Todd had a couple of decent years but was always a mistake waiting to happen, he killed us against buf in '81 and at Miami in '82.
Todd is my #3 favorite Jet QB behind Namath and Pennington. Todd had a big arm, made plays, not afraid to pull the ball down and run it (like OB) but should've done that more and would've had less picks. Returned the Jets to the playoffs and played like a champion in LA in the divisional round. Those things will never be forgotten no matter how it turned out. O'Brien, Vinny, and Chad have been worshipped for less.
Very big Richard Todd fan. He was an exciting player who had many highlights as a Jet. Comeback win vs. Miami, to put the Jets in first place, at Shea Stadium, playing with a broken rip and flak jacket on comes to mind. Hit Jerome Barkum with the winning td with 16 seconds left. Shea erupted. Beat Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Raiders, both on the road in the 1982 playoffs. Had a dramatic game with Wesley Walker to beat a great Raider team. Also had a fantastic game vs. the Rams in 1983, throwing for 436 yards or so in a dramatic ot win. But, he was a mistake waiting to happen alot. He way too many times, threw ill advised passes, in key situations, that made ya want to cry. A perfect example of his career was the Jets 1981 playoff game vs. the Bills. He led the Jets back from a 24-0 deficit to put the Jets within one play of dramtically winning the game. He was on fire, connecting with Bobby Jones to bring the Jets within 4 ponts. Then he had Derrick Gaffney open going into the end zone, but instead of lofting the ball to Gaffney for the winning TD, he tried to cram it in and threw the ball right to Bill Simpson for a heartbreaking loss. In 1983, a very frustrating season for the Jets, the Jets were predicted by many to win the Super Bowl. Very talented team. But in what really summed up the Jets led Todd in a nutshell, they'd beat the 49'ers, who were great back then, in SF. They'd beat San Diego and Air Coryell in SD. Almost every good team they'd beat. Almost every subpar team, they'd lose to. Ended the season a very disappointing 7-9 and that was the end of the Richard Todd era. On one hand he was good enough to lead the Jets to two straight playoff seasons and one game away from the Super Bowl. On the other hand, in the AFC Championship game he got picked off 5 times on a muddy field, against a Dolphin team he usually beat. He'd give ya lots of dramatically great moments and then break your heart, all in the same game. Still a good player. Tough player also.
Well, as you may have guessed, one of my all-time favorite Jets. Yes, I voted positive although I can respect how many would not. There has been many solid and fair comments already. Here is what I would add....Keep in mind he played under the "shadow" of Namath. He was a young kid coming out of Alabama (Namath again) and he did not have much self confidence (he even studdered-sp?) and he had to come to NY and the pressure cooker that it is. He was constantly being compared to Namath which from my point of view was interesting because Namath was not very good his last few years with us...if I was not a Jets fan I would even say he "sucked". Very different from the calls for Chad's head to be replaced by our young quarterback...Chad does not "suck". With all of that said, I was pleasantly suprised that Todd did as well as he did. He was considered "big" for a QB back then..I think 6'2" 220 lbs. and I agree that he should have ran the ball more. He did throw too many INT's. He had a strong arm and use to air it out to Wesley Walker...those were some cool times. Besides hitting Steve Serby and the infamous "flipping the bird" to the home Jets fans (I read he use to have a picture of that hung up in his home) he got boo'd at home a lot. The other odd memory I have is that he would start to grow a beard at the end of the season if we were not in the playoff hunt for some kind of hunting season in Alabama or Louisana(sp?) after the football season was over. I was between the ages of 11 and 18 when he was our QB. I was crushed when he was traded to the Saints. I had two of his jerseys during those years and use to wear them a lot. Keep in mind I live in NE Ohio! All in all - "In Todd We Trust" for me! Mike
Outside of the shitty game against Miami, I used to love the Wes Bombs. Wesley was the man and he played with only one good eye.
All of the comments here pretty much sum it up for me. The Mud Bowl fiasco was obviously his lowest point, but he has to get at least a partial pass on that, since Shula cheated to make the conditions that way. Favorable.
