We have the fourth position filled on the GGN All Time Jets Team. The winner of the first vote at Interior Defensive Line is: Joe Klecko! With 90% of the vote, this was a landslide, and for good reason. Joe Klecko is one of the immortals of the Jets franchise, right up there with Joe Namath.
Joe Klecko was the anchor of the Jets defensive line for 10 years, from 1977 through 1986. He and his cohorts on the defensive line formed the famed New York Sack Exchange in the early 1980s, which terrorized opposing quarterbacks around the league. Klecko is the only player in NFL history to earn Pro Bowl honors at three different positions (defensive end, defensive tackle and nose tackle). In all Klecko made the Pro Bowl four times and was named first team All Pro twice. Klecko and the New York Sack Exchange were the foundation of the best prolonged stretch in Jets history, from 1981 through 1986, when the Jets made the playoffs four times in six years and made it to the AFC Championship game in 1982. The selection of Joe Klecko on the GGN All Time Jets Team was so inevitable the only surprise is that the vote wasn’t unanimous.
From now until mid July I’ll be putting up a daily poll asking GGN to vote on the best Jets players of all time. The idea here is to build a 55 man roster of the best players ever to wear the Green and White. The roster will consist of 26 offensive players, 26 defensive players, and three special team players.
OFFENSE
Quarterback: 3
Wide Receiver: 6
Running Back: 4
Tight End: 3
Offensive Tackle: 4
Interior Offensive Line: 6
DEFENSE
Safety: 4
Cornerbacks: 6
Linebackers: 7
Edge: 4
Interior Defensive Line: 5
JOE KLECKO
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker
PAT LEAHY
Punter
TOM TUPA
Returner
LEON WASHINGTON
Every day I will be putting up a poll at one position. The choices will be limited to players who were on the Jets roster for at least three seasons. I will not be including players who were great for other teams but not great for the Jets (for example, guys like Matt Forte or LaDainian Tomlinson will not be included in the polls, though both those guys would be excluded for not meeting the three year rule as well). Each day we will close the previous day’s poll and the candidate with the most votes will be added to the GGN All Time Jets Team. In the event of a tie vote both players will be added to the team.
In the event I have made an egregious omission and a name you think should be on the poll is not there you can write in candidates in the comments section. If a player gets support in the comments section I’ll add him to the next day’s poll.
So let’s get to it. Today we continue voting on the interior defensive line. Who will it be? Vote early, vote often, and let’s hear who you think are the best players ever to have played for the Jets.
Poll
Who is the second best Jets interior defensive lineman of all time?
This poll is closed
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4%
Verlon Biggs
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12%
John Elliott
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44%
Marty Lyons
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4%
Abdul Salaam
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2%
Marvin Washington
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6%
Jason Ferguson
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1%
Sione Pouha
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1%
Sheldon Richardson
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4%
Muhammad Wilkerson
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18%
Damon Harrison