The Jets answered cornerback Ray Mickens’ season-ending ACL injury just before the 2004 season kicked off with a combination of insurance, experience, and a Lombardi Trophy-winning attitude in Terrell Buckley.
Green Bay’s first-round draft choice out of Florida State in 1992, Buckley had played 12 seasons for the Packers, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Miami Dolphins before arriving in Gotham to fulfill the role that the Jets needed.
“I was going into my 13th year, so the product and everything was proven out. Go do what you’ve been doing. Be a dependable DB. Go make plays. Go be a positive guy in a locker room. Help the young guys,” Buckley said.
“It’s one of those things that I got help when I was younger, especially in college, and always was grateful for those guys. LeRoy Butler was one of the ones that helped me when I got to Florida State. And then it just so happened that I followed LeRoy to Green Bay and it continued there.
“So that was really, really helpful for me, and I wanted to put my own spin on it and take it to another level. Not just on the field, but off the field, too. Just making myself available to the guys and whatever questions or whatever they had, I wanted to make sure I was there for them.”
Playing mostly in the dime defenses, Buckley was there for the Jets in the season-opening victory over Cincinnati, the start of a five-game winning streak, and with interceptions in Week 5 against Buffalo, Week 8 against Miami, and Week 12 against Arizona. New York won each of those games en route to a 10-6 record and a return to the playoffs after going 6-10 the previous season.
Interceptions and victories were commonplace for Buckley before he joined the Green & White. He totaled 47 picks, six that were returned for touchdowns. And had never experienced a losing season. He took part in the playoffs eight times, and helped the 2001 Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVI.
“When I first…
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