The 1981 New York Jets had absolutely everything, they played in beloved Shea Stadium from the heart and soul of the Big Apple in New York City, they had great wide receivers, tight ends, a very conservative running attack that included Bruce Harper averaged five yards a rush, quarterback Richard Todd and the big daddy of them all, the New York Sack Exchange and they do earn the football title crown as the Talk of the Town of 1981!!!
Shea is 10 miles from Manhattan out in Flushing, not the "heart of the big apple," and it was built to be near the BQE, which destroyed many working-class neighborhoods. Only reason I went to Jet games was you had to sacrifice your firstborn to get Giants tickets.
@@joedimaggio6261 it was amazing, because we were finally winning, and in 2 years a game from the SB. after alllll that losing. That was amazing to me and fun, I was 15
Possibly my favorite NFL season of all time. She had such great character and the game vs Miami at home was the best I ever saw in person. The subway back to midtown was a big party.
Klecko and Gastineau--and both "juiced" to the gills on steroids--so essentially their sacks mean nothing and shouldn't be counted as any kind of record
That early eighties Jets team with that d-line "the New York Sack Exchange" Klecko, Lyons. Salaam, Gastineau, decent offense: walker, McNeil, Jones, Toon ,they should've reached the SB ,I believe the AFC title game in Miami where they let the field get drenched and they end up playing in ankle deep mud.
When Richard Todd threw that fateful interception, in the corner out of camera view, was a wide open receiver! Poor Todd, never quite got over the hump.
Besides Mike Webster, Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Anthony Munoz said on the day he retired, he said Joe Klecko was the quickest, strongest and the toughest son of a bitch lineman I have ever faced during my career and it was from the 1981 NFL season!!
Great excerpts of the radio broadcasts. Brooklyn’s Spencer Ross had that distinctive voice. Great memories. I just wished the Jets could have pulled off the mud bowl game before a delirious Jets crowd. Probably my favorite Jets team.
I was at the the game when they put the beat down on the Giants. I believe had Shula had not pulled that stunt in Miami in 1982. The Jets would’ve beaten the Dolphins and the Redskins in the Super Bowl. That Jets team was tough to handle.
Ain't no way the forecast says 80% chance of rain for the weekend and you don't tarf the playing field, I watched that game, they were actually ankle deep in mud, that bs was orchestrated. The AFL rivals like that in big games use all kinds of advantages: snow plows on the field, failure to tarf field, smdh, since 1968 imho the NY Sack Exchange was the best team they've had that should've made/won SB and that explosive offense, excellent lb corps, Blinka, Mehl
Since 1968 the only real thing the Jets have had to brag about is Joe Namath,s Jersey. However they have more Superbowl victories than Minnesota, Chargers, Browns, Bengals, Bills, Phoenix, Lions and Oilers-Titans. Have tied Chicago and Seattle for a Silver Football. God I miss the Twin Towers.
Todd was an interception waiting to happen. 1981 was his best and only good year..And while he rallied them vs the Bills in the playoffs, he also tossed 4 picks in that game..
O'Brien was not a leader. Also, one of the most frustrating things about him was that when he took off and had a reasonable head of steam towards a first-down/touchdown, he would se one player even from the other side---where, normally, even if he got hit slightly he would certainly make it to a first-down/touchdown, he would unnecessarily and to a ridiculous degree, impede his own momentum and and fall short of the target. He would do this if he has already run 15 yards or 3 yards---each with a fair head of steam. So it is, obviously, psychological. So, I would start anticipating his pussy loser's attitude and know that, no matter what advances he made in a given rum, the sight of a defender would make him, in essence, backpedal.
Joe Klecko. My favorite Jet. If he wasn’t injured in ‘82 who knows how that would have changed Jets lore. I would like to think they would have at least faced the Redskins in the Super Bowl. But then Riggins may not have had one of the best single plays to ever grace our eyes .
Klecko and Gastineau "juiced" which makes them cheaters and hence any records they had were meaningless. Gastineau is now in the throes of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and has admitted he wished he had never played football
17:58 I helped tear down the goalpost when they clinched the wildcard, almost causing a forfeit the following week, and remember thinking "Why the f**k am I on the field celebrating a wildcard berth?"
Back then, the two conference teams that finished FIFTH in their divisions played a two-game home-and-home series the following season. The scheduling system was worked out by former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle (RIP)...A MUCH BETTER commissioner than Roger Goodell.
