Rich Kotite for Pete Carroll as the head coach wasn't the only change the Jets would make heading into the 1995 season. They also swapped out their safeties.
Choosing not to retain veterans Ronnie Lott and Brian Washington, New York went the free agent route and signed Gary Jones, who had played for Pittsburgh, and Todd Scott.
With Minnesota for four Seasons, Scott started 44 games, collecting seven interceptions, and was selected to play in the 1992 Pro Bowl.
He had the advantage of being familiar with a couple of his new teammates before arriving in New York.
"At the time, they had a guy named Alfred Oglesby. I knew Big O, he was from Weimar, Texas," said Scott, a native of Galveston, Texas. "And I knew Aaron Glenn, too. But I came there and met some great guys – Gary Jones, Marvin Jones, Mo Lewis, Bobby Houston, Adrian Murrell, Victor Green.
"One of the absolute best teams of camaraderie that I played on. Even though our record didn't reflect it, I really was around some quality and great guys."
Their record, 3-13, was the worst in the NFL. And, well, things didn't go well between the team and Scott either. After signing as a free agent, he started nine of the Jets' first ten games, and was then waived following the Week 13 game in Seattle.
"Most people make a decision based on three things," Scott said. "Pride. It made me feel good and look good. Personal. I did if for my wife and my kids. In that situation, I was certainly thinking about my family. I was newly married, and that contract was going to solidify a lot in my life. Or possession. I did it for the money. The only reason you should ever make a decision is – what is its purpose? And if you choose a purpose, you'll definitely have a much better outcome.
"But what could have gone better is, really, the type of defense that they played… I'd been in Minnesota for years, and the defense that Coach Kotite brought was a totally different defense then I had played. I played strong safety, and in that defense, I was more of a free safety. But like I said, I don't regret being there because I met such great guys.
"So even though we didn't have much success on the field, it still was a rich experience for me because of the guys that I got to play with. And specifically, that defense. We always felt like we had a chance. And we played like it. We lost a lot of games, but that D, we were balling every week."
Claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay, Scott played out that season and the next for the Buccaneers and concluded his seven-year career with Kansas City in 1997.
He began looking at his post-playing days during only his third year in the league.
"I've understood for a long time that the NFL stands for 'Not For Long,'" Scott said. "I had a mentor, a former teammate of mine, he's still a mentor, named Audray McMillian, that played with me for the Vikings, who said, 'Hey, you need to be working on your second career' while we were playing. So I was doing real estate even when I was playing with the Jets.
"At that time, I was just flipping homes in the offseason. But over the years, I've become a buyer and hold investments. I am a Section 8 expert and have made 10 times the money I ever made playing football."
A real estate specialist, Scott founded Great Scott Enterprises [www.greatscottenterprises.net] in 1990. His company concentrates on business consulting, real estate investments, and property management.
"I specifically want to help coach former players in real estate. Former players and current players, that's really what my passion is," Scott said. "One of the things that I hate is that they always write that 80 percent of NFL players are broke and/or divorced two years after they leave the game. I'd like to do something about that. And have been doing something about that.
"Helping them transition out of the game, which I knew all too well, I'm able to help provide that for other people. I understand and know exactly how life transforming that would be if I did not have it. And I'd hate to think about how my life would be like if I did not have that. I have so many friends who've done terribly financially after they left the game. So it's unbelievably rewarding when I can help someone."
Scott, who makes his home in suburban Houston with his wife, Angelia, and their three children, continued. "I do very, very well in my consulting business. But my primary business is investing. I am an active real estate entrepreneur. In the Houston, Galveston area, I own 115 units, commercial and residential properties. apartment complexes, some single-family homes, but mostly multi-family properties."
