13, Harvey Nairn (Southern)*
DEFENSE
DE - Gerry Philbin (Buffalo) 81, Cliff Larson (Houston)*
DT - Paul Rochester (Michigan State) 72, Carl McAdams (Oklahoma) 50
DT - John Elliott (Texas) 80, Ray Hayes (Toledo) 73
DE - Verlon Biggs (Jackson State) 86, Steve Thompson (Washington) 85
LB - Ralph Baker (Penn State) 51, Mike Hall (Alabama)*
MLB - Al Atkinson (Villanova) 62, Mike Stromberg (Temple) 68
LB - Larry Grantham (Mississippi) 60, Paul Crane (Alabama) 56
CB - Johnny Sample (Maryland State) 24, Cornell Gordon (North Carolina A & T) 48
S - Jim Hudson (Texas) 22, Mike D'Amato (Hofstra) 47
S - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46, Mike Battle (USC)*
CB - Randy Beverly (Colorado State) 42, Jim Richards (Virginia Tech) 26
* rookie
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
OFFENSE
QB - Joe Namath (Alabama) 12, Babe Parilli (Kentucky) 15, Al Woodall (Duke)*
HB - Emerson Boozer (Maryland State) 32, Bill Mathis (Clemson) 31, Lee White (Weber State) 34, Chris Gilbert (Texas)*
FB - Matt Snell (Ohio State) 41, Billy Joe (Villanova) 35
SE - George Sauer (Texas) 83, Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
T - Winston Hill (Texas Southern) 75, Sam Walton (East Texas State) 71
G - Randy Rasmussen (Nebraska-Kearney) 66, Gary Roberts (Purdue)*
C - John Schmitt (Hofstra) 52, Paul Crane (Alabama) 56
G - Dave Herman (Michigan State) 67, Pete Perreault (Boston University) 64
T - Dave Foley (Ohio State)*, Roger Finnie (Florida A & M)*
TE - Pete Lammons (Texas) 87, Wayne Stewart (California)*
FL - Don Maynard (Texas Western) 13, Harvey Nairn (Southern)*
DEFENSE
DE - Gerry Philbin (Buffalo) 81, Jimmy Jones (Wichita State)*
DT - Paul Rochester (Michigan State) 72, Carl McAdams (Oklahoma) 50
DT - John Elliott (Texas) 80, Ray Hayes (Toledo) 73, Ezell Jones (Minnesota)*
DE - Verlon Biggs (Jackson State) 86, Steve Thompson (Washington) 85
LB - Ralph Baker (Penn State) 51, Paul Crane (Alabama) 56
MLB - Al Atkinson (Villanova) 62, Mike Hall (Alabama)*
LB - Larry Grantham (Mississippi) 60, John Neidert (Louisville) 63
CB - Johnny Sample (Maryland State) 24, Cornell Gordon (North Carolina A & T) 48, John Dockery (Harvard) 43
SS - Jim Hudson (Texas) 22, Mike D'Amato (Hofstra) 47
FS - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46, Cecil Leonard (Tuskegee)*, Mike Battle (USC)*
CB - Randy Beverly (Colorado State) 42, Jim Richards (VPI) 26
SPECIALISTS
K - Jim Turner (Utah State) 11
P - Steve O'Neal (Texas A & M)*
KR - Mike Battle (USC)*, Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
PR - Mike Battle (USC)*, Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46
* rookie
1969 New York Jets Profile Summary
Head Coach - Weeb Ewbank
QB - Joe Namath (Alabama) 12
QB - Jim Turner (Utah State) 11
HB - Emerson Boozer (Maryland State) 32
FB - Matt Snell (Ohio State) 41
FL - Don Maynard (Texas Western) 13
SE - George Sauer (Texas) 83
SE - Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
TE - Pete Lammons (Texas) 87
C - John Schmitt (Hofstra) 52
G - Dave Herman (Michigan State) 67
G - Randy Rasmussen (Nebraska-Kearney) 66
G - Bob Talamini (Kentucky) 61
G - Pete Perreault (Boston University) 64
T - Winston Hill (Texas Southern) 75
T - Dave Foley (Ohio State) 70
DT - John Elliott (Texas) 80
DT - Paul Rochester (Michigan State) 72
DE - Gerry Philbin (Buffalo) 81
DE - Verlon Biggs (Jackson State) 86
MLB - Al Atkinson (Villanova) 62
LB - Larry Grantham (Mississippi) 60
LB - Ralph Baker (Penn State) 51
LB - Jim Carroll (Notre Dame) 55
CB - Johnny Sample (Maryland State) 24
CB - Randy Beverly (Colorado State) 42
SS - Jim Hudson (Texas) 22
FS - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46
K - Jim Turner (Utah State) 11
P - Steve O'Neal (Texas A & M) 20
P - Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
KR - Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
PR - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46
Indeed, any repeat performance by the Jets as Eastern champs hinges on Namath's returning to quarterback. Which there was every likelihood of his doing when the summer training camps began opening up. But before Joe could put on his green football jersey and white shoes again, he had the fundamental business of settling his affairs with Commissioner Pete Rozelle who, in effect, gave Joe an ultimatum; he was to sell his one-third interest in Bachelors III, an East Side Manhattan bistro where unsavory characters were said to be hanging out. In a characteristic display of emotion, Joe called a hasty press conference at which he tearfully said he'd sooner quit than bow to such an edict.
