Inside the NFL
Jets have provided some of Buffalo’s best memories
It was the night before what might have been the greatest upset in Buffalo Bills history.
Bills cornerback Booker Edgerson and a few of his teammates got together with Jets star quarterback Joe Namath and a few of his teammates for a little socializing.
The year was 1968. The Bills were 0-3 and on their way to a 1-12-1 finish. The Jets were 2-0 and on their way to the Super Bowl title.
“We were at the Holiday Inn that Saturday night having a few drinks with a few of the Jets players,” Edgerson recalled this week. “And Namath said to me, ‘You better go home and get some rest because I’m going to be throwing at you all day.’ And I said, ‘You do and I’m gonna pick off every other one you throw.’ ”
Edgerson proved to be prescient. The Bills picked off five Namath passes and defeated the Jets, 37-35, at War Memorial Stadium.
The Bills took three of those pickoffs for touchdowns — on a 100-yard return by Tom Janik, a 53-yard return by Butch Byrd and a 45-yard return by Edgerson, which wound up being the winning score.
Namath finished with 19 completions in 43 attempts for 280 yards.
Three months later, after the Jets shocked Baltimore for the title, Namath was asked if the Colts were the best defense he ever faced. He said no. That would be the Bills.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Jets’ title season and that big upset. With that in mind, here’s the 10 most memorable Bills-Jets games, from the Buffalo perspective:
1. Dec. 16, 1973: Bills 34, Jets 14. O. J. Simpson sets the NFL single-season rushing record of 2,003 yards in the finale at Shea Stadium. Simpson rushed 34 times for 200 yards.
2. Sept. 29, 1968: Bills 37, Jets 35. Biggest upset of the series.
3. Dec. 27, 1981: Bills 31, Jets 27. In a wild card playoff victory at New York,
the Bills almost blew a 24-0 lead, but safety Bill Simpson intercepted a Richard Todd pass at the goal line with two seconds left.
4. Nov. 20, 1988: Bills 9, Jets 6 (OT). Fred Smerlas blocked a 40-yard field goal attempt with 19 seconds left to force overtime, and Scott Norwood kicked a 30-yarder in extra time. The win clinched the Bills’ first division title since 1980 and touched off “Fan-Demonium” in Rich Stadium.
5. Dec. 8, 1963: Bills 45, Jets 14. Cookie Gilchrist set the pro football single-game rushing record with 243 yards, topping Jim Brown’s record of 237. Gilchrist carried 36 times, scored an AFL-record five TDs and had 50 yards in runs called back by penalty.
6. Oct. 21, 1990: Bills 30, Jets 27. Jim Kelly’s desperation touchdown pass to Jamie Mueller with 19 seconds left won it. It was the only TD catch of Mueller’s career.
7. Nov. 2, 1975: Bills 24, Jets 23. Facing fourth-and-1 from the Bills’ 20 with 5:19 left, Jets coach Charley Winner goes for it. The Jets are stopped. Simpson catches a short pass over the middle and runs 64 yards for the winning TD with 3:46 left.
8. Sept. 29, 1974: Bills 16, Jets 12. One of the worst weather games in Bills history, played in pouring rain and winds gusting at 40 mph at Rich Stadium. Namath had more interceptions (three) than completions (two), finishing 2 of 8 for 3 yards. Joe Ferguson was 0 for 2 passing. It’s still the fewest completions in an NFL game since 1942. (Namath was just 8-10 for his career versus the Bills.)
9. Nov. 9, 1980: Bills 31, Jets 24. The Bills blew a 17-0 lead at New York. Frank Lewis caught a 31-yard TD pass on a corner route from Ferguson with six seconds left.
10. Sept. 24, 1990: Bills 30, Jets 7. Thurman Thomas rushed for a career-high 214 yards on just 18 carries in a Monday Night win at New York.
Browns’ beast
Cleveland looks like it’s going to be a tough out the rest of the season because nose tackle Shaun Rogers has hit midseason form. He was utterly dominant in the Browns’ win over Jacksonville last week, with nine unassisted tackles, a sack, three quarterback hits and one tackle for loss. He also blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game. Jaguars backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew combined for 53 yards on 20 rushing attempts. Their longest run was 5 yards.
Said Jaguars quarterback David Garrard after the game: “You know that dude is an animal. He’s the biggest guy on the field and might be the biggest guy in the whole league. He has a motor and when it’s geared up and turned on full speed, I don’t know very many guys who can block him.”
The 6-foot-4, 350-pound Rogers, traded by Detroit because he only occasionally flipped his switch, has four sacks and ranks third on the Browns with 37 tackles.
Torain on tap
Watch out in the coming weeks for Denver rookie running back Ryan Torain. He fractured his elbow in training camp and missed the entire preseason. But Broncos coach Mike Shanahan compared Torain to Terrell Davis early in camp and carried him on the 53-man roster rather than putting him on injured reserve.
If he can stay healthy, Torain could be the starter within the month. He played only six games for Arizona State last year because he suffered a Lisfranc injury in his left foot.
Torain is 6-1, 225 pounds. He rushed for 1,229 yards for the Sun Devils in 2006 and was viewed as a possible third-round pick entering his senior year. He wound up going in the fifth round. He is not particularly explosive and runs a tad upright, but he has great instincts. We’ll see if he’s another rags-to-riches Broncos success. Still coming off his injury, he ran a 4.7 time in the 40-yard dash at the combine. But he came back and ran 4.51 in his on-campus workout before the draft.
Onside kicks
• The Giants-Steelers game drew 22 million viewers. Game Four of the World Series drew 16 million viewers.
• Fired Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has decided to fight Al Davis for the remaining $2.6 million on his contract, ESPN’s John Clayton reports. Kiffin filed a complaint through the NFL Coaches Association over his termination. Davis says Kiffin was fired “for cause” and won’t get a dime.
• It looks like the knee injury Pats back Sammy Morris suffered will keep him out awhile. However, the Pats expect to get LaMont Jordan back from injury today versus the Colts. The Pats desperately need Jordan to produce. But at his best, he’s not as explosive as the injured Laurence Maroney at his best.
• In last week’s game versus the Pats, the Rams were penalized nine times and New England none.
• Cardinals receiver Steve Breaston, who played big versus the Bills, has 33 catches in his last four games.
• Eagles QB Donovan McNabb has just two TD passes in his last 15 quarters. That’s a statement on his perennially underwhelming receivers.
