Oct 28, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets former player Dennis Byrd reacts after his number is retired during half time ceremonies at the game against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Dolphins won 30-9. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s go back in time twenty years, to a day that nobody thought could ever happen.

Well first, let’s go back to November of 1992, where this story began. In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Dennis Byrd and Scott Mersereau came to the offensive backfield, pass rushing then QB Dave Krieg. Krieg stepped up, and two Jets had a horrific collision that will live in infamy in Jets lore. Mersereau walked away from the incident, but Dennis Byrd was not so lucky, paralyzed from the incident. But Byrd was determined to walk again.

And he did.

Twenty years ago today, Dennis Byrd walked, along with 2 canes, into a press conference at Mount Sinai Medical Center. No one thought he would walk, but he did. That day, he announced he would be returning home to Oklahoma to continue his rehab. He also walked onto the field at the Meadowlands on opening day of that next season.

What a special day that was for Dennis Byrd, and the whole Jets family, Feb 12, 1993.

Clyde Gates – I can’t believe I’m even writing this but he has gone beyond serviceable to actually making legit plays. In a game where it seemed practically unheard of to get any kind of positive yardage, Clyde had some nice catches from passes when Mark Sanchez was actually allowed to remain upright at the quarterback position and get a good throw into the air. Add to that his productivity on special teams when he was running kick returns — One could have and should have been a TD had he not taken a hit from his own man from behind — and he played a fairly solid game. It was certainly better than we’d seen to date, especially coming off of a hand injury. Please note, this almost turned into a “One wing” award because of the celebration on that 1st down pass when down 24. But I’ll pretend that it was an attempt to motivate. This time.

Chaz Schilens – Congratulations, Chaz, you got your first touchdown in a Jets uniform! On the whole Chaz put together a good game. My biggest impression came from how he extended to catch the pass when he was already on the ground. Did it work and turn into positive yardage? No. But the effort was there and that could be said about his play throughout the game. It almost made up for the abysmal effort last week. Almost. I also happen to like Chaz as a player and have been pro-Schilens since the signing. I think he will turn into a positive piece of the offense if he remains healthy. I also happen to like how he handles the media — He makes for good quotes and genuinely seems like a team guy who isn’t afraid to rattle a cage with what he may say.

Isiah Trufant - I am not the biggest fan of Trufant that there is. I tend to think he’s incredibly over-matched when the coaches attempt to put him against certain players due to his size. However, last week and this week have changed my perspective. He’s got some good ability and to be honest, on a day where not much is going right for the defense of special teams, it highlights the few plays he makes because they were positives in a sea of negatives.  So these wings are earned not just for the way he handled his assignments today, but for the general improvement I feel he’s shown in the last two weeks. Is he there yet? No. But honestly, who is? He’s progressing and right now that’s gotta be good enough for us. We need some lights at the end of certain tunnels, and he has been one.

Honoring a man who gave his all to the team: Dennis Byrd, #90 Forever.

Dennis Byrd – This is an Honorary and incredibly important set of wings.  It would have been nice to see the team give this man a win on his day. A moving ceremony both before the game and at halftime shouldn’t be swallowed up by the horrible play and outcome of today’s game, but it will be. This man stood strong and proud despite what that scoreboard said between the halves, and maybe the collective fanbase could and should take a page from his book and learn a lesson. There’s more to life than what can happen on Any Given Sunday.

In closing, let’s hope that the team can come in fresh off the Bye and use the next two weeks to right some of these wrongs and play like the team we all think they can be.

✈ Sydney
Find me on Twitter at @SydneyKira1; email: confessionsofajetsfan@gmail.com

Tomorrow afternoon, the Jets will honor one of their own. They will retire Dennis Byrd’s number 90 at halftime of the game against the Dolphins. A true warrior that came in a Jet, and will always be a Jet. Let’s take a brief look back:

Dennis was born and bred in Oklahoma, attending the University of Tulsa. The Jets drafted Byrd in the second round of the 1989 draft, with the 42nd pick overall.

He played 3 plus seasons for the Jets, and was quite the talented pass rusher. In three full seasons for the team, he recorded 27 sacks. In 1992, he recorded 1 sack prior to that fateful day. The date was November 29, 1992, when Dennis Byrd collided with Scott Mersereau as they were rushing Kansas City quarterback Dave Krieg. Mersereau walked away, Byrd did not, as he was paralyzed.

He vowed to walk again, against all odds, and did, walking to mid-field as an honorary captain for the 1993 home opener. He told his inspirational story in an autobiography, and has been an inspiration to many ever since. The Jets have not reissued his number since 1992, and at halftime tomorrow afternoon, they will make it official that they never will again.

One of the most inspirational moments for the Jets was prior to the 2010 playoff game against the New England Patriots. Dennis Byrd reached out to the team for an inspiring speech, and gave them his game jersey, which they walked out to the middle of the field for the coin toss. Check it out here:

A true Jet in every sense of the word, and well deserving of this honor tomorrow, Dennis Byrd.