But personal problems and his chronically bad knees aside, Joe was expected back, if only for the reason that football is what makes him what he is, and it's what he does best. As he proved last year, he is now at the peak of his game. He threw for less yardage and fewer touchdowns in 1968 (and fewer interceptions, too) than he did in 1967, when he set a professional football record by gaining more than 4,000 yards in the air. But the Jets still didn't win in '67; they did win last year as Joe rallied the Jets from behind in several games and led an attack that produced 419 points. Were the Jets to lose Namath for any reason, they would be restored to the rest of the pack and resemble an ordinary football team. They would have to fall back on the veteran Babe Parilli, a fine quarterback in his day, who now holds the ball for place kicker Jim Turner, the third string quarterback. Behind them is a rookie from Duke named Al Woodall, so you see the spot the Jets would be in without Joe.
Lining up as a unit for the fourth year in a row as Namath's receivers are George Sauer, Don Maynard and Pete Lammons, who are regarded widely as the best three starters on any club in the league. Last year they caught 155 passes among them for a total of 2,838 yards and 16 touchdowns, and Lammons adds spice to his performance by being a hard-nosed blocker. In reserve, the Jets have seasoned pass catchers in Bake Turner and Bill Rademacher, and they will have such rookies and taxi squaders as Harvey Nairn, Jerry Zawadzkas, Tommy Burnett and Wayne Stewart for any extra jobs available.
As Namath demonstrated last season, he is perfectly willing - and able - to dispense with the pass and rely on running plays to move the ball. And he has two excellent movers in fullback Matt Snell, who came back strong in 1968, and halfback Emerson Boozer, who was running at full speed again at the end of the season after returning from knee surgery. The backfield is endowed with depth, following the retirement of Bill Mathis and Mark Smolinski. Competing for jobs will surgical cases Billy Joe and Lee White; the rookies are number five draft choice Chris Gilbert, who became the third leading rusher in NCAA history at Texas, and the aptly named George Nock from Maryland State.
For years the New York line was assailed for being strictly a pass protection unit, designed to give Namath maximum protection, but highly immobile on running plays. The way the line blocked against the Baltimore defense in the Super Bowl may have dispelled that notion, for while no one was looking, it underwent some changes. The Jets are getting good two-way blocking up front from Winston Hill and Sam Walton at the tackles, Bob Talamini, Randy Rasmussen and Dave Herman at the guards, and John Schmitt at center. The veteran Talamini and the youthful Rasmussen shared the left guard post last season, then when Walton got a case of rookie-itis before the Super Bowl, Herman moved into his spot and Rasmussen played right guard. The other relief men will come among third-year pro Jeff Richardson, who backs up Hill, top draft choice Dave Foley, a 6-5, 255-pound All-America from Ohio State who will battle Walton for right tackle, Gary Roberts, Frank Peters and Ezell Jones, who will also get a look at defensive tackle.
On defense, the Jets have what Weeb Ewbank likes to call a front five, instead of a front four. Either way, he only plays four of them at a time, and they were good enough last season to hold the opposition to an average of 85 yards rushing a game. They normally line up with Gerry Philbin and Verlon Biggs at the ends, and Paul Rochester and John Elliott at the tackles. (Elliott, incidentally, had an outstanding rookie year in 1968 and could develop into a star.) But alternating with Rochester is Carl McAdams, the prize draft choice of a couple seasons back when he joined the Jets as a linebacker. Rochester is bigger and slower, but wins points on his ability to hang in there on runs; McAdams is quicker and more active, and he has excellent pursuit. Behind them are ample replacements in young vets Steve Thompson, Ray Hayes and Karl Henke, and rookies Ezell Jones, Cliff Larson, Roger Finnie and Fred Zirkle.