They deserved to at least appear in one Super Bowl between 1981 and 1988. Just absurdly unlucky. What a waste having David Woodley and the cheating fish con their way to one
I was at the game where they made the playoffs by beating Green Bay and was on the field when they tore down the goalposts! I was also at the playoff game where they lost to effing Buffalo. 😡
I am amazed at how many Jet fans hate Richard Todd. I wasnt born until 1986, looking at it on paper he led a mediocre team to the AFC playoffs twice and to an AFC title game one of those years. He never had the skill set of a Montana, Elway or Steve Young, some of that is God given. But Todd won a lot of ballgames.
They were both playing with the "last place schedule" which existed from 1978-95. If you finished in last place (only the 4 divisions with 5 teams, the other 2 at the time which was the AFC Central & NFC West got shafted) in one year you got that last place schedule the next year and you would play the last place team from the year before at home & on road as well as play the 2 last place teams in the other conference in the 5 team divisions, one at home and the other the road. Those 4 games would replace the normal 4 games you had against the other conference division your division would play. A bit convoluted how I said it here but that's how it was before the expansion in 95 w Jacksonville & Carolina coming into the league.
I met the Sack Exchange at a private autograph signing session in NJ and I will never forget it
I was a season ticket holder then. It was an exciting time to be a Jets fan. So much fun.
@Norberto Fontanez So you like to jump on the bandwagon I always stick with my jets
I'm not a Jets fan but 1981 was an exciting time in NY.
The 1981 New York Jets had absolutely everything, they played in beloved Shea Stadium from the heart and soul of the Big Apple in New York City, they had great wide receivers, tight ends, a very conservative running attack that included Bruce Harper averaged five yards a rush, quarterback Richard Todd and the big daddy of them all, the New York Sack Exchange and they do earn the football title crown as the Talk of the Town of 1981!!!
and lost LOL-and to lose to Buffalo by falling behind 24-0 says it all
@@bufnyfan1and what has buffalo ever won? LOL
Shea is 10 miles from Manhattan out in Flushing, not the "heart of the big apple," and it was built to be near the BQE, which destroyed many working-class neighborhoods. Only reason I went to Jet games was you had to sacrifice your firstborn to get Giants tickets.
81 82 jets season's were amazing!!
I agree I thought in 81 & 82 they had the kind of team to give the 49ers & the Redskins all they could handle in the Super Bowl..,
How were these Jets amazing? They didn't win or get to a super bowl. They didn't even win a division title.
@@joedimaggio6261 it was amazing, because we were finally winning, and in 2 years a game from the SB. after alllll that losing. That was amazing to me and fun, I was 15
@@josephsaroce4991 ok, fair enough
@@joedimaggio6261 I knew you'd get it!!
I am a Cowboys fans but I remember these Jets. They were fun to watch. Specially the defensive line. 73 and 99 where super heroes.
Thanks
I remember that game Jets had 9 sacks against GB QB Dicky 😳, been a Jets fan since 1969
Thanks for the footage and memories
One season too late for the 1968 Jets Super Bowl championship. Ouch.
Loved Shea our stadium. Love these clips
Possibly my favorite NFL season of all time. She had such great character and the game vs Miami at home was the best I ever saw in person. The subway back to midtown was a big party.
Exciting team!! 2 Jets recorded 20 sacks! I don’t think anyone’s ever done that to this day!
Klecko and Gastineau--and both "juiced" to the gills on steroids--so essentially their sacks mean nothing and shouldn't be counted as any kind of record
Up yours
Super bowl 🤔
That early eighties Jets team with that d-line "the New York Sack Exchange" Klecko, Lyons. Salaam, Gastineau, decent offense: walker, McNeil, Jones, Toon ,they should've reached the SB ,I believe the AFC title game in Miami where they let the field get drenched and they end up playing in ankle deep mud.
Thomasromanofski16 fake nfl fan 🤔
This is great! Thank you for posting!! John Facenda narrating a great Jets season is a rare treat!!
John facinda narrating a cookbook is a great thing LOL but I know what you're saying the voice of God himself John facinda rest in peace my friend
Who's watching this after Joe Klecko's long deserving induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Joe Namath really doesn’t have the numbers to be in there
The Jets had a great team in the 1980s. Full of weapons and a defense that was amazing. Too bad they never saw a Super Bowl.
