Building A GGN All Time Jets Team: Linebacker

We have the 17th position filled on the GGN All Time Jets Team. The winner of the fifth vote at Linebacker is: Kyle Clifton!

Kyle Clifton played 13 years in the NFL, from 1984 through 1996, all with the Jets. Clifton was a tackling machine. In his first 10 years in the NFL Clifton amassed 1448 tackles, second all time in the NFL for tackles in a players’ first ten seasons. Clifton is the Jets all time leader in tackles and ranks 10th in the NFL all time in career tackles. Kyle Clifton finished in the top 10 in tackles in the NFL in seven different seasons, led the NFL in tackles three seasons, and in 1990 amassed 199 tackles, good for fourth all time in the NFL for tackles in a single season.

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: 6

DAVID HARRIS

LARRY GRANTHAM

MARVIN JONES

LANCE MEHL

KYLE CLIFTON

EDGE

MARK GASTINEAU

JOHN ABRAHAM

GERRY PHILBIN

SHAUN ELLIS

MO LEWIS

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE

JOE KLECKO

MARTY LYONS

DAMON HARRISON

JOHN ELLIOTT

ABDUL SALAAM

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 linebackers. 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 New York Jets.