As the Colts found out in Miami, the Jets have good linebacking, too. Returning intact this year is the unit comprising Larry Grantham and Ralph Baker at the corners, and Al Atkinson in the middle. Mike Stromberg, Paul Crane and John Niedert are the experienced subs, while the rookie candidates are Gary Magner, Mike Hall and Jimmy Jones.
Once the weakest line of the Jet defense, the deep secondary is an aggressive and savvy platoon that came up with 23 interceptions last year and finished second in pass defense. The starters figure to be chatty Johnny Sample and quick-hitting Randy Beverly, who's already getting a hatchet man reputation after only two years in the league, at the corners, with the steady Jim Hudson and Bill Baird at the safeties. Cornell Gordon, who lost his cornerback job though injury a couple seasons ago, is good enough to challenge any of the starters. Behind them are Mike D'Amato, Jimmy Richards and John Dockery among the holdovers, and fledglings Mike Battle, the All-American from USC, and Cecil Leonard from Tuskegee."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
IN BRIEF
Probable 1969 Finish: 1st (East)
Strengths: Namath's aerial circus balanced with a strong running attack, and an aggressive, grudging defense.
Biggest Needs: some depth at tight end, linebacker and in the deep secondary.
1968 finish: 1st (11-3-0)
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"None of us who sat in the faded, rusted anachronism known as the Polo Grounds in 1960 and watched the New York Titans- a team made up mostly of mad dogs, misfits and missing persons who drew their plays on the field in huddles- could have conceived that this club would in eight years be world champions. There were few of us there in that first season of the American Football League- despite the attendance figures personally announced by Titan owner Harry Wismer. Harry's numbers would reverberate over the public address system and we'd look around in disbelief, wondering what he was counting. New York News columnist Dick Young decided Harry was counting not bodies but eyes. George Vecsey, then of Newsday, thought it was arms and legs.
If there were few of us who had much hope for the AFL's New York team in '60, though, there weren't a whole lot of people with great faith in the Jets as recently as five games into the '68 season. Quarterback Joe Namath threw touchdown passes almost at will in the first two games as the Jets beat the Kansas City Chiefs and the Boston Patriots. Then a strange thing happened when the Jets, 19-point favorites, journeyed to Buffalo for game number three. Namath started throwing the ball to the other guys. The Bills picked off five of his passes and upset New York, 37-35.
The next week, back home at Shea Stadium, the Jets barely beat a solid San Diego Charger team, 23-20. The following Sunday the Jets were again 19-point favorites, over the Denver Broncos, and again Namath had trouble distinguishing the right color jerseys to throw to. The Broncos caught five of his passes ... and won, 21-13. Afterward, Namath was found sitting in front of his dressing cubicle with his head down. 'Fellas,' he said to the newspapermen who gathered to question him, 'I've always been willing to talk to you before, but this time give me a break. Just say I stink.'
The fact was that not all of the interceptions were Namath's fault, and in both losses he was under great pressure from the left defensive ends, Ron McDole of Buffalo and Rich Jackson of Denver. New York was going with a rookie right tackle, Sam Walton, who simply broke down in those games. As the Jets prepared for their upcoming game against the Houston Oilers, coach Weeb Ewbank made one all-important decision. From then on Walton would have blocking help until he proved he could do the job alone. Fullback Matt Snell, one of the game's most underrated ballplayers, was the man who usually helped out Walton.
Ewbank made one other move in this game that allowed him to bench Walton in the AFL championship game and in the Super Bowl game. He started veteran All-League guard Bob Talamini. The former Oiler had been obtained just before the start of the season and his unfamiliarity with the Jet system coupled with some nagging physical problems caused Ewbank to take his time in using Bob. The fact that the Jets already had two excellent guards in Dave Herman and Randy Rasmussen gave Ewbank the time. But Weeb felt Talamini, who had no love for OIler management when he left Houston, would be a good man to have in the lineup against his former teammates. And this game turned out to be a key to the Jets' success in '68.
