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1978 New York Jets
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Record: 8-8-0, Finished 3rd in AFC East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 359 points (22.4/g), 3rd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 364 points (22.8/g), 27th.
Differential of -5 points (-0.3/g), 10th.
Expected W-L: 7.9-8.1.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +3 (0.2/g), 10th.
Coached by Walt Michaels (8-8-0)
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1978 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Matt Robinson | 23 | 1 | 11 | 124 for 266, 2,002 yards, 13 td, 16 int, & 28 rushes for 23 yards and 0 td | New York Jets / 9th / 227th pick / 1977 |
| QB | Richard Todd | 25 | 2 | 5 | 60 for 107, 849 yards, 6 td, 10 int, & 14 rushes for 18 yards and 0 td | New York Jets / 1st / 6th pick / 1976 |
| RB | Scott Dierking | 23 | 1 | 13 | 170 rushes for 681 yards, 4 td, & 19 catches for 152 yards and 0 td | New York Jets / 4th / 90th pick / 1977 |
| FB | Kevin Long | 23 | 1 | 16 | 214 rushes for 954 yards, 10 td, & 26 catches for 204 yards and 0 td | New York Jets / 7th / 195th pick / 1977 |
| WR | Derrick Gaffney | 23 | Rook | 16 | 38 catches for 691 yards, 3 td, & 2 rushes for -2 yards and 0 td | New York Jets / 8th / 197th pick / 1978 |
| WR | Wesley Walker*+ | 23 | 1 | 16 | 48 catches for 1,169 yards, 8 td, & 1 rush for -3 yards and 0 td | New York Jets / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1977 |
| TE | Jerome Barkum | 28 | 6 | 16 | 28 catches for 391 yards, 3 td | New York Jets / 1st / 9th pick / 1972 |
| LT | Chris Ward | 23 | Rook | 16 | New York Jets / 1st / 4th pick / 1978 |
|
| LG | Randy Rasmussen | 33 | 11 | 14 | New York Jets / 12th / 302nd pick / 1967 |
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| C | Joe Fields | 25 | 3 | 16 | New York Jets / 14th / 349th pick / 1975 |
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| RG | Dan Alexander | 23 | 1 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | New York Jets / 8th / 200th pick / 1977 |
| RT | Marvin Powell | 23 | 1 | 14 | 1 fumble recovered | New York Jets / 1st / 4th pick / 1977 |
| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Lawrence Pillers | 26 | 2 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | New York Jets / 11th / 296th pick / 1976 |
| NT | Abdul Salaam | 25 | 2 | 15 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New York Jets / 7th / 188th pick / 1976 |
| RDE | Joe Klecko | 25 | 1 | 16 | 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New York Jets / 6th / 144th pick / 1977 |
| LOLB | Larry Keller | 25 | 2 | 8 | 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | San Diego Chargers / 9th / 214th pick / 1975 |
| LOLB | Greg Buttle | 24 | 2 | 8 | 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New York Jets / 3rd / 67th pick / 1976 |
| LILB | John Hennessy | 23 | 1 | 16 | New York Jets / 10th / 256th pick / 1977 |
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| RILB | Mike Hennigan | 27 | 5 | 12 | 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Detroit Lions / 4th / 81st pick / 1973 |
| ROLB | Bob Martin | 25 | 2 | 16 | 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New York Jets / 6th / 163rd pick / 1976 |
| LCB | Bobby Jackson | 22 | Rook | 16 | 5 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New York Jets / 6th / 140th pick / 1978 |
