Countdown to Camp: 13
As we look ahead to training camp in late July, we're taking a daily retrospective look back at some random people, moments and games from Jets history...
The Current 13
The number has been retired for some time, in honor of hall of fame wide receiver Don Maynard. In 13 seasons as a Jet (or Titan), Maynard was a four time AFL all-star and two-time all-AFL selection. He is the all-time franchise leader in pass receptions, receiving yards and total touchdowns.
The Greatest
Maynard is one of the all-time greats and even though he didn't record a pass reception in the Jets' Super Bowl win, he played a big part as a decoy, having scored the decisive touchdown in the AFL title game.
Here's Maynard in action:
The other 13's
Only one other Jet has worn the number - punter Dave Jennings in the mid-eighties. The team soon realized they wanted to free it up and got Jennings to change...
13 years ago
The Jets entered the 2005 season with high hopes, but a number of cap-saving moves and a questionable draft strategy backfired early on. After being blown out in their season opener against the Chiefs, the Jets bounced back with a win over Miami in their home opener. However, the season took a dramatic turn in week three as both starting quarterback Chad Pennington and his back-up Jay Fiedler suffered season ending injuries in an overtime loss to the Jaguars.
Vinny Testaverde re-signed with the team and won a game in week five to bring the Jets back to 2-3, but the Jets lost their next seven as Testaverde himself was also injured. Brooks Bollinger was the quarterback down the stretch as the Herm Edwards/Paul Hackett era limped to a close with a 4-12 record.
Bollinger threw just seven touchdown passes in nine starts, but did win two games and had 327 yards and two touchdowns in his best game against Miami. The Jets choked away a fourth quarter lead in that one.
The Jets suffered a load of other injuries on the year, which saw both Curtis Martin and Wayne Chrebet's careers come to an end. Ty Law's 10 interceptions saw him go to the pro bowl along with young linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
13-yard touchdowns
Here's Matt Forte on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick against Baltimore in 2016:
13 on the scoreboard
A memorable win from 2006 saw the Jets outlast the Dolphins 13-10 on Christmas Day to take a big step towards making the postseason. Chad Pennington threw a long touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery - right as Tony Kornheiser was mocking him for having a weak arm - and Leon Washington set up Mike Nugent's late game-winning field goal with a long gain on a screen pass.
Let us know if there's any connections to 13 that we missed...