Namath was plain awful in the first half, missing his first ten passes and completing only three of 15. Still, he did not make his earlier mistake of forcing his throws into areas where obviously the chances were excellent there would be an interception. Instead of jamming the ball in there, he purposely overthrew or ate the football. So he wasn't intercepted. And his three completions came on one drive that took the Jets to the one-yard line. Namath carried it in and Babe Parilli, holding for the PAT, passed to Bill Mathis for a two-point conversion. A safety and a Jim Turner field goal gave the Jets a 13-0 lead going into the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the New York defense had been superb, having dropped quarterback Bob Davis five times for losses. The last one sent him staggering to the sideline, which was not such a good thing. Don Trull came in and quickly passed for two touchdowns to give Houston a 14-13 lead.
Namath took over at his own 20-yard line with four minutes remaining on the Astrodome clock. Joe hit split end George Sauer on a slant-in for 14 yards. When the running game stalled, he came back to Sauer on square outs for nine- and 14-yard gains. Halfback Emerson Boozer was responsible for the fourth straight completion, stretching for a pass off the grass, then cutting [down] field for a 27-yard gain. After Boozer picked up 12 yards [on] two carries, Snell drove to the two. Then Matt smashed between the blocks of Rasmussen and tackle Winston Hill to score. It was 20-14 Jets with 48 seconds left. Ewbank put Gerry Philbin, one of the finest defensive ends in pro football and the inspirational leader of the Jet defense, in on the kickoff team. He raced downfield, jarred the football loose from return man Zeke Moore and Bill Rademacher recovered for New York.
That was the ball game and the beginning of the new Jets, the ones who would end up Super Bowl champs. As Namath later admitted, 'I began to do some things differently in that game. ' The Jets lost only one game- the famous Heidi game to Oakland- the rest of the season. After the Oiler victory they beat Boston, Buffalo and Houston again. Namath didn't throw a single touchdown pass in this streak. He didn't throw a single interception, either.
One reason Namath stopped forcing passes was that he began to have tremendous confidence in his own defense. 'I'll throw the ball away rather than risk an interception because I know our defense can hold'em and get the ball back for us,' he said before the Super Bowl.
The Jet defense became the best all-around unit in the AFL. The key here was the switch of John Elliott, a reserve end and linebacker as a rookie in '67, to a regular job at right tackle. An amazingly quick 6'2", 250-pounder, Elliott is already a very fine pass rusher and he's still learning. His partner on the right side, 6'4", 268-pounder Verlon Biggs, can play football on any team when he wants to. He's not always as motivated as he should be, but last season he came to play more than he came to watch, fortunately for the Jets. Left tackle Paul Rochester is a steady, consistent ballplayer who doesn't penetrate a whole lot but, like Hawg Hanner in his heyday at Green Bay, Paul's an invaluable asset to a front four. He sits there, knocking down everything that comes through the middle, and he makes virtually no mistakes. Philbin, as noted, is simply a superb left end, using his speed, quickness and savvy to make big plays all over the field.
The linebackers, Larry Grantham, Al Atkinson and Ralph Baker, work well with the front four and with the secondary. With the pass rush improved so much, the linebackers didn't have to blitz as often in '68 and could afford to drop back and help on pass coverage. This was particularly necessary at the corners, where young Randy Beverly was inexperienced and older Johnny Sample at times showed he had too many ballgames under his surgically scarred legs. Sample, who harasses receivers with his mouth and his elbows, led the team in interceptions with seven. But in at least one game he had to be pulled off the field by Ewbank for ineffective coverage. The deep backs, Jim Hudson at strong safety and Bill Baird at free safety, are both good ones. Baird is a good roamer and Hudson is a vicious tackler.
Generally the defense played a conservative, here-we-are, you-beat-us kind of game. The offense was more flamboyant. Not only because of Namath and Sauer and flanker Don Maynard (who averaged 22.8 yards gained for each of his 57 receptions) and clutch-catching tight end Pete Lammons. Matt Snell was a solid fullback who rushed for 747 yards, but he was the only solid runner New York had. Halfback Boozer spent much of the season trying to regain his rushing form of '67, before he was injured. He gained 441 yards, but it wasn't until the very end of the season that he began to show his old cutting, slashing abandon. So Ewbank occasionally employed a triple wing, a double slot, even an unbalanced line to unbalance defenses. More often than not the unusual (for Jets) formations paid off. In the AFL championship game against Oakland, New York showed a double-slot formation that so confused the Raiders that Maynard was wide open for a touchdown pass from Namath. New York went on to win, 27-23.
