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Recently, bloggers in an AFC East blog site called the "AFC East Blog" blogged about memorable plays in their blog. The blogger assigned to our New York Jets nominated two forgettable plays as a "memorable plays" in his blog. We are only rogue bloggers here, but as actual Gang Green fans, I believe we can remember more than two negative plays out of a possible three. But then again, we are not master baiters when it comes to internet clicks.
Personally, the most memorable play for me has to be Wayne Chrebet's last. Wayne was known for his fearlessness and reliability. Chrebet's last play in the NFL was a third-down conversion. In the 4th quarter against the San Diego Chargers at home on November 6, 2005, Gang Green needed 5 yards on 3rd down. Wayne caught the ball for a 6 yard completion, received a big hit and suffered a concussion, one of many in his career. And he never let go of the ball.
Obviously, I hated the fact that he suffered the injury and ultimately had to retire. But I admired Wayne Chrebet's courage and ability. It was the epitome of what "Play Like A Jet" means, or what I would like it to mean.
Another memorable play for me also by a wide receiver: Jerricho Cotchery's third down conversion after pulling his hamstring. It was in overtime against the Cleveland Browns in 2010. J-Co sustained an injury at the start of the play but never gave up, never conceded anything. Instead, he showed himself to his quarterback and caught the football. And that was another Jets first down. Gang Green would go on to win the game.
Here is video of the play:
And another favorite moment for me was Curtis Martin's record-tying run in the snow on December 12, 2003 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the losing season, Martin quietly and consistently kept up his high level of play that year, just like he always has. From AP:
He became just the second player in NFL history to top 1,000 yards in nine straight seasons to start a career, joining Barry Sanders as the only players in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
...
"It is something that I feel good about," Martin said. "I'm not big on statistics and individual goals, but this one is special to me. I'm only the second person in the world to do this."
I pretty much love almost every Curtis Martin play, though, because of all the effort he puts into it. But I think my favorite moments really are whenever the TV crew would show him with his hands on his knees behind the quarterback, and sometimes they would zoom in on his face right before the snap, and you can see his eyes scanning the field left and right, looking over the defense. I love seeing that, in anticipation of the next play. It just makes me feel very confident about the Jets because Curtis Martin is on the field. I wonder if his teammates felt like that, too.
Some of my other favorite moments are tied with my personal life. For example, I had to work during the 2004 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, and I had my girlfriend watch the game for me. I called her during my break, and she updated me with the score and what happened. I had met her in the spring of that year, and when I learned that she was into football, I converted her to be a Jets fan right away. We are married now.
I will always remember literally sitting on the edge of our seats watching as the Jets tried to stop the San Diego Chargers from a comeback in the playoffs on January 2005.
In the 2006 preseason, we went on a road trip and watched Leon Washington in Washington, D.C. And of course, he had a big return for a touchdown in that game.
Our little boy's first word to spell was J-E-T-S. During the 2010 game against the Minnesota Vikings, there was a torrential downpour around halftime, and his first sort of complete sentence was "I no like thunder." In the Thanksgiving game, he looked up to see shoeless Brad Smith score a touchdown and said, "Hey, it's Jets! Running, running Jets!"
Anyways, those are just a few moments that stand out for me personally. I could probably go on and on. And I'm sure our longer-time fans have many, many more they can remember. What are some of your favorite New York Jets plays?