Countdown to Camp: 56
As we look ahead to training camp in late July, we're going to take a daily retrospective look back at some random people, moments and games from Jets history...
The Current 56
Kevin Pierre-Louis brings athleticism and coverage abilities to a revamped linebacker group. However, he faces tough competition for a role. His best chance of playing time - barring injury - is if Avery Williamson sometimes comes out of the game in passing situations.
The Greatest
Lance Mehl played at as high of a level as any Jets linebacker at his peak. He was a pro bowler in 1985 with 5.5 sacks and three interceptions, but his best season might have been 1983, where he was third in the AFC with seven interceptions.
Mehl was one of the heroes of the Jets' nail-biting win over the Raiders to make it to the 1982 AFC title game:
The other 56's
Demario Davis, Jeff Lageman, Paul Crane...
56 years ago
The 1962 season was the first losing season in franchise history and the final season as the Titans of New York. We detailed that earlier in our countdown, here.
56 yards and into the record books
Before last year, Nick Folk held the record for the longest field goal in franchise history with this 56-yarder:
56 yards in the playoffs
Here's Richie Anderson's 56-yard touchdown that got the Jets off to a great start in the first round of the 2002 playoffs. Chad Pennington's Jets blew out Peyton Manning's Colts 41-0:
56 on the scoreboard
56 was also the amount of points the Jets put up in their second highest-scoring performance of all-time. Brett Favre's six touchdown passes sparked the team to a remarkable 56-35 win over the Cardinals in 2008.
Amazingly, the score was 0-0 after one quarter and 34-0 at half time. Even more remarkably, by giving up 35 second half points, the Jets didn't really clinch the game until the fourth quarter, as the Cardinals pulled within 13 points three separate times.
The Jets also lost a game 56-3 to New England in 1979 and they lost a game 56-17 to Houston 56 years ago when they were still called the Titans.
Let us know if there's any connections to 56 that we missed...