So all in all the Jets had a lot of football team going into the Super Bowl. Yet most experts gave them little chance of beating the Baltimore Colts, 18 to 20-point favorites with the bookies. Frankly, that seemed about right to this correspondent. Not because we disparaged the Jets but because we felt the Colts were one of the great football teams of the past decade. The feeling was that the only way the Jets could win was if Namath threw at least three touchdown passes and Jim Turner- who set an all-time record by scoring 145 points with his toe- kicked a few field goals. As it turned out he did, hitting from 32, 30 and nine yards out. But Namath passed for no touchdowns. Snell scored New York's only one on a four-yard run as the Jets ran for 142 yards against the Colts. However, Namath did call the plays, directing the attack at the Colt weaknesses and completing 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards. He was not intercepted. He did exactly what he had to do to win, which is what he said he was going to do before the game. Win.
Afterwards, he was named the game's outstanding player by Sport Magazine and received a $5,000 Dodge Charger. 'Is that one of those things I have to give back after a year?' Joe asked. 'You keep it forever,' Al Silverman, the editor of Sport, said. 'That's more like it,' said Namath.
This season the Jets are obviously the team to beat. Assuming quarterback Jack Kemp is fully recovered, Buffalo with its formidable defense and its one-man offense in O.J. Simpson, will be very tough. The Jets will have to be even better and they should be. Boozer should be all the way back from his operation now and he and Snell should provide a more solid running game to go with Namath's passing- which is still improving. And the offensive line now has tremendous flexibility with Dave Herman having shown he can play tackle if Sam Walton does not come on early. The Jets also drafted an excellent tackle, Dave Foley of Ohio State, who has the potential to move into a regular job if need be. Dave Foley probably never even heard of a faded, rusted anachronism called the Polo Grounds, either. Which is just as well."
-Berry Stainback, Pro Football Forecast for 1969
THE NAMATH THE GAME IS NAMATH
"The mark of a champion is repeating and that is the goal of the New York Jets, world champions of professional football.
'We have but one goal in mind and that's winning the Super Bowl again' says Weeb Ewbank. the man who became the first coach to win world titles in both leagues. And Ewbank feels the Jets have a good shot at accomplishing that difficult feat. 'I feel we have a young ball club that is actually still improving. This last season we had more cohesiveness than we've had in the past and I like to think it was because we are maturing and playing together more.'
The Jets had several strong points in 1968- mainly their passing game and their defense- and there is no reason to believe that they won't be just as strong in those same areas this fall unless injuries strike. Any rundown on a pro club must begin at the quarterback position, and the Jets presently have one of the best in the game in Joe Namath. This past season, Namath was selected to every all-pro team, every all-AFL team and was named the AFL's MVP, Super Bowl MVP, New York Jets' MVP and winner of the Hickok Belt. Namath's statistics weren't what they were the year before when he set a pro record for most yards gained passing (4,007), but he was a much better quarterback as the Jet record shows.
Namath went through a period of six games without throwing a touchdown pass, but the Jets won five of those games and the guy leading them was Namath. His passes and his play calling generally got the Jets into scoring range, whether it was by rushing (the Jets led the AFL in rushing touchdowns with 22) or by field goal (Jim Turner set a pro record for most field goals in a season with 34). Namath's stats do show one big improvement over 1967 and that was that his interception total was down from 28 to 17. (And 10 of those 17 errant passes were committed in two early season games.)
Ewbank is fortunate to have a fine back-up quarterback on hand in veteran Babe Parilli and this year he will be bringing along a rookie who played last year in the Atlantic Coast League, Al Woodall. So the signal calling department in New York is in A-1 order. Ewbank has built his offense around Namath's passing ability and so it isn't by chance that the Jets have a great trio of receivers and a line that is known for pass protection.
Before the last Super Bowl Ewbank stated that he prides himself on being able to protect his quarterback- and protect the quarterback is what the Jets' line and running backs do. Heading the line are Dave Herman, all-AFL guard, and Winston Hill, an all-Star selection at tackle. Ewbank actually has three standout guards- Herman, Bob Talamini and Randy Rasmussen and it was this flexibility that enabled him to move Herman to the troubled right tackle spot for the AFL championship game and the Super Bowl with great results. The right tackle spot this year is up for grabs with a battle developing among sophomore Sam Walton, who had the job last year until he started to wane late in the season; third-year man Jeff Richardson; and the Jets' No. 1 draft choice, Dave Foley, a 6-5, 225-pound All-America selection from Ohio State. At center is John Schmitt, a solid performer who begins his fourth year as a starter. Ewbank has some fine rookies on hand for depth purposes including Gary Roberts, Frank Peters and possibly Ezell Jones, who will also get a shot on defense.