He never used to see the safety. Whenever the safety jumped a route, he seemed to throw it right to him. Todd's highlights: 1) Barkum td pass, 16 seconds left, vs. Miami, Jets win. 2) 45 yard completion to Wesley Walker, Jets beat Los Angeles Raiders, make the AFC Championship game. Great road win !!! 3) Beating Cincinnati in the first round of the playoffs, 20-28, 269 yards. 4) Beating the Rams in overtime, throwing for 436 yards. 5) Beat the Lions on Monday night football, throwing for 384 yards. 6) Threw for four tds in a 28-28 tie vs. Miami 7) 1981 Jets team MVP 8) Pro Bowl Alternate one season. 9) Went 7 straight games of not losing to the Dolphins. 10) Set an NFL record at the time over 42 completions in a game,, also had 447 yards throwing and 3 td's in loss to the Forty Niners. 11) Beat a Real good Houston Oiler team, 31-28 in an otherwise disappointing 1980 season. 12) Threw for over 350 yards in playoff game vs. Buffalo leading Jets almost all the way back from a 24-0 deficit. Lowlights: 1) 5 interceptions in the mud bowl vs Miami in the AFC Championship game loss. 2) 30 intereceptions in 1980. 3) Intercepted by Bill Simpson with 10 seconds left, on two yard line, which ended dramatically almost a fantastic historical comeback in the 1981 AFC Wild Card game. 4) 26 interceptions in 1983.
One other thing I remember is that he used to "broadcast" when he was going to throw the ball by hitting the football with his left hand twice before throwing it down the field with his right. This was talked about back in the day...maybe the Int. issue could have been worked on here. Here is a question....I have seen pictures of Richard Todd signing autographs on the internet and eBay...but he signs with his left hand. Was he left handed and threw right? I know...odd question. Just wondering if anyone else ever noticed. Mike
Favorable. You don't win two playoff games on the Jets and make an unfavorable impression on me. Joe Walton singlehandedly killed his career (after he had given it a shot in the arm) by not changing the offensive game plan in the Mud Bowl to compensate for the mud.
UN-Favorable - You guys kill me voting favorable...even though you admit he was a "mistake waiting to happen." The ultimate Todd was the Mud Bowl. The pass he threw TO AJ Duhe was the perfect low light to show what the guy was made of. Nothing personal, I hear he's a great guy, but he always folded in the clutch - telegraphed his throws - and never took the smart "out" when the pressure was on him. Look, I can understand anyone being upset that fans actually cheered when he got hurt - as much as I didn't like him and loved Matt Robinson, I did not cheer for his injury. However, his response later - giving the fans at Shea the double finger, will be something I will never forget as a Jets' fan. It's the single most dubious move by a Jet player - and the fact that the team never did anything to him for it...made me wonder about the franchsie in those days. Suffice to say, my other big Richard Todd moment was the game he threw 19 passes to Clarke Gaines agains the 49ers. He set some kind of record in that game, but the Jets lost, and he threw to Gaines so often, that the last of the 19 passes was the one where Gaines blew out his knee. Meaningless numbers - losing efforts - unfortunate consequences - not living up to his pre-draft hype - that sums up Richard Todd's legacy as a Jet. 121 touchdowns versus 164 interceptions. That is a ratio you can't have as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Un-Favorable.
I don't know that voting favorable means putting him in the Hall of Fame, just better than unfavorable. I always pulled for Todd, wanted him to get his job back over Matt Robinson, stuck with him during the 30 INT year in 1980. But Todd was tough and a fighter and he got us back to the playoffs after the 0-3 start in 1981, you guys have mentioned the 1982-83 season. That Miami game sucked but Todd was far from the only reason, same goes for the 1983 season. He had a good arm, improved over time, was mobile enough to not get sacked and he stayed healthy for the most part.
a) don't look at the interception/td ratio and compare it to todays QB's. Complete different game. Even Joe Namath threw more picks then TD's. The Defensive had all the advantages rules wise back then. Completely different now. b) he was terrible in that Miami playoff game, no doubt about it. But that's one game. He was excellent the two previous playoff games that got them there. c) he didn't always fold in the clutch. He had many comeback wins in his career. Geez the guy led the team down the field with a broken rib to beat Miami with 16 seconds left. With a flak jacket on. That's not folding in the clutch. He led the Jets down the field in the last 4 minutes to beat the Los Angeles Raiders, in the playoffs, on the road, is that folding in the clutch? He was a frustrating QB, no doubt about it and threw way too many interceptions. But he still did alot of good things as a Jet, also. He was an all or nothing type of QB. He'd win you some games and lose ya some games.
In 1981 we were 10-5-1 which was our first winning record in something like 12 or 13 years! When we started playing better as a team he was our QB. Could you imagine a Jets fan today going through 12 years without a winning record? As for flipping the bird at Shea....he should not have done that but there is no reason to boo your starting QB like that. NY fans use to be known to those of us living on the outside as a bunch of very fickle negative a-holes that boo their starters, cheer when they get hurt and fight each other in the stands....not things to be very proud of. The NY fans response was always "No, we are just very intelligent fans that have a right to voice our opinion"...whatever. The good news is that Jet fans are no longer looked that way on the outside. I think there is another thread going on this topic. Todd, Walker, The Sack Exchange all brought some respect back to a team that was nothing since 1968-69.
