Building A GGN All Time Jets Team: Quarterback

We have the 54th position filled on the GGN All Time Jets Team. The winner of the second vote at Quarterback is: Ken O’ Brien!

Ken O’ Brien played 10 years in the NFL, from 1984 through 1993, the first nine with the Jets. He will always be remembered by Jets fans, perhaps unfairly, for not being Dan Marino. The Jets had the chance to draft Marino late in the first round in the legendary draft of 1983, and they chose O’ Brien instead. Never mind that the Chiefs did the same in favor of the terrible Todd Blackledge at #7 overall in the draft, or that the Patriots did the same with the mediocre Tony Eason at #15. For many Jets fans it was unforgivable that Dan Marino could have been a Jet, and instead the Jets got Ken O’ Brien. Of course O’ Brien himself was blameless in all this; he didn’t make the selection. Nonetheless, his name will always be unfavorably tied to Marino in the minds of some Jets fans.

For a brief moment in time it appeared that the Jets might have made the right choice. In his sophomore year in the NFL O’ Brien actually outplayed Marino, leading the league in passer rating and interception percentage while leading the Jets to a playoff berth. O’ Brien was arguably the best quarterback in the NFL in 1985 and he earned his first Pro Bowl honors that year. He would go on to lead the Jets to playoff berths in 1986 and 1991, earn Pro Bowl honors in 1991, and lead the league in interception percentage in 1987 and 1988, but he would never again be mentioned in the conversation for the best quarterback in the NFL after 1985. Ken O’ Brien is the Jets all time leader in career game winning drives with 16. He is one of just three Jets quarterbacks to lead the team to three separate playoff berths. Ken O’ Brien was a very good quarterback for a long time with the Jets. It is his misfortune that the one thing he will be most remembered for by many Jets fans was completely out of his control - not being Dan Marino.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

JOE NAMATH

KEN O’BRIEN

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

We’re down to the final slot on the team. Today we cast the third and final vote at quarterback. Let’s see how this ends.