Ewbank likes to refer to his trio of receivers as the best group of starters in football. George Sauer was named to the combined all-pro team and Don Maynard is the all-time pro yardage receiving leader with 9,435 yards. The combination of Sauer and Maynard has made it hard for opposing teams to decide who to double cover. In the AFL championship game, it was Maynard who had a field day with two touchdowns on six catches for 118 yards. Sauer had seven grabs for 70 yards. In the Super Bowl, Maynard was bothered by a leg injury and didn't catch any, but Sauer grabbed eight for 133 yards. The other wheel in the threesome is tight end Pete Lammons, who was bothered by a knee injury in 1968 but is expected to be okay for this fall. Lammons consistently gives Namath an open target when Sauer and Maynard are occupied. Last year he caught 37 passes. The Jets have unusual depth on hand here including veterans Bake Turner and Bill Rademacher. The rookies and taxi squaders are Harvey Nairn, Gerry Zawadzkas, Tommy Burnett and Wayne Stewart.
In Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer, the Jets have two fine all-around running backs. Snell, who performed in fine all-around fashion all season, received due credit with back to back performances in the AFL title game and the Super Bowl. He is called the best pass protecting back by Ewbank. Last year Boozer came back slowly from knee surgery that sidelined him for the final games of the '67 season, but still had a good year. He should be completely recovered this autumn. Backing up these starters are veterans Bill Mathis and Mark Smolinski and two players returning from knee surgery- Bill Joe and Lee White. Ewbank also has two hard-running rookies on hand in Chris Gilbert, the third leading rusher in the history of the NCAA, and George Nock from Maryland State.
New York's defense was ranked No. 1 in the AFL last year as it permitted only 240.2 yards per game and it should be just as strong in 1969. The whole unit returns and the extra year of experience for tackle John Elliott and cornerback Randy Beverly should pay off. The front four, or front five as Ewbank likes to call it, put a strong pass rush on rival quarterbacks last year, dumping them 43 times for losses of 399 yards. The opposition's ground attack was also halted as the Jets led the loop in rushing defense, permitting only 85.4 yards a game and 3.2 yards per carry. Heading up the line is All-Pro choice Gerry Philbin. No. 81 caused havoc for opposing quarterbacks and runners alike. Elliott had a great first year and could be All-Pro this coming season if he continues his progress. Ewbank employs a combination at left tackle with veteran Paul Rochester and Carl McAdams used interchangeably. Verlon Biggs, who made the all-star team for the third year, is holding down right end. There's excellent depth in sophomores Steve Thompson, Ray Hayes and Karl Henke and rookies Ezell Jones, Cliff Larson, Roger Finnie and Fred Zirkle.
The linebacking is solid with a veteran trio of Larry Grantham, Al Atkinson and Ralph Baker. This unit will begin its fourth year together. Fine depth is on hand behind them in Mike Stromberg, Paul Crane, John Neidert and good looking prospects Gary Magner, Mike Hall and Jimmy Jones.
The defensive secondary, which finished second in pass defense last year allowing only 154.8 yards a game, comes back as a unit and should be stronger. Leading the group is Jim Hudson, one of the most underrated strong safeties in the game. The other safety is competent veteran Billy Baird. John Sample and Randy Beverly held down the corner posts last season but will receive a challenge again from all-around Cornell Gordon. Gordon can and has played both cornerback spots and also free safety and he gives Ewbank good flexibility. Several fine candidates will be pressing for jobs including sophomore Jimmy Richards, Mike D'Amato and John Dockery. Newcomers on hand are All-America choice Mike Battle and speedy Cecil Leonard.
The Jets kicking game is in good hands with Jim Turner, who established a pro record for most points purely by kicking (145) and also a pro field goal mark of 34. Curley Johnson returns as the punter with Steve O'Neal an All-America booter on hand."
