1988 New York Jets season - Misplaced Pages

1988 season of NFL team New York Jets

1988 New York Jets season
Owner	Leon Hess
Head coach	Joe Walton
Home field	The Meadowlands
Results
Record	8–7–1
Division place	4th AFC East
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	TE Mickey Shuler WR Al Toon FS Erik McMillan
← 1987 Jets seasons 1989 →

A ticket for a September 1988 game between the Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

The 1988 New York Jets season was the 29th season for the team and the 19th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 6–9 record from 1987 under head coach Joe Walton. The Jets finished the season with a record of 8–7–1. Although for the second straight year they failed to qualify for the playoffs, they would play the spoiler, as a victory over their cross-town rival New York Giants in week 16 kept the Giants out of the playoffs due to a series of tiebreakers. For the third time in his career, Ken O'Brien had the lowest rate of interceptions among quarterbacks. He had 7 interceptions in 424 passing attempts.

The Jets endured a major distraction when Mark Gastineau, the team's main pass rusher who appeared to be experiencing a career-renaissance, abruptly retired in midseason to tend to ailing actress Brigitte Nielsen.

Offseason

Draft

Main article: 1988 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1988 New York Jets draft
1	8	Dave Cadigan	Offensive tackle	USC
2	37	Terry Williams	Cornerback	Bethune-Cookman
3	63	Erik McMillan	Safety	Missouri
3	74	James Hasty	Cornerback	Washington State
5	119	Mike Withycombe	Offensive guard	Fresno State
6	146	Paul Frase	Defensive end	Syracuse
7	172	Gary Patton	Running back	Eastern Michigan
8	203	Keith Neubert	Tight end	Nebraska
9	230	Ralph Tamm	Offensive guard	West Chester
10	257	John Booty	Cornerback	TCU
11	287	John Galvin	Linebacker	Boston College
12	314	Albert Goss	Defensive Tackle	Jackson State
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1988 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player	Position	College
Phil Alfieri	Defensive end	Oregon
Kelly Averitt	Tackle/Guard	Tennessee Tech
Greg Calcagno	Quarterback	Santa Clara
Harold Collins	Wide receiver	UTEP
Byron Dixon	Cornerback/Safety	Holy Cross
Keith Ferrell	Linebacker	Morehead State
Ricky Flowers	Wide receiver	Jackson State
Blair Fowler	Defensive tackle	UTEP
John Garrett	Center	Syracuse
Leon Hall	Defensive end	East Carolina
Bruce Hatfield	Linebacker	Tennessee Tech
Dave Ingalls	Center	Maine
Greg Johns	Linebacker	Penn State
Matt Kemper	Guard/Tackle	Miami (OH)
Brad Lambert	Cornerback/Safety	Kansas State
Eric Lewis	Wide receiver	North Carolina
Darryl Pearson	Wide receiver	Alabama State
Richard Petitbon	Linebacker	Maryland
Edwin Ross	Safety	Alabama State
Tom Schulting	Wide receiver	Iowa State
Russell Sheffield	Defensive end	Baylor
Mike Swanson	Defensive Tackle	Temple
Darryl Wright	Punter	Maryland

Personnel

Staff

**1988 New York Jets staff**
	Front office Owner – Leon Hess President/general manager – Jim Kensil Head coaches Head coach – Joe Walton Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/receivers coach – Rich Kotite Quarterbacks Coach - Zeke Bratkowski Running backs coach – Bobby Hammond Offensive line coach – Dan Radakovich			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Bud Carson Defensive line coach = Wally Chambers Linebackers coach - Jim Vechiarella Secondary - Mike Faulkner Special teams coaches Special teams coach - Larry Pasquale Quality control - Ray Callahan