| RCB | Ed Taylor | 25 | 3 | 16 | 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | New York Jets / 9th / 224th pick / 1975 |
| SS | Shafer Suggs | 25 | 2 | 16 | 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | New York Jets / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1976 |
| FS | Burgess Owens | 27 | 5 | 14 | 5 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | New York Jets / 1st / 13th pick / 1973 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Pat Leahy+ | 27 | 4 | 0 | 22 of 30 field goals & 41 of 42 extra points | |
| P | Chuck Ramsey | 26 | 1 | 0 | 74 punts for a 40.1 average, 0 blocked | New England Patriots / 6th / 141st pick / 1974 |
| PR | Bruce Harper | 23 | 1 | 0 | 30 punt returns for a 12.6 average and 1 td | |
| KR | Bruce Harper | 23 | 1 | 0 | 55 kick returns for a 23.3 average and 0 td |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Alexander | 23 | G-T | 16 | 16 | 260 | 6-4 | LSU | 6/17/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 8th / 200th pick / 1977 |
| Darrell Austin | 27 | G-C-T | 13 | 0 | 250 | 6-4 | South Carolina | 11/6/1951 | 3 | Denver Broncos / 16th / 404th pick / 1974 |
| Jerome Barkum | 28 | TE-WR | 16 | 16 | 218 | 6-3 | Jackson State | 7/18/1950 | 6 | New York Jets / 1st / 9th pick / 1972 |
| Kevin Bell | 23 | WR | 9 | 0 | 180 | 5-10 | Lamar | 3/14/1955 | Rook | San Diego Chargers / 12th / 321st pick / 1978 |
| Greg Buttle | 24 | LB | 8 | 8 | 235 | 6-3 | Penn State | 6/20/1954 | 2 | New York Jets / 3rd / 67th pick / 1976 |
| Scott Dierking | 23 | RB | 15 | 13 | 218 | 5-10 | Purdue | 5/24/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 4th / 90th pick / 1977 |
| Jim Earley | 22 | RB | 2 | 0 | 230 | 6-1 | Michigan State | 1/23/1956 | Rook | New York Jets / 7th / 170th pick / 1978 |
| Joe Fields | 25 | C-G | 16 | 16 | 250 | 6-2 | Rutgers-Camden,Widener | 11/14/1953 | 3 | New York Jets / 14th / 349th pick / 1975 |
| Derrick Gaffney | 23 | WR | 16 | 16 | 181 | 6-1 | Florida | 5/24/1955 | Rook | New York Jets / 8th / 197th pick / 1978 |
| Clark Gaines | 24 | RB | 16 | 1 | 206 | 6-1 | Wake Forest | 2/1/1954 | 2 | |
| Reggie Grant | 23 | DB | 14 | 0 | 185 | 5-9 | Oregon | 9/2/1955 | Rook | New York Jets / 9th / 225th pick / 1978 |
| Bruce Harper | 23 | RB-WR | 16 | 0 | 174 | 5-8 | Kutztown Pennsylvania | 6/20/1955 | 1 | |
| John Hennessy | 23 | LB-DE | 16 | 16 | 243 | 6-3 | Michigan | 3/12/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 10th / 256th pick / 1977 |
| Mike Hennigan | 27 | LB | 12 | 12 | 217 | 6-2 | Parsons,Tennessee Tech | 10/24/1951 | 5 | Detroit Lions / 4th / 81st pick / 1973 |
| Mark Iwanowski | 23 | TE | 5 | 0 | 230 | 6-4 | Pennsylvania | 9/8/1955 | Rook | |
| Bobby Jackson | 22 | DB | 16 | 16 | 178 | 5-9 | Florida State | 12/23/1956 | Rook | New York Jets / 6th / 140th pick / 1978 |
| Bobby Jones | 23 | WR | 16 | 0 | 180 | 5-11 | Millikin,Youngstown State | 7/12/1955 | Rook | |
| Larry Keller | 25 | LB | 16 | 8 | 223 | 6-2 | Houston | 10/2/1953 | 2 | San Diego Chargers / 9th / 214th pick / 1975 |
| Joe Klecko | 25 | DT-NT-DE | 16 | 16 | 263 | 6-3 | Temple | 10/15/1953 | 1 | New York Jets / 6th / 144th pick / 1977 |
| Pat Leahy+ | 27 | K | 16 | 0 | 194 | 6-0 | St. Louis | 3/19/1951 | 4 | |
| Kevin Long | 23 | RB | 16 | 16 | 212 | 6-1 | South Carolina | 1/20/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 7th / 195th pick / 1977 |
| Bob Martin | 25 | LB | 16 | 16 | 217 | 6-1 | Nebraska | 11/14/1953 | 2 | New York Jets / 6th / 163rd pick / 1976 |
