Tag Archives: New York Jets

NFL

Simmons, Clyde

Card: ProSet 1990
Acquired: In Person, Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp 1994

Simply overshadowed by the presence of Reggie White on the other end, Clyde Simmons was a dominant end from Buddy Ryan’s criminally overpowered defensive line. After going to tiny Western Carolina, Clyde Simmons was drafted in the 9th round of the 1986 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. The 86 draft is notable because it provided a lot of depth across the board- both defensively and offensively to many teams. It wasn’t an overpowering draft in terms of ProBowl and HoF talent, but it certainly yielded many recognizable names.

At 6’5″, 292, Simmons had some great measurables coming out of college and was definitely a sleeper pick, going behind such names as Tim Harris, Charles Haley, and fellow teammate Seth Joyner. After a quiet rookie season, Simmons began to ramp up his statistics and by 1989, making 15.5 sacks from the other end. He’d follow this up with 13 sacks in 1991 and a career high 19 in 1992.  In both 1991 and 1992 Simmons was named to the All-Pro team and the Pro Bowl for his contributions. Cut after training camp in 1994, Simmons signed with the Arizona Cardinals. After adjusting for a season, Simmons would again reemerge as a threat notching 11 sacks in 1995. He’d sign with the Jaguars in 1996 playing with them for two seasons making 16 sacks, before one season with the Bengals in 1998, and 2 more seasons with the Bears, retiring after the 2000 season.

Well balanced- Simmons during his time was an imposing force against the run finishing with over 100 tackles 3 times in his career. Simmons is not well remembered by fans typically outside of Philadelphia. Overshadowed by Reggie White and more boisterous members of the Eagles defense, Clyde quietly amassed 121.5 sacks over his career and in 13 straight seasons never failed to make at least 5 sacks. He’d make over 10 4 times in his career and finished 3 off from the single season NFL record in 1992.

Simmons has been doing a lot of different things since retirement in 2000.  Moving to Georgia, he worked for a mortgage company, and was a probation officer but after watching his son play football, was disgusted by the bad fundamentals players were utilizing.  Clyde decided to join the NFL’s minority coaching fellowship and was a defensive line coach for the New York Jets in 2010.

G/Gs 236/185    Tac  914       Sac  121.5    Fum 14     Int 3    Yds  85     Avg  28.3     Td  2    Lg 60t

NFL, ufl

Zolak, Scott

Card: StarPics 1991
Acquired: TTM 1993, Patriots Blitz

Scott Zolak is another in a long line of fine Maryland Terps quarterbacks. The school has an absolute knack for locating and putting the best talent on the field at that position. Neil O’Donnell, Stan Gelbaugh, Boomer Esiason, Frank Reich, Shaun Hill, and Mike Tice, are among some of the names over the last 30 years who have played at the pro level in some capacity after graduating from the school. Zolak was no exception. In the 4th round of the 1991 draft, the New England Patriots rolled the dice on the young quarterback while they injected new blood into the aging position. He didn’t take the field that year at all, sitting at #3 behind Hugh Millen and Tom Hodson, but 1992 would prove to be a different story and thus he’d enter into New England lore forever for his actions. After Millen went down and Hodson was inneffective, Zolak would lead the winless team on a two game winning streak- playing respectably in 3 contests before Millen returned to finish out the season. In 1993, Drew Bledsoe would be drafted and another purge would happen at quarterback. Zolak, would survive the purge and remain on the team’s roster through 1998 playing sparingly and slowly moved up the depth chart to #2 behind Bledsoe. He’d also be on the roster through three coaching regimes (Dick MacPherson, Bill Parcells, and the shortlived Pete Carroll era), seeing life on the Patriots from an interesting perspective.

Zolak after 1998 would bounce around. He’d be cut out of Jets training camp and head over to the Dolphins for two unremarkable seasons and then try out for the Detroit Lions, but later opted instead to go up to the booth to become a color commentator. Scott has embraced his life as a sports personality head on and continues to do radio commentary for games and was recently picked up by the fledgling United Football League to do color commentary on the New England Sports Network for the Hartford Colonials games.

G/Gs  55/7   Att 248  Comp 124    Yds 1314   Pct 50%   Td 8    Int 7      Rat   64.8

NFL

McGlockton, Chester (1969-2011)

Card: Action Packed Rookies 1992
Acquired: In Person 1997, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp

Before there was Albert Haynesworth, there was Chester McGlockton…  A man-mountain at 6-3, 334, McGlockton would be drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 16th overall pick in 1991. After his rookie season where he only played 10 games,  Chester’s 1992 was nothing short of dominant with 7 sacks, 78 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. It would be the start of 3 straight All Pro and Pro Bowl nominations for the defensive tackle. He’d continue to dominate, making a career high 9.5 sacks in 1993. He’d follow this up with great performances in 1994, 1995 and 1996.  Well Chester got embroiled in a contract dispute with the Raiders in 1997. He’d attend training camp in that season, but frustrated with his contract with the Raiders Chester would openly proclaim how he was going to be on the Chiefs next season. When the Raiders showed up at Cowboys camp that season, he even told me as he was signing his Raiders card how he should be in a Chiefs uniform on the card. After a less inspired 1997, where Chester would still get a Pro Bowl nod, he cashed in for big money signing with Kansas City in 1998. Oddly the team shifted him to defensive end but the move would not pan out. He’d be shelved after 10 games with back problems.  They’d shift him back inside for 1999 and 2000 where he made 4.5 sacks the latter season, and sign with the Broncos at the conclusion of the season. McGlocton would play for the Broncos in 2001 and 2002, and as a reserve for the Jets in 2003 before retiring.

Since football, Chester has gotten involved in coaching, briefly working at the University of Tennessee as an intern and at Chabot College before joining Stanford’s defensive staff as a defensive line coach in 2010.  He has effectively changed his life after discovering coaching, and although he suffered a malaise of injuries that he still feels the everyday effects of, and getting lapband surgery in 2008, Chester is working in the career he loves most -coaching football.

G/Gs  179/151       Tac 555          Sac 51      Fum 14     Int 4     Yds 66     Avg  16.5     Td 0    lg 30

UPDATE 11/30/11-  Chester McGlocton passed away early Wednesday morning reportedly from a heart attack. He was 42.