Countdown to Camp: 69
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 69
Ben Braden is a bit of an unknown quantity, but the fact the Jets kept him on the practice squad all season might be a sign they believe he has an NFL future. He saw some action with the second unit in preseason and could yet be in the mix for a roster spot as a guard or tackle.
We broke down Braden in detail here.
The Greatest
With 114 starts over eight seasons, tackle Jason Fabini was a key member of the offensive line that paved the way for Curtis Martin in the late nineties and beyond. His second level block here helped spring LaMont Jordan for the run that set up the winning field goal in a playoff game:
The other 69's
CJ Mosley, Jeff Criswell, Harry Boatswain...
The '69 season
After their Super Bowl success the previous season, the Jets had a good chance to go back there. A six game winning streak in the middle of the season sparked a 10-4 season and the Jets almost won the divisional playoff with the Chiefs, eventually losing 13-6.
Joe Namath completed just 14 of 40 passes in the game and threw three interceptions but the Jets had first and goal at the one in the fourth quarter, down 6-3. The Chiefs stood tall, forcing the Jets to settle for a tying field goal, then went downfield for the winning touchdown, although the Jets came close to tying it in the closing moments.
Leading rusher Matt Snell was an all-pro, as was Don Maynard, who led the Jets in receiving yards with 938 and guard Dave Herman. George Sauer, who led the team with eight touchdowns was an AFL all-star, as were Namath and tackle Winston Hill on offense. Linebacker Larry Grantham and defensive end Gerry Philbin were also all-stars, as was kicker Jim Turner. Bill Baird and John Dockery led the team with five interceptions each.
69 yard scores
Here are a trio of nice 69-yard touchdowns, starting with Quincy Enunwa turning the speed on in 2016:
And this game-winning touchdown pass by Geno Smith to Santonio Holmes, just after they had thrown away a 20-6 fourth quarter lead:
Also, here's Robby Anderson's touchdown against Miami from last year:
Let us know if there's any connections to 69 that we missed...