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To amass nearly 10,000 receiving yards in that era was an awesome feat. He also held the postseason receiving yards record until the G.O.A.T. broke it.
Very few elite track guys who played football had his pure skill for the game. He had Olympic-caliber speed.
All very good, but not great, contemporaries of Branch who are also all but forgotten. As you point out, their numbers are all the more impressive, given the era in which they played.
I missed most of his prime, but saw him in the Ken O'Brien years when I first started watching as a young kid. He could still fly - 8 different seasons averaging over 20 yards per catch.
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...go to youtube and look up 9/21/86 highlights. That was the 51-45 day against Miami. Marino and O'Brien exceeded 900 yards together. Walker, Toon, and the Marks Brothers combined for 600. Walker scored 4 times.
It was Tecmo Bowl. And the future of the game.
Ken O'Brien was a better QB than he was portrayed at the time. That was just a bad time to be the leader of the Jets, because they were firmly in the shadow of the Giants.
I'm drawing a blank on who preceded O'Brien for the Jets, but followed Richard Todd.
Career back-up. They arguably should have pulled a Hostetler and stuck with him through the playoffs. He was very efficient against the Chiefs in the Wild Card win after O'Brien had been a headcase for that bizarre losing streak that took them from 10-1 to 10-6. O'Brien started the next week against the Browns, and in spite of his awful game, they still should have won.
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