1969 Jets should be in the conversation. 10-4 won the AFL East. Should've beaten KC at Shea but Namath had a disgustingly horrific game and the Chiefs got a key goal line stand followed by a long passing play. That was the birth of Same Old Jets
Back in 1994 everyone watching the NHL said that the real Stanley Cup that year wasn’t the Rags and Canucks, it was the conference final between the Devils and Rangers. It was a nail biter of a series that quite literally came down the the last second of the last game of game 7. I feel the exact same way about 1998. The SuperBowl that year was, for all intents and purposes, played by the Jets and Broncos. Like the Devils and Rangers, those were the two best teams in the league and when they went head to head that was the climax of the season. The ‘championship’ afterward was really quite anti-climactic as a result.
The 2010 team had the best single victory of any post-Namath team but they just weren't consistent enough to put them above the '98 team on the whole. The '98 team was KILLING people the way I never saw any Jet team do so. Heck they were 13-2 with Vinny, and 0-3 with Glenn Foley. The 1982 team is the only one I'd argue, they probably had the better defense over the '98 team but '98 Vinny >> Richard Todd.
Despite what I wrote above, for me the best team was the 1986 team. I have a soft spot for that team, even O’Brien whom I feel is underrated by many fans, and have always believed that had the team had better luck with injuries (including the apparently unreported injury to Mark Gastineau that caused him to stick his own head up his ass!) that that team would have been destined for greatness. That implosion seemed to trigger the downward spiral of the team, sending the Jets down the road to such football luminaries as Costlet and the immortal Kotite. Maybe one SB appearance or win would’ve been just that, a single positive achievement for a talented team. After all, the Chicago Bears only notched a single SB and they were an amazing team. Still, success often breeds success.... and as I said, I have a soft spot for the ‘86 team.
True about the 98’ team. I guess they were really the last time I expected the team to win it all. Had similar feelings about the 2010 team because of the prior seasons success, but I thought the 98’ team had it for sure. To young to comment on the 82’ team, thankfully.
O'Brien with McNeil, Hector, Toon, Walker, and Shuler was also a thing of beauty. Watch out for that flea flicker.
Surprised that Champ hasn't jumped in yet to reprimand us for arguing about which of these losing teams is best, when all were abject failures ; ) Great thread. I can't make up my mind even though I was fortunate to have been to all the home games in all of these seasons. My initial impulse was to choose '82 because the sack exchange in it's prime was something to behold and felt like we had something no other NFL team did. That season along with '98 were the two "shoulda been" SB's. However, since "what ifs" are being allowed here, my nod goes to the '86 team. We've all watched many Jets games and seasons. I don't recall a stretch like that 10-1 run, when we were considered to be the best team in the NFL. It fell apart at the end, but as soon as it got a little bit healthier, a playoff run was in the making, until.... If I had to pick a game to watch between two NY Jets teams it'd be Testeverde, Chrebet, Keyshawn, and Curtis, against O'Brien, Toon, Wesley and Freeman - Played on the '86 surface in favorable Meadowlands weather.
Hasty,,you are correct,,,,Shuler was the last GOOD all round TE we had even though they have wasted so many draft picks on TE s,,,,,,,,curse you Don Shuler , pox on you and your ancestors for not covering that damn field !!!
A pox on your ancestors?!?! Damn. That's retro-actively cruel. Watch out for CBG-- ice in those veins.
I voted 98 but I think the 99 team was the best Jets team when the year started. The toilet got flushed when Vinny went down with that non-contact injury.