Roster

**1988 New York Jets roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 7 Ken O'Brien 10 Pat Ryan Running backs (RB) 31 Marion Barber 30 Nuu Faaola 34 Johnny Hector 24 Freeman McNeil 43 Roger Vick Wide receivers (WR) 84 Michael Harper 87 Kurt Sohn 88 Al Toon 83 Jo-Jo Townsell 85 Wesley Walker Tight ends (TE) 80 K. D. Dunn 81 Billy Griggs 86 Keith Neubert 82 Mickey Shuler		Offensive linemen (OL) 60 Dan Alexander G 63 Ted Banker G 61 Jeff Criswell T 79 Mike Haight G 68 Reggie McElroy T 53 Jim Sweeney C 76 Mike Withycombe G Defensive linemen (DL) 95 Tom Baldwin DE 91 Paul Frase DE 74 Mark Garalczyk DE 93 Marty Lyons DE 94 Scott Mersereau NT 77 Gerald Nichols NT		Linebackers (LB) 54 Troy Benson OLB 59 Kyle Clifton ILB 90 Robin Cole OLB 51 John Galvin ILB 55 Alex Gordon OLB 57 Kevin McArthur OLB 92 Ken Rose OLB Defensive backs (DB) 42 John Booty CB/S 40 James Hasty CB 28 Carl Howard CB 48 Bobby Humphery CB 36 Rich Miano SS 25 George Radachowsky FS 33 Terry Williams CB 38 Mike Zordich FS Special teams 5 Pat Leahy K 6 Joe Prokop P 75 Adam Schreiber LS		Reserve 64 Guy Bingham C (IR) 66 Dave Cadigan T (IR) 50 Bob Crable LB (IR) -- Bobby Curtis LB (IR) -- Glenn Dennison TE (IR) 52 Onzy Elam LB (IR) 35 Kerry Glenn CB (PUP) 89 Rocky Klever TE (IR) -- Mark Krerowicz G (IR) -- Jamie Kurisko TE (IR) 15 Kyle Mackey QB (IR) 22 Erik McMillan S (IR) 46 Mike Mitchell CB (IR) 58 Matt Monger LB (IR) -- Tim O'Malley LB (IR) 19 Bobby Riley WR (IR) -- Bill Sanders TE (IR) 67 Ralph Tamm C/G (IR) Rookies in italics 47 active, 18 reserve

Starters

POS	Name	GS
QB	7 Ken O'Brien	12
RB	24 Freeman McNeil	16
FB	43 Roger Vick	12
WR	88 Al Toon	15
WR	85 Wesley Walker	10
TE	82 Mickey Shuler	15
LT	61 Jeff Criswell	12
LG	79 Mike Haight	9
C	53 Jim Sweeney	16
RG	60 Dan Alexander	13
RT	68 Reggie McElroy	16

POS	Name	GS
LDE	99 Mark Gastineau	7
NT	94 Scott Mersereau	15
RDE	93 Marty Lyons	16
LOLB	55 Alex Gordon	13
LILB	54 Troy Benson	16
RILB	59 Kyle Clifton	15
ROLB	57 Kevin McArthur	16
LCB	48 Bobby Humphery	16
RCB	40 James Hasty	15
SS	36 Rich Miano	16
FS	22 Erik McMillan	13

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 4	at New England Patriots	L 3–28	0–1	Sullivan Stadium	44,027
2	September 11	at Cleveland Browns	W 23–3	1–1	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	74,434
3	September 18	Houston Oilers	W 45–3	2–1	Giants Stadium	64,483
4	September 25	at Detroit Lions	W 17–10	3–1	Pontiac Silverdome	29,250
5	October 2	Kansas City Chiefs	T 17–17 (OT)	3–1–1	Giants Stadium	66,110
6	October 9	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 19–36	3–2–1	Riverfront Stadium	57,482
7	October 17	Buffalo Bills	L 14–37	3–3–1	Giants Stadium	70,218
8	October 23	at Miami Dolphins	W 44–30	4–3–1	Joe Robbie Stadium	68,292
9	October 30	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 24–20	5–3–1	Giants Stadium	64,862
10	November 6	at Indianapolis Colts	L 14–38	5–4–1	Hoosier Dome	59,233
11	November 13	New England Patriots	L 13–14	5–5–1	Giants Stadium	48,358
12	November 20	at Buffalo Bills	L 6–9 (OT)	5–6–1	Rich Stadium	78,389
13	November 27	Miami Dolphins	W 38–34	6–6–1	Giants Stadium	52,752
14	December 4	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 34–38	6–7–1	Arrowhead Stadium	30,059
15	December 10	Indianapolis Colts	W 34–16	7–7–1	Giants Stadium	46,284
16	December 18	New York Giants	W 27–21	8–7–1	Giants Stadium	69,770
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	3	0	0	0	3
• Patriots	3	3	10	12	28

