The New York Jets had started a new era in 1990 when they hired Bruce Coslet, fresh off his work as coordinator on the high-powered Cincinnati Bengals offenses in the late 1980s. Coslet inherited a 4-12 team and made modest improvements to 6-10. He continued the improvement in 1991 by reaching .500 and making the […]
The Jets had made the playoffs in 1981, the first postseason appearance since the days of Joe Namath. One year later they took it one step further—the 1982 New York Jets won two playoff games and made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game to cap off a year where a players’ strike […]
The New York Jets had been a playoff team at the outset of the 1980s, reaching the postseason in 1981-82 and getting to the AFC Championship Game the latter trip. Then head coach Walt Michaels suddenly retired, Joe Walton took over and the Jets promptly went 7-9 the next two seasons. Walton needed to deliver a playoff season and that’s what he did, as the 1985 New York Jets contended all year for the AFC East crown and ultimately got in as a wild-card.
A great season had ended in heartbreak, something Jets fans have become all too familiar with over the years. But it was still…well, it was still a great season. And the Jets would build on this, come back strong in 1982 and not only make the playoffs, but win some games when they got there.
It’s hard to imagine a year with more wild ups and downs than what the 1986 New York Jets experienced. The season didn’t end the way the fans wanted, but no one could say it was boring.