| Mark Merrill | 23 | LB | 16 | 4 | 237 | 6-4 | Minnesota | 5/5/1955 | Rook | New York Jets / 2nd / 31st pick / 1978 |
| Mike Mock | 23 | LB | 15 | 0 | 225 | 6-1 | Texas Tech | 2/25/1955 | Rook | New York Jets / 8th / 203rd pick / 1978 |
| Joe Moreino | 23 | NT-DE | 1 | 0 | 246 | 6-6 | Idaho State | 4/4/1955 | Rook | |
| Tim Moresco | 24 | DB | 11 | 0 | 176 | 5-11 | Syracuse | 10/3/1954 | 1 | Green Bay Packers / 6th / 149th pick / 1977 |
| Tom Newton | 24 | RB | 16 | 0 | 212 | 6-0 | California | 3/8/1954 | 1 | |
| Burgess Owens | 27 | DB | 14 | 14 | 200 | 6-2 | Miami (FL) | 8/2/1951 | 5 | New York Jets / 1st / 13th pick / 1973 |
| Joe Pellegrini | 22 | DT-NT | 9 | 0 | 270 | 6-2 | Idaho | 8/9/1956 | Rook | |
| Lawrence Pillers | 26 | DE-DT-NT | 16 | 16 | 255 | 6-4 | Alcorn State | 11/4/1952 | 2 | New York Jets / 11th / 296th pick / 1976 |
| Darnell Powell | 24 | RB | 14 | 1 | 197 | 6-0 | Tennessee-Chattanooga | 5/31/1954 | 2 | Buffalo Bills / 6th / 175th pick / 1976 |
| Marvin Powell | 23 | T | 14 | 14 | 268 | 6-5 | USC | 8/30/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 1st / 4th pick / 1977 |
| Garry Puetz | 26 | G-T | 6 | 0 | 263 | 6-3 | Valparaiso | 3/14/1952 | 5 | New York Jets / 12th / 300th pick / 1973 |
| Bob Raba | 23 | TE | 4 | 0 | 222 | 6-1 | Maryland | 4/23/1955 | 1 | |
| Chuck Ramsey | 26 | P | 16 | 0 | 191 | 6-2 | Wake Forest | 2/24/1952 | 1 | New England Patriots / 6th / 141st pick / 1974 |
| Randy Rasmussen | 33 | G | 16 | 14 | 255 | 6-2 | Nebraska-Kearney | 5/10/1945 | 11 | New York Jets / 12th / 302nd pick / 1967 |
| Larry Riley | 24 | DB | 4 | 0 | 192 | 5-10 | Salem | 11/21/1954 | 1 | |
| Gregg Robinson | 22 | DE-NT | 16 | 0 | 255 | 6-6 | Dartmouth | 8/16/1956 | Rook | New York Jets / 6th / 142nd pick / 1978 |
| Matt Robinson | 23 | QB | 16 | 11 | 196 | 6-2 | Georgia | 6/28/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 9th / 227th pick / 1977 |
| John Roman | 26 | T-G | 16 | 2 | 255 | 6-4 | Idaho State | 8/31/1952 | 2 | Baltimore Colts / 13th / 313th pick / 1975 |
| Pat Ryan | 23 | QB | 2 | 0 | 210 | 6-3 | Tennessee | 9/16/1955 | Rook | New York Jets / 11th / 281st pick / 1978 |
| Abdul Salaam | 25 | DT-NT-DE | 15 | 15 | 262 | 6-3 | Kent State | 2/12/1953 | 2 | New York Jets / 7th / 188th pick / 1976 |
| Ken Schroy | 26 | DB | 16 | 2 | 198 | 6-2 | Maryland | 9/22/1952 | 1 | Philadelphia Eagles / 10th / 248th pick / 1975 |
| Mickey Shuler | 22 | TE | 16 | 1 | 232 | 6-3 | Penn State | 8/21/1956 | Rook | New York Jets / 3rd / 61st pick / 1978 |
| Bruce Stephens | 22 | WR | 6 | 0 | 170 | 5-9 | Columbia | 10/31/1956 | Rook | |
| Shafer Suggs | 25 | DB | 16 | 16 | 200 | 6-1 | Ball State | 4/28/1953 | 2 | New York Jets / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1976 |
| Ed Taylor | 25 | DB | 16 | 16 | 174 | 6-0 | Memphis | 5/13/1953 | 3 | New York Jets / 9th / 224th pick / 1975 |
| Richard Todd | 25 | QB | 5 | 5 | 207 | 6-2 | Alabama | 11/19/1953 | 2 | New York Jets / 1st / 6th pick / 1976 |
| Stan Waldemore | 23 | G-C-T | 4 | 0 | 263 | 6-4 | Nebraska | 2/20/1955 | Rook | Atlanta Falcons / 3rd / 70th pick / 1978 |
| Wesley Walker*+ | 23 | WR | 16 | 16 | 179 | 6-0 | California | 5/26/1955 | 1 | New York Jets / 2nd / 33rd pick / 1977 |
| Chris Ward | 23 | T | 16 | 16 | 267 | 6-3 | Ohio State | 12/16/1955 | Rook | New York Jets / 1st / 4th pick / 1978 |
| Blake Whitlatch | 23 | LB | 4 | 0 | 233 | 6-1 | LSU | 10/13/1955 | Rook | San Diego Chargers / 9th / 248th pick / 1978 |
| Team Total | 24.2 | 16 | 220.3 | 6-1.5 | 1.5 |