The Jets take part in the last regular season NFL game of the 20th century.
As this very disappointing and long 2014 season comes to a close in Miami today, I will also be winding down my This Week in Jets History articles until kickoff 2015. I hope you have enjoyed traveling back in time as much as I have enjoyed being your tour guide in the annals of our beloved NY Jets history. As I have mentioned time and time again, the Jets may not have many Super Bowl rings to speak of, but we do, however own some moments that have shaped the NFL.
For those of you who are old enough to remember the 1998 season, it may have been the greatest team that the NY Jets has ever fielded. It was also, arguably, one of the greatest, if not the greatest season in franchise history. We were an almost unbeatable team who came within 30 minutes of our first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl 3. We came up a bit short in Denver, but in May 1999, John Elway announced his retirement and suddenly, the Jets were not only the favorites to win the AFC title, but also the Super Bowl. But on 9/12/1999, in our home opener vs. New England, we lost QB Vinny Testaverde for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. We also lost Leon Johnson with 2 torn knee ligaments.
The Jets started 1-6 under Rick Mirer and Bill Parcells decided to make a change. He inserted local hero Ray Lucas at QB. Ray would guide the Jets to a 7-2 record down the stretch while missing the playoffs by 1 game. If only a few games sooner, may have been the season we had hoped for.
12/27/1999. The 6-8 New York Jets visited the 9-5 Miami Dolphins in the last Monday Night and regular season game of the 20th century. These Jets were looking to play spoiler. The Jets went into the locker room up 17-14 thanks to a Keyshawn Johnson 4 yard TD reception and a 98-yard Interception return by Marcus Coleman. Dan Marino had answered both Jets TD with a 1-yard TD pass to Ed Perry and a 3-yard TD pass to Stanley Pritchett. The Jets and Dolphins exchanged TD in the 3rd quarter as the Jets held a 24-21 lead going into the 4th.
After an early Marino TD in the 4th, Ray Lucas threw a 50 yard TD pass to Wayne Chrebet and a 53 yard TD pass to Dedric Ward to lead the Jets to a 38-31 victory. This was a bright spot to a season that began with such promise, just to spiral out of control in a turbulent 7 game span. Ray Lucas led the Jets to an 8-8 record. Bill Parcells was second guessed and stepped down after this season. If he only inserted Ray two games sooner? Maybe a playoff run like the experts thought?
That’s 20/20 hindsight when it comes to Jets history. We can talk about this more in September. Until then, stay tuned for my coaching and free agent news. We may just have a very interesting and exciting offseason in store.