Really? They had losing seasons in 1983, 84,87, 88 and 89
@@stevep8445 Actually in ‘88 they were 8-7-1 but I think a better characterization is that they were competitive unlike the lost era of the 70s
@@stevep8445 and they didn't win a single division title either
@@stevep8445 and they went 4-12 in 1980. They were the only team the saints beat that year
@First Lastand that's great?
Randy Rasmussen was the last of the sb 3 squad to retire
That's wild when you think about it. Impressive career.
This is the first season I can remember
Thanks for uploading this one! Love it!
When Richard Todd threw that fateful interception, in the corner out of camera view, was a wide open receiver! Poor Todd, never quite got over the hump.
After this game is when Mike Webster was quoted as saying that Joe Klecko was the strongest & quickest Lineman he'd ever gone up against.....
This is a FACT ! THINK ABOUT WHO MIKE WENT UP AGAINST EVERY DAY IN PRACTICE !?!?!??!?
Klecko was a beast
Besides Mike Webster, Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Anthony Munoz said on the day he retired, he said Joe Klecko was the quickest, strongest and the toughest son of a bitch lineman I have ever faced during my career and it was from the 1981 NFL season!!
@@josecolon2201 Steroids will do that to you
John Hannah of the Patriots said Joe Klecko and Howie Long were the best defensive lineman he ever played against.
Freeman McNeil is a forgotten RB in the grand scheme, but he was a terrific player. Very underrated!!
9:51...I love how that clip was used for negative AND positive feelings about the Giants miraculous 1981 season.
Jets and Giants both made the playoffs in 1981. Good year for the NY/NJ region.
The NYSE the New York Sack Exchange this was a good Jets team. You Jets fans deserve better.
NOBODY ever thought of Joe Klecko as "the little guy"
1981 saw the revival of the N.Y. Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and the eventual AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals as an AFC contender.
Great excerpts of the radio broadcasts. Brooklyn’s Spencer Ross had that distinctive voice. Great memories. I just wished the Jets could have pulled off the mud bowl game before a delirious Jets crowd. Probably my favorite Jets team.
Huh ? Mud game was in Miami Orange bowl.
@@francinestroehmer2774 The wild card game against the Bills.
I remember it as clear as if it was 39 years ago.
Me too
74... ABDUL SALAAM.... ONE HELLUVA' DEFENSIVE TACKLE..
The most underrated D. T. in the entire NFL.......
2021 we are coming y'all!!! Been doing this since 1982 and the NFL can sleep if they want to!!!!!!
Highlight of the season at 16:08, brought to you by WCBS, News Radio, 88 on your AM dial.
Dont forget all-pro offensive tackle Marvin Powell
I was at the the game when they put the beat down on the Giants. I believe had Shula had not pulled that stunt in Miami in 1982. The Jets would’ve beaten the Dolphins and the Redskins in the Super Bowl. That Jets team was tough to handle.
Ain't no way the forecast says 80% chance of rain for the weekend and you don't tarf the playing field, I watched that game, they were actually ankle deep in mud, that bs was orchestrated. The AFL rivals like that in big games use all kinds of advantages: snow plows on the field, failure to tarf field, smdh, since 1968 imho the NY Sack Exchange was the best team they've had that should've made/won SB and that explosive offense, excellent lb corps, Blinka, Mehl
Only team to win a super bowl while playing in New York. Hopefully the Jets come back home asap
RIP Abdul Salaam 😢
5:06 if you were a kid in the 1980s and heard that music you knew you were about to witness some awesome sports highlights 🤣
The field conditions back then were atrocious
31-0 in Buffalo on opening day
Since 1968 the only real thing the Jets have had to brag about is Joe Namath,s Jersey. However they have more Superbowl victories than Minnesota, Chargers, Browns, Bengals, Bills, Phoenix, Lions and Oilers-Titans. Have tied Chicago and Seattle for a Silver Football. God I miss the Twin Towers.
Todd was an interception waiting to happen. 1981 was his best and only good year..And while he rallied them vs the Bills in the playoffs, he also tossed 4 picks in that game..
Still a helluva lot better than fetal position O'Brien.
O'Brien was not a leader. Also, one of the most frustrating things about him was that when he took off and had a reasonable head of steam towards a first-down/touchdown, he would se one player even from the other side---where, normally, even if he got hit slightly he would certainly make it to a first-down/touchdown, he would unnecessarily and to a ridiculous degree, impede his own momentum and and fall short of the target. He would do this if he has already run 15 yards or 3 yards---each with a fair head of steam. So it is, obviously, psychological.
