Contemplating John Jefferson
Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 9:07 am
Been contemplating John Jefferson, and would like to get reflections from the Forum on these questions:
1. For pure excitement and entertainment during his San Diego years, where do you put Jefferson in the pantheon of all-time WRs?
2. When the trade to Green Bay happened in Sept. 1981, Jefferson had been holding out, but do you remember any rumors of Jefferson being traded, or was the news a shock to you?
3. Did the trade make sense to you? If San Diego wanted to trade him out of the AFC, it seemed like lots of other NFC teams had a dire need for a TD-making WR (Detroit, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Los Angeles, NY Giants, etc), and the Packers (with Lofton) did not.
4. At the time, did you think the trade would make Green Bay a contender at the level of Dallas, Philadelphia, and Atlanta who were the class of the NFC at the start of the 1981 season?
5. What do you attribute Jefferson falling short of expectations in Green Bay, and was there any way it could have worked out differently (different coach, different QB, etc.)?
6. Style question: I believe Jefferson started wearing what became his trademark goggles at some point in the 1978 season after being poked in the eye (sounds like NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's story too). Then at some point in Green Bay I believe he stopped wearing them. Anyone know when and why he stopped wearing the goggles?
7. Jefferson's last three catches were with the Browns in 1985. Has anyone seen a picture of him in a Browns uniform on the Internet? I'd love to get a copy if you have one.
8. The ending of Jefferson's career was kind of mystery. This article in the LA Times gave some explanations, do you think any of them are spot-on, or were other factors in play? http://articles.latimes.com/1985-12-18/ ... -jefferson
9. Jefferson's last NFL action was with Houston in the 1986 pre-season before being released on Sept. 3. Anybody remember anything about him during that pre-season? Was there any hope left for him contributing at that point? FYI, here's a link to a picture of him in an Oiler uniform if you're interested. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Houston-O ... Swg8taKhtU
Thanks!
1. For pure excitement and entertainment during his San Diego years, where do you put Jefferson in the pantheon of all-time WRs?
2. When the trade to Green Bay happened in Sept. 1981, Jefferson had been holding out, but do you remember any rumors of Jefferson being traded, or was the news a shock to you?
3. Did the trade make sense to you? If San Diego wanted to trade him out of the AFC, it seemed like lots of other NFC teams had a dire need for a TD-making WR (Detroit, Tampa Bay, Chicago, Los Angeles, NY Giants, etc), and the Packers (with Lofton) did not.
4. At the time, did you think the trade would make Green Bay a contender at the level of Dallas, Philadelphia, and Atlanta who were the class of the NFC at the start of the 1981 season?
5. What do you attribute Jefferson falling short of expectations in Green Bay, and was there any way it could have worked out differently (different coach, different QB, etc.)?
6. Style question: I believe Jefferson started wearing what became his trademark goggles at some point in the 1978 season after being poked in the eye (sounds like NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's story too). Then at some point in Green Bay I believe he stopped wearing them. Anyone know when and why he stopped wearing the goggles?
7. Jefferson's last three catches were with the Browns in 1985. Has anyone seen a picture of him in a Browns uniform on the Internet? I'd love to get a copy if you have one.
8. The ending of Jefferson's career was kind of mystery. This article in the LA Times gave some explanations, do you think any of them are spot-on, or were other factors in play? http://articles.latimes.com/1985-12-18/ ... -jefferson
9. Jefferson's last NFL action was with Houston in the 1986 pre-season before being released on Sept. 3. Anybody remember anything about him during that pre-season? Was there any hope left for him contributing at that point? FYI, here's a link to a picture of him in an Oiler uniform if you're interested. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Houston-O ... Swg8taKhtU
Thanks!