-Sports Quarterly Presents The Pros Football 1969
1969 New York Jets Preseason Roster
Bob Anderson (K) Iowa
62 Al Atkinson (LB) Villanova
46 Bill Baird (DB) San Francisco State
51 Ralph Baker (LB) Penn State
* Mike Battle (DB) Southern California
42 Randy Beverly (DB) Colorado State
86 Verlon Biggs (DE) Jackson State
32 Emerson Boozer (HB) Maryland State
Tommy Burnett (FL) Arkansas
45 Earl Christy (SP) Maryland State
56 Paul Crane (LB-C) Alabama
47 Mike D'Amato (DB) Hofstra
43 John Dockery (DB) Harvard
80 John Elliott (DT) Texas
* Roger Finnie (DE-TE) Florida A & M
* Dave Foley (OT) Ohio State
Bill Gibson (LB) Delaware State
* Chris Gilbert (RB-FL) Texas
48 Cornell Gordon (DB) North Carolina A & T
60 Larry Grantham (LB) Mississippi
* Mike Hall (LB) Alabama
73 Ray Hayes (DT) Toledo
70 Karl Henke (DT) Tulsa
67 Dave Herman (OG-OT) Michigan State
75 Winston Hill (OT) Texas Southern
22 Jim Hudson (DB) Texas
35 Billy Joe (RB) Villanova
33 Curley Johnson (P-TE) Houston
* Ezell Jones (DT-OT) Minnesota
* Jimmy Jones (LB) Wichita State
87 Pete Lammons (TE) Texas
* Cliff Larson (DE-OG) Houston
* Cecil Leonard (DB) Tuskegee
Gary Magner (DE-LB) Southern California
13 Don Maynard (WR) Texas Western
50 Carl McAdams (DT-DE) Oklahoma
* Harvey Nairn (FL-DB) Southern
12 Joe Namath (QB) Alabama
* George Nock (RB) Morgan State
* Steve O'Neal (P) Texas A & M
15 Babe Parilli (QB) Kentucky
* Frank Peters (OT-C) Ohio
81 Gerry Philbin (DE) Buffalo
23 Bill Rademacher (WR) Northern Michigan
66 Randy Rasmussen (OG) Kearney State
26 Jim Richards (DB) Virginia Tech
74 Jeff Richardson (OT-C) Michigan State
* Gary Roberts (OG) Purdue
72 Paul Rochester (DT) Michigan State
24 John Sample (DB) Maryland State
83 George Sauer (WR) Texas
52 John Schmitt (C) Hofstra
41 Matt Snell (RB) Ohio State
* Wayne Stewart (TE) California
68 Mike Stromberg (LB) Temple
Dennis Stuewe (DB) Nebraska
85 Steve Thompson (DE) Washington
29 Bake Turner (WR) Texas Tech
11 Jim Turner (K-QB) Utah State
71 Sam Walton (OT) East Texas State
34 Lee White (RB) Weber State
* Al Woodall (QB) Duke
Jerry Zawadzkas (TE) Columbia
* Fred Zirkle (DT-OT) Duke
-Pro Football 1969
1969 New York Jets Preseason Depth Charts
OFFENSE
QB - Joe Namath (Alabama) 12, Babe Parilli (Kentucky) 15, Jim Turner (Utah State) 11, Al Woodall (Duke)*
HB - Emerson Boozer (Maryland State) 32, Chris Gilbert (Texas)*
FB - Matt Snell (Ohio State) 41, Billy Joe (Villanova) 35
SE - George Sauer (Texas) 83, Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
T - Winston Hill (Texas Southern) 75, Jeff Richardson (Michigan State) 74
G - Randy Rasmussen (Kearney State) 66
C - John Schmitt (Hofstra) 52, Frank Peters (Ohio)*
G - Dave Herman (Michigan State) 67, Gary Roberts (Purdue)*
T - Sam Walton (East Texas State) 71, Dave Foley (Ohio State)*
TE - Pete Lammons (Texas) 87
FL - Don Maynard (Texas Western) 13, Harvey Nairn (Southern)*
DEFENSE
DE - Gerry Philbin (Buffalo) 81, Cliff Larson (Houston)*
DT - Paul Rochester (Michigan State) 72, Carl McAdams (Oklahoma) 50
DT - John Elliott (Texas) 80, Ray Hayes (Toledo) 73
DE - Verlon Biggs (Jackson State) 86, Steve Thompson (Washington) 85
LB - Ralph Baker (Penn State) 51, Mike Hall (Alabama)*
MLB - Al Atkinson (Villanova) 62, Mike Stromberg (Temple) 68
LB - Larry Grantham (Mississippi) 60, Paul Crane (Alabama) 56
CB - Johnny Sample (Maryland State) 24, Cornell Gordon (North Carolina A & T) 48
