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In the time that John Idzik has been the General Manager of the New York Jets, one of my favorite moves by the organization has been the noticeable involvement of former members of the team. The team is making a worthwhile effort in bringing back players, and in a sense, that started in 2010 when the team created the Ring of Honor. That elite group started off with Joe Namath, Curtis Martin, Joe Klecko, Don Maynard, Winston Hill, and Weeb Ewbank. Since then, Larry Grantham, Freeman McNeill, Gerry Philbin, Al Toon, Wesley Walker, Mark Gastineau, and Marty Lyons have joined. According to the team, Wayne Chrebet and Leon Hess will enter the Ring of Honor this year.
Lately, the team has brought players back through their Pilot of the Game program. In this program, the team looks to bring back "fan favorites," according to Brian Mulligan, the Senior Director of Events and Game Operations. This program brings back a team alumnus, guys "who haven't been back in a while" that were "impactful" during their time with the team, to lead the team walk outside the stadium and to meet fans. This came on the heels of numerous requests by fans, season ticket holders, and corporate sponsors to bring back the all-time greats. Here is a list of players that have returned to be Pilots of the Game, and ones that have visited the team in their Florham Park facility.
| Date | Event | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 08/17/13 | NYJ vs. JAX | Ken Schroy |
| 08/29/13 | NYJ vs. PHI | Rich Caster |
| 09/08/13 | NYJ vs. TB | Marvin Jones |
| 09/22/13 | NYJ vs. BUF | Bruce Harper |
| 10/13/13 | NYJ vs. PIT | Joe Klecko |
| 10/13/13 | NYJ vs. PIT | Mark Gastineau |
| 10/13/13 | NYJ vs. PIT | Marty Lyons |
| 10/20/13 | NYJ vs. NE | Wayne Chrebet |
| 11/03/13 | NYJ vs. NO | Brandon Moore |
| 12/01/13 | NYJ vs. MIA | Mickey Shuler |
| 12/08/13 | NYJ vs. OAK | Chad Pennington |
| 12/22/13 | NYJ vs. CLE | Vinny Testaverde |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Wayne Chrebet |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Anthony Becht |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Freeman McNeil |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Wesley Walker |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Randy Beverly |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Victor Hobson |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Emerson Boozer |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Ray Mickens |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Joe Klecko |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Marvin Jones |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Chad Pennington |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Mark Gastineau |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Greg Buttle |
| Feb. 2014 | Jets House | Marty Lyons |
| 05/08/14 | 2014 NFL Draft | Chad Pennington |
| 05/08/14 | 2014 NFL Draft | Marty Lyons |
| 09/07/14 | NYJ vs. OAK | Emerson Boozer |
| 09/22/14 | NYJ vs. CHI | Laveranues Coles |
| 09/28/14 | NYJ vs. DET | Tony Richardson |
One player to look out for is Thomas Jones, who should be returning later this season. Woody Johnson has taken a special interest in the program, and it sounds as though the team will particularly be making an effort to focus on the "modern" players, especially from the early 2000s, the era soon after Johnson bought the team.
When everything around the team feels like it's going so poorly, it's nice that the team is trying to bring back the guys that made us fans of the team in the first place. Hopefully, they'll be able to impart some knowledge onto the team so that its current players can finish their careers as great as these men.