composed mostly of replacement players lost two of the next three games. The locker room was divided after the strike due to the decision of a few players, led by Gastineau, to cross the picket line. The Jets remained in contention in a mediocre AFC East through much of the season, but dropped all four games in December to finish 6–9, in last place. In 1988, the Sack Exchange era ended as Joe Klecko failed his offseason physical and was waived, linebacker Lance Mehl announced his retirement during training camp, and Mark Gastineau retired midseason, citing personal reasons. In spite of these departures, the Jets finished with an 8–7–1 record. They secured a winning record by ending the season with a victory over the Giants, which cost their in-state rivals a playoff berth. The team performed badly in 1989, finishing 4–12. On December 18, 1989, the Jets hired executive Dick Steinberg from the New England Patriots to take over as general manager. Three days after New York's final game of the season, a 37–0 loss to the Bills at Giants Stadium, Steinberg fired Walton and began to search for the team's 10th coach. The disastrous 1989 campaign cost Walton the chance to be the first Jets coach to complete his career with a winning record, a statistic he later admitted he cared about deeply. Search for success (1990–1996): Coslet, Carroll and Kotite eras Dick Steinberg initially sought to hire Michigan State coach George Perles as Jets head coach, but the university refused to release him from his contract. Steinberg then hired Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet. Coslet's offensive schemes, described as "state-of-the-art" by Sports Illustrated, had helped the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII, following the 1988 season. The Jets' poor record in 1989 had given them the second pick in the draft; the team selected star Penn State running back Blair Thomas, who was expected to have a strong career with the Jets. Instead Thomas played on the team for four injury-plagued, unproductive years and was cut before the 1994 season began. Coslet's first season proved only slightly better than Joe Walton's last; the Jets finished 6–10. In the 1991 NFL Draft, the Jets lost another opportunity to draft a star quarterback, as a draft-day deal that would have allowed them to select Brett Favre fell through. The Jets had more success in the 1991 season: they built a