Joe Namath was hearing the wisecrack probably for the, oh, zillionth time but he generously played along anyway.
His New York Jets were in such desperate straits after losing quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler to injury in their third game, they called back 42-year-old Vinny Testa- verde from retirement.
With either the inexperienced Brooks Bollinger or Testaverde at quarterback today at Invesco Field at Mile High, the Jets (2-7) aren’t given much chance to beat the Broncos (7-2).
“I’ve been asked if the Jets had called me,” said Namath, 62. “But they haven’t got that far down the list yet. Richard Todd was higher up the list than I was, but he wasn’t quite ready.”
Most discussions no longer include Namath among the top five quarterbacks in NFL history, but nobody – not Joe Montana, not John Elway, not Johnny Unitas – had more star power.
Fame had its price, however, and Namath’s life eventually careened into a very public bout with the bottle. He said Thursday, the day of this interview, was his 676th consecutive day of sobriety.
“Not that I keep track, though,” Namath said sarcastically. “I am one of those guys who always has to mark things down. I don’t take one day for granted. I’ve been very lucky.”
From his home in Tequesta, Fla., Namath said he has watched on his satellite television not only the Jets this season, but parts of every game the Broncos have played.
“I like watching good teams,” Namath said. “And that Broncos team – I mean, every team falls asleep once in a while, but they’ve very impressive.
“And I’m always pulling for Jake,” Namath said of Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer. “I think it’s brilliant the way the Broncos have worked their offense in a way that maximizes Jake’s talent.”
As for his Jets, Namath said the depleted interior lines caused by personnel changes and injuries have been a bigger problem than the quarterback situation. Before this season, the Jets lost Jason Ferguson (free agency) and Josh Evans (retirement) from their defensive line. And on offense, left tackle Jason Fabini and center Kevin Mawae suffered season-ending injuries, forcing veteran Pete Kendall to play even though he barely can walk because of acute back pain.
“We were 1-7 (in 1974), but then we were able to win out,” Namath said. “So you’re trying to find something positive out of all this. But at this point, with all the injuries they have up front and the way their season is going, it just doesn’t look good.”
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