So, I would start anticipating his pussy loser's attitude and know that, no matter what advances he made in a given rum, the sight of a defender would make him, in essence, backpedal.
82 was pretty nice for Todd too.
Until the AFC Championship game Todd had a very solid 82/Jan83 season/playoffs
As for the1982 AFC Championship game, we all know how that went lol
Joe Klecko. My favorite Jet. If he wasn’t injured in ‘82 who knows how that would have changed Jets lore. I would like to think they would have at least faced the Redskins in the Super Bowl. But then Riggins may not have had one of the best single plays to ever grace our eyes .
Klecko and Gastineau "juiced" which makes them cheaters and hence any records they had were meaningless. Gastineau is now in the throes of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and has admitted he wished he had never played football
Loved Joe Klecko. Also Wesley Walker.
17:58 I helped tear down the goalpost when they clinched the wildcard, almost causing a forfeit the following week, and remember thinking "Why the f**k am I on the field celebrating a wildcard berth?"
Where it started for me. Jets jets jets!!!!!!
I was in those bending bleacher benches.....One of the best & worst days of my life.
I remember once being at a Rolling Stones concert at Shea in 1989, and the upper deck was swaying and bending. Scary feeling.
All 4 back together again
Sadly on August 26, 2024, famous New York radio station WCBS 880 is changing their call letters. It will become an ESPN radio channel.
In Todd We Trust!
It's crazy teams would play some non division teams twice back then. How the jets played Seattle twice.
Back then, the two conference teams that finished FIFTH in their divisions played a two-game home-and-home series the following season.
The scheduling system was worked out by former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle (RIP)...A MUCH BETTER commissioner than Roger Goodell.
Anyone know the music that’s playing starting at the 3:57?
Within the last few yrs of actually being in nyc
Sorta like 2023
"Jets Fever" the Covid of football.
🖤💯🇩🇪🇮🇩🖤
Was New Jersey happy too?
Klecko was 6'3"...not small
Exactly!
Do you have 1979 N.Y Jets?
No
Should have beat miami in Orange bowl and one of Seattle games, why did they play seahawks twice?
Same old Jets. Would've, should've, could've, but didn't.
In Todd we trust!
In Todays nfl with most of the emphasis on the passing game they wouldn't be able to pay gastineau for getting to the qb.
They deserved to at least appear in one Super Bowl between 1981 and 1988. Just absurdly unlucky. What a waste having David Woodley and the cheating fish con their way to one
I was at the game where they made the playoffs by beating Green Bay and was on the field when they tore down the goalposts! I was also at the playoff game where they lost to effing Buffalo. 😡
Gastineau needs to be inducted next, right NOW!
How did this team lose 🤦🏽♂️
I am amazed at how many Jet fans hate Richard Todd. I wasnt born until 1986, looking at it on paper he led a mediocre team to the AFC playoffs twice and to an AFC title game one of those years. He never had the skill set of a Montana, Elway or Steve Young, some of that is God given. But Todd won a lot of ballgames.
why did they play SEA twice ?
They were both playing with the "last place schedule" which existed from 1978-95. If you finished in last place (only the 4 divisions with 5 teams, the other 2 at the time which was the AFC Central & NFC West got shafted) in one year you got that last place schedule the next year and you would play the last place team from the year before at home & on road as well as play the 2 last place teams in the other conference in the 5 team divisions, one at home and the other the road. Those 4 games would replace the normal 4 games you had against the other conference division your division would play. A bit convoluted how I said it here but that's how it was before the expansion in 95 w Jacksonville & Carolina coming into the league.
Blew the division title by losing to the Seahawks twice in one season.
😂to bad the jets offensive line wasn't good
Question Jet fans? Who is that obnoxious Jet critic I see in NFL Networks' Top 10 list, he seems more obnoxious than Russo & Francessa!
Gastineau was better than Klecko
no way
@@SmileAmerica-th7yeoh yes way! Not close
They were both awesome players and contributed a lot
JETS HAD MANY GREAT TEAMS OVER THE YEARS, UNFORTUNATELY WE HAD SHIT PLAY CALLER'S THAT WHERE WAY TO CONSERVATIVE, AND GUESS WHAT, SAME OLD JETS!
SHAME ON THE HALL OF FAME, KLECKO SHOULD OF BEEN IN THE H.O.F YEARS AGO, 3 POSITION PLAYER REALLY?