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The GGN All Time Jets Team: Offensive Coordinator

Pittsburgh Steelers v New York Jets Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images

We have the winner of the vote at offensive coordinator: Joe Walton!

Joe Walton grew up in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and was a high school football star at Beaver Falls High School just a few years before Joe Namath. Walton went on to play tight end for several years in the NFL before embarking on a coaching career. Joe Walton got his first NFL offensive coordinator job with the Washington Redskins, where in three years from 1978 through 1980 he was instrumental in reviving the NFL careers of John Riggins and Joe Theismann. Walton was offensive coordinator only two years with the Jets, but they were two good years. Walton oversaw the best two years of Richard Todd’s career, the best year and only All Pro season of Freeman McNeil, the best year of Bruce Harper, and one of just two Pro Bowl years of Wesley Walker. In 1981 and 1982 Joe Walton oversaw the only two post-merger Jets offenses ever to finish in the top 10 in points scored in back to back seasons. The two years Walton served as offensive coordinator both ended in Jets playoff berths. The Joe Walton Jets offensives were explosive and exciting, two words current day Jets fans rarely associate with the team.

After two successful years as Jets offensive coordinator, the Jets promoted Joe Walton to head coach, where he successfully developed Ken O’ Brien and led the Jets to back to back playoff appearances in 1985 and 1986. Al Toon had all three of his Pro Bowl seasons under Walton, and Mickey Shuler had both of his Pro Bowl seasons under Walton. Joe Walton also led two of the three Jets offenses to rank as high as 4th in the NFL in yards since 1972, the other such offense being the 1998 Jets that reached the AFC Championship Game.

We continue building the GGN All Time Jets Team by adding coaches. We’re going to vote on just three coaches: a head coach, an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator. Nominees must have served at least two years with the Jets in the capacity they are nominated for. Each coach can only serve in one capacity.

Today we vote on the final coach, the defensive coordinator. Let’s hear from all of you who is the greatest Jets defensive coordinator of all time.

Poll

Who is the best Jets defensive coordinator of all time?

This poll is closed

  • 1%
    Ted Cottrell
    (3 votes)
  • 39%
    Walt Michaels
    (100 votes)
  • 13%
    Bud Carson
    (34 votes)
  • 0%
    Joe Gardi
    (1 vote)
  • 3%
    Pete Carroll
    (8 votes)
  • 33%
    Bill Belichick
    (83 votes)
  • 0%
    Bob Sutton
    (1 vote)
  • 7%
    Mike Pettine
    (20 votes)
  • 0%
    Dennis Thurman
    (1 vote)
251 votes total Vote Now