10/25 — The man with the most knowledge of the 1968 Jets? He never played a down, broke a huddle with teammates or even participated in a practice. But Jets head coach Weeb Ewbank used to let him attend some coaching meetings.

“From the time I was with the Jets, I would go to the nightly coaches meetings and they’d talk about the games,” says Frank Ramos. “That was mainly during training camp, not so much during the season.”

Ramos, who headed the Jets' public relations department for 39 years and worked for seven owners, seven presidents, five general managers and 13 head coaches (including two interim coaches) will properly be honored along with the Super III winners at halftime Sunday at the Meadowlands.

“It’s a great feeling to have people still think about the game and its importance,” Ramos told me. “Jet fans are still thanking the Jets for winning this game.”

A fountain of information, Ramos remembers Ewbank deciding to leave New York just a few days after the Jets’ AFL Championship victory over the Raiders.

“A lot of people had criticized Weeb for taking the team down to Fort Lauderdale to work at Yankee Stadium. We went down 10 days ahead of time. The fields were frozen in New York. We had worked at an armory before the AFL Championship Game where we had to dodge trucks and jeeps.

“He felt like if he could work out the players really hard — just like training camp and the players would have to do gassers and up and downs after practice — that they would get all their workouts in and get themselves physically ready and working out in the heat of Miami would be really good for us.”

Ewbank, who led three teams to championships and is perhaps the most underrated coach in pro football history, did not lock his men up down in South Florida, He worked them hard during the day, but he permitted players’ wives to stay at the team hotel.

“Weeb thought, ‘Who better to watch the players than their wives and let’s hope the bachelors don’t get lucky.' ” Ramos said. "He had a real family atmosphere and you saw that every day around the hotel."

Despite being listed as huge underdogs, the Jets were confident they would defeat the Colts and become world champions. Ramos said Ewbank repeatedly praised the Colts to the media, but there was one occasion when Weeb strayed a little bit from the game plan.

Reporters wanted to know how the Jets would counter the Colts’ tremendous pass rush.

“In Cleveland, I always protected Otto [Graham], In Baltimore I always protected [Johnny], Unitas and on Sunday I think we’ll protect Joe,” Ewbank said, meaning Namath, of course. “We invite them to blitz because Joe can read the blitz so well.”

It was the only time Ewbank gave credit to his own team, but he walked off the podium, nudged Ramos in the ribs and quietly delivered a statement to his friend.

“If we can’t pass on this team, we'd better give up,” Ewbank told Ramos of the Colts.

The Jets kept a relatively low profile until the awards dinner at the Miami Touchdown Club. Namath had been named the Pro Football Player of the Year and the club was hosting the event for the Miami Variety Children’s Hospital.

But Namath was more interested in attending a Jets barbeque that was going to be attended by players and their wives. Namath told Ramos he didn’t want to go to accept the award, but the Jets’ PR man told him they had already sold tickets for the event and that it was for an important charity.

“We’ll get a car for you, it will take you there and maybe even bring you back here in time enough to go the barbeque at the end,” Ramos told him. “I really talked him into it — little did I know what was going to happen.”

With no hint of any upcoming guarantee, Namath attended the event. Eventually he heard a couple of hecklers tell him, "We’re going to kick your butt on Sunday,” and Namath eventually responded.

When Ramos rose from his bed Friday morning, the rain was pouring down from the South Florida sky. He picked up a newspaper and saw an eight-column banner headline featuring Namath’s guarantee of a Jets victory.

Then Ramos had the unenviable task of telling Ewbank what Namath had done Thursday night. Ewbank wasn’t pleased with the action of his quarterback and he would tell reporters, “It ain’t often my quarterback whistles Dixie.”

It turned out Namath was just telling the truth. The Jets, who had the superior defense, built a 16-0 lead over the Colts and cruised to a 16-7 victory at the Orange Bowl. While Namath was as charismatic as they come, the Jets became world champions at the end of the franchise’s ninth year because they were a great team.

“I recently went out to Joe Namath's golf tournament. Normally the players just get introduced, but I got introduced as well,” Ramos said. “I was standing next to Joe on the podium and I said to Joe, ‘This never gets old,’ and he said, ‘You bet.’ ”

Saturday Injury Report

Two late injury updates, one for each team, came in during the day today. For the Jets, linebacker/special teamer Cody Spencer is being listed as questionable for Sunday's game with an illness. And for the Chiefs, P Dustin Colquitt, battling a groin injury that kept him out of practice all week, has been downgraded from doubtful to out. Steve Weatherford, signed by the Chiefs after being cut by the Saints following Sunday's game at Carolina, is expected to kick for KC.