Date: September 4
Location: Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C), wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)

Week 2

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Jets	3	3	3	14	23
Browns	3	0	0	0	3

Date: September 11
Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 65 °F (18.3 °C) • wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn)
Referee: Tom Dooley
TV announcers (NBC): Mel Proctor and Al DeRogatis

Scoring summary

1	NYJ	Pat Leahy 22 yard field goal	Jets 3–0

1	CLE	Matt Bahr 47 yard field goal	Tie 3–3

2	NYJ	Pat Leahy 29 yard field goal	Jets 6–3

3	NYJ	Pat Leahy 23 yard field goal	Jets 9–3

4	NYJ	Roger Vick 1 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)	Jets 16–3

4	NYJ	Roger Vick 3 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)	Jets 23–3

Week 3

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	3	0	0	0	3
• Jets	14	14	3	14	45

Date: September 18
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 67 °F (19.4 °C), wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
Referee: Bob McElwee
Television network: NBC

Week 4

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Jets	3	7	0	7	17
Lions	3	0	7	0	10

Date: September 25
Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Game weather: indoors (dome)
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and Joe Namath

Week 5

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Chiefs	0	0	3	14	0	17
Jets	3	7	0	7	0	17

Date: October 2
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C), wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
Referee: Ben Dreith
Television network: NBC

Week 6

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	9	3	7	0	19
• Bengals	6	13	7	0	26

Date: October 9
Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 51 °F (10.6 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Referee: Dick Hantak
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

Week 7

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bills	17	14	3	3	37
Jets	0	7	7	0	14

Date: October 17
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C), wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn)
Referee: Dick Jorgensen
TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Al Michaels, and Dan Dierdorf

Week 8

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Jets	6	24	7	7	44
Dolphins	7	3	13	7	30

Date: October 23
Location: Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
Referee: Bob McElwee
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Week 9

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	10	0	0	10	20
• Jets	0	10	7	7	24

Date: October 30
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 46 °F (7.8 °C), wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
Referee: Tom Dooley
Television network: NBC

Scoring summary

1	PIT	Gary Anderson 25 yard field goal	Steelers 3–0

1	PIT	Rodney Carter 24 yard pass from Bubby Brister (Gary Anderson kick)	Steelers 10–0

2	NYJ	Pat Leahy 41 yard field goal	Steelers 10–3

2	NYJ	Mickey Shuler 2 yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick)	Tie 10–10

3	NYJ	Johnny Hector 2 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)	Jets 17–10

4	PIT	Gary Anderson 21 yard field goal	Jets 17–13

4	NYJ	Freeman McNeil 5 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)	Jets 24–13

4	PIT	Earnest Jackson 17 yard run (Gary Anderson kick)	Jets 24–20

Week 10

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	14	0	0	14
• Colts	7	3	21	7	38

Date: November 6
Location: Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
Game start: 4:00 p.m.
Game weather: indoors (dome)

Week 11

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Patriots	0	0	7	7	14
Jets	0	3	3	7	13

Date: November 13
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), wind 18 miles per hour (29 km/h; 16 kn)

Week 12

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Jets	0	3	0	3	0	6
• Bills	0	0	3	3	3	9

