Building A GGN All Time Jets Team: Quarterback

We have the 53nd position filled on the GGN All Time Jets Team. The winner of the first vote at Quarterback is: Joe Namath!

This vote was never in doubt. Joe Namath is the most iconic figure in the history of the franchise. The image of Namath trotting off the field after orchestrating the upset against the Colts in the most important Super Bowl in NFL history, wagging his index finger, showing the world the Jets were #1, is perhaps the most iconic image in NFL history.

Joe Namath played 13 years in the AFL/NFL, the first 12 with the Jets. He led the league in completions in 1966 and 1967, in yards in 1966, 1967 and 1972, in touchdowns in 1972, and in yards per attempt in 1967 and 1972. He was the first pro quarterback to ever throw for 4000 yards in a season. Namath earned Pro Bowl honors five times in his career and All Pro honors once. He was named AFL Player of the Year in 1968 and 1969 and NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1974. Namath was named Super Bowl MVP in 1968, first team on the AFL All Time Team at quarterback, and he is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Namath is the Jets’ all time leader in games started, passing attempts, passing yards, passing yards in a season, touchdown passes, yards per attempt, wins and 4th quarter comebacks.

Namath’s career was adversely affected by multiple knee injuries which all but crippled him by the end of his career. In college Namath had been a running quarterback who Bear Bryant called the best athlete he ever coached. Had Namath not suffered so many knee injuries, who knows what heights he and the Jets might have scaled together? As it is, Joe Namath is still the best Jets quarterback of all time, and the only quarterback to deliver a Super Bowl championship to the Jets and their fans.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK: 3

JOE NAMATH

WIDE RECEIVER

DON MAYNARD

WESLEY WALKER

AL TOON

WAYNE CHREBET

GEORGE SAUER

ART POWELL

RUNNING BACK

CURTIS MARTIN

FREEMAN MCNEIL

EMERSON BOOZER

MATT SNELL

TIGHT END

MICKEY SHULER

RICH CASTER

JEROME BARKUM

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

WINSTON HILL

D’BRICKASHAW FERGUSON

MARVIN POWELL

JASON FABINI

INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE

KEVIN MAWAE

NICK MANGOLD

RANDY RASMUSSEN

JOE FIELDS

DAVE HERMAN

JIM SWEENEY

DEFENSE

SAFETY

JAMAL ADAMS

VICTOR GREEN

KERRY RHODES

ERIK MCMILLAN

CORNERBACK

DARRELLE REVIS

AARON GLENN

JAMES HASTY

ANTONIO CROMARTIE

JOHNNY SAMPLE

BOBBY JACKSON

LINEBACKER

DAVID HARRIS

LARRY GRANTHAM

MARVIN JONES

LANCE MEHL

KYLE CLIFTON

GREG BUTTLE

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.

Just two more slots to go now. Today we cast the second vote for the final position group on the team, the quarterbacks. Vote early, vote often, and let’s hear who you think are the best players ever to have played for the New York Jets.