S - Jim Hudson (Texas) 22, Mike D'Amato (Hofstra) 47
S - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46, Mike Battle (USC)*
CB - Randy Beverly (Colorado State) 42, Jim Richards (Virginia Tech) 26
* rookie
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
OFFENSE
QB - Joe Namath (Alabama) 12, Babe Parilli (Kentucky) 15, Al Woodall (Duke)*
HB - Emerson Boozer (Maryland State) 32, Bill Mathis (Clemson) 31, Lee White (Weber State) 34, Chris Gilbert (Texas)*
FB - Matt Snell (Ohio State) 41, Billy Joe (Villanova) 35
SE - George Sauer (Texas) 83, Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
T - Winston Hill (Texas Southern) 75, Sam Walton (East Texas State) 71
G - Randy Rasmussen (Nebraska-Kearney) 66, Gary Roberts (Purdue)*
C - John Schmitt (Hofstra) 52, Paul Crane (Alabama) 56
G - Dave Herman (Michigan State) 67, Pete Perreault (Boston University) 64
T - Dave Foley (Ohio State)*, Roger Finnie (Florida A & M)*
TE - Pete Lammons (Texas) 87, Wayne Stewart (California)*
FL - Don Maynard (Texas Western) 13, Harvey Nairn (Southern)*
DEFENSE
DE - Gerry Philbin (Buffalo) 81, Jimmy Jones (Wichita State)*
DT - Paul Rochester (Michigan State) 72, Carl McAdams (Oklahoma) 50
DT - John Elliott (Texas) 80, Ray Hayes (Toledo) 73, Ezell Jones (Minnesota)*
DE - Verlon Biggs (Jackson State) 86, Steve Thompson (Washington) 85
LB - Ralph Baker (Penn State) 51, Paul Crane (Alabama) 56
MLB - Al Atkinson (Villanova) 62, Mike Hall (Alabama)*
LB - Larry Grantham (Mississippi) 60, John Neidert (Louisville) 63
CB - Johnny Sample (Maryland State) 24, Cornell Gordon (North Carolina A & T) 48, John Dockery (Harvard) 43
SS - Jim Hudson (Texas) 22, Mike D'Amato (Hofstra) 47
FS - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46, Cecil Leonard (Tuskegee)*, Mike Battle (USC)*
CB - Randy Beverly (Colorado State) 42, Jim Richards (VPI) 26
SPECIALISTS
K - Jim Turner (Utah State) 11
P - Steve O'Neal (Texas A & M)*
KR - Mike Battle (USC)*, Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
PR - Mike Battle (USC)*, Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46
* rookie
1969 New York Jets Profile Summary
Head Coach - Weeb Ewbank
QB - Joe Namath (Alabama) 12
QB - Jim Turner (Utah State) 11
HB - Emerson Boozer (Maryland State) 32
FB - Matt Snell (Ohio State) 41
FL - Don Maynard (Texas Western) 13
SE - George Sauer (Texas) 83
SE - Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
TE - Pete Lammons (Texas) 87
C - John Schmitt (Hofstra) 52
G - Dave Herman (Michigan State) 67
G - Randy Rasmussen (Nebraska-Kearney) 66
G - Bob Talamini (Kentucky) 61
G - Pete Perreault (Boston University) 64
T - Winston Hill (Texas Southern) 75
T - Dave Foley (Ohio State) 70
DT - John Elliott (Texas) 80
DT - Paul Rochester (Michigan State) 72
DE - Gerry Philbin (Buffalo) 81
DE - Verlon Biggs (Jackson State) 86
MLB - Al Atkinson (Villanova) 62
LB - Larry Grantham (Mississippi) 60
LB - Ralph Baker (Penn State) 51
LB - Jim Carroll (Notre Dame) 55
CB - Johnny Sample (Maryland State) 24
CB - Randy Beverly (Colorado State) 42
SS - Jim Hudson (Texas) 22
FS - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46
K - Jim Turner (Utah State) 11
P - Steve O'Neal (Texas A & M) 20
P - Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
KR - Bake Turner (Texas Tech) 29
PR - Bill Baird (San Francisco State) 46
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