Date: November 20
Location: Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York
Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 78,389
Game weather: 43 °F (6.1 °C) • wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)

Scoring summary

2	NYJ	Pat Leahy 23 yard field goal	Jets 3–0

3	BUF	Scott Norwood 25 yard field goal	Tie 3–3

4	BUF	Scott Norwood 26 yard field goal	Bills 6–3

4	NYJ	Pat Leahy 40 yard field goal	Tie 6–6

OT	BUF	Scott Norwood 30 yard field goal	Bills 9–6

Week 13

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	7	7	20	0	34
• Jets	7	17	0	14	38

Date: November 27
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 54 °F (12.2 °C), wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Referee: Jerry Seeman
TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy

Week 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	10	10	7	7	34
• Chiefs	14	7	0	17	38

Date: December 4
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game start: 3:00 p.m.
Game weather: 35 °F (1.7 °C), wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)

Week 15

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	6	7	3	0	16
• Jets	10	0	21	3	34

Date: December 10
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 12:30 p.m.
Game weather: 31 °F (−0.6 °C), wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
Referee: Johnny Grier
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Week 16

	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	7	7	7	21
• Jets	10	3	7	7	27

Date: December 18
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game start: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: 25 °F (−3.9 °C), wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
Referee: Gordon McCarter
TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw

Scoring summary

1		NYJ	Pat Leahy 41 yard field goal	Jets 3–0

1		NYJ	Mickey Shuler 5 yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick)	Jets 10–0

2		NYJ	Pat Leahy 20 yard field goal	Jets 13–0

2		NYG	Stephen Baker 5 yard pass from Phil Simms (Paul McFadden kick)	Jets 13–7

3		NYJ	Freeman McNeil 6 yard run (Pat Leahy kick)	Jets 20–7

3		NYG	Stephen Baker 9 yard pass from Phil Simms (Paul McFadden kick)	Jets 20–14

4		NYG	Lionel Manuel 9 yard pass from Phil Simms (Paul McFadden kick)	Giants 21–20

4	:37	NYJ	Al Toon 5 yard pass from Ken O'Brien (Pat Leahy kick)	Jets 27–21

Standings

AFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Buffalo Bills	12	4	0	.750	7–1	10–2	329	237	L1
Indianapolis Colts	9	7	0	.563	5–3	7–5	354	315	W1
New England Patriots	9	7	0	.563	5–3	7–5	250	284	L1
New York Jets	8	7	1	.531	3–5	6–7–1	372	354	W2
Miami Dolphins	6	10	0	.375	0–8	3–9	319	380	L1

External links

1988 New York Jets at Pro-Football-Reference.com

References

v t e New York Jets
Founded in 1960 Formerly the New York Titans (1960–1962) Based in East Rutherford, New Jersey Headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey
Franchise	Franchise History Seasons All-time roster Coaches Logos and uniforms First-round draft picks Quarterbacks Flight Crew
Stadiums	Polo Grounds Shea Stadium Giants Stadium MetLife Stadium West Side Stadium
Culture	Fireman Ed Alex Anthony Generation Jets Rise and Walk: The Dennis Byrd Story
Lore	Heidi Game The Guarantee Announcerless game New York Sack Exchange Clock Play The Monday Night Miracle Spygate Butt Fumble
Rivalries	Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Giants
Key personnel	Owner: Woody Johnson Chairman/CEO: Christopher Johnson Interim General manager: Phil Savage Interim head coach: Jeff Ulbrich
Division championships (4)	1968 1969 1998 2002
League championships (1)	1968 (III)
Media	Broadcasters WAXQ WCBS-TV SportsNet New York
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: East Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

v t e New York Jets seasons
Formerly the New York Titans (1960–1962)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory

1988 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Buffalo	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Indianapolis	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	LA Rams
Miami	Houston	LA Raiders	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	Phoenix	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay

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