JETS’ THROWBACK JERSEYS TO HONOR TEAM JUST AS INEPT: Nick Mangold and Leon Washington of the New York Jets took a little stroll through Manhattan on Monday. What was noticeable about the walk-through was that the 2 players were in full football gear - and in throwback jerseys, even:

Mangold & Washington - accompanied by the Jets’ dance team, The Flight Crew - were in the colors of the Jets’ predecessor, the New York Titans. The walk was in order to promote the new look the team will be showing off when they face Philadelphia on Sunday.

The Jets are joining the Eagles, Redskins, Steelers and Bills who have broken out the duds from earlier days. But when it comes to past glory, there’s nothing worth remembering about these Titans.

(Ready for take-off!)
As written in the out-of-print classic “The Football Hall of Shame” by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, the Titans were perennial losers on and off the field since their inception in 1960.

The team never had a winning record, and attendance was always a concern. During their 3rd year of existence, just over 36,000 patrons showed up at the Polo Grounds - not per game, but for the entire season.

Buses wouldn’t pick up players after practice, and laundries wouldn’t clean their uniforms, since team owners couldn’t or wouldn’t pay. The locker room was strewn with broken glass, and showers only offered cold water.

By the end of their 1962 season, only 2,000 fans bothered to come for the finale. Upon learning the team was facing bankruptcy, Titans coach Bulldog Turner reportedly gave his players this pre-game “pep talk”: “Most of you are playing in your last pro game. Most of you aren’t good enough to play anywhere else.”