Yes but he was the only one with guts to say it out loud to Rozelle that the AFL won the CHAMPIONSHIP not the NFL. I think that was by far as a NYJ fan was one of the best sound bites I ever heard about us
While Klecko was a player that was all heart & the "working" man player he was called Mr. Off Side for the off side penalties he incurred & I can remember several games that were lost cause instead of getting the ball the other side retained the ball & scored due to a JK off side penalty. Gestinaeu OTH was much flashier & had probably more raw talent but was not a "team" player as his only interest was racking up sacks so the other side learned to turn him to the outside & he became ineffective as his career wore on
KLECKO! Pro Bowler at both DE, DT and NT for the Jets, this guy should be in the Hall of Fame. If not for Klecko, then Gastineau (a one dimentional player) wouldn't have done everything he did. No other Jet defensive player even comes close to Klecko. The only other guys who even deserve some (HOF) consideration are Lance Mehl (the best LB in Jet history) and Aaron Glenn (the best DB in Jet history).
In reviewing some of the prior posts - I would say this: -Kerry Rhodes is a player who can be a superstar. He deserved the Pro Bowl this year, and is one of if not THE best Safety in the NFL today. He has the talent to one day be special... -Gastineau was one of those guys who was unique, and a game changer. However, he was one dimentional, a poor run stopper, not a team player, and was a short term impact player. For one or two season he was the best pass rusher in the NFL, but taking it all in a package, Gastineau was not a HOF player over his career. -I'm surprised that you guys all forgot Aaron Glenn? During his LONG tenure he was one of the top corners in the league, and a shut down guy. Maybe his quiet style makes you all forget just how great he was. You never worried about Glenn covering the other team's top WR. He deserves HOF consideration.
Agreed Cox was awesome. The Monday Night Miracle game (replayed on NFL network last week) was a great reminder. He was all over the field.
Yes Cox was terrific in the short time he was with us. The other side was surely fearful of him & his abilities
Good point. You could expand this debate to include best jet defender ever by position (4-3 and 3-4 Defense). DE- Gastineau DT- Klecko DT- Lyons DE- Abraham OLB- Lewis ILB- Mehl ILB- Cox OLB- ??? CB- Glenn CB- Hasty SS- Lott FS- Rhondes Also, best Jet Defense of all time? 68, early 80's (NY sack exchange), 1998 Team, others? I vote early 80's even though they gave up some big points and yards everytime we played Marinho
I would move Klecko to DE and replace him inside with Abdul Salaam. Then take Abraham and put him at ROLB. Mehl would be my ILB choice in the 4-3. If the set-up was a 3-4, Klecko becomes the NT, Philbin becomes my DE and the LB's would be Lewis, Mehl, Cox and Abraham. In either case, this defense would give Offensive Coordinators sleepless nights....that's for damn sure!
Like I said, the secondary on those Jets teams was fine, but not the strength of the team (no one on the SB secondary was ever in an all-star game in his entire career, while everyone in the front 7 other than Ralph Baker was in at least one). Yes, Jim Hudson did get an important interception in the Super Bowl, but he only got 14 in his entire career in the AFL/NFL.
Gerry Philbin was vastly superior to Abraham. You can also replace ??? with Larry Grantham, 5-time AFL all-star, 8-time all-star game/Pro Bowl participant, and member of the All-time AFL second team.
I'll have to take your word on it. They both played before I was born and long before they kept stats lick they do today. You may notice that my list only goes back to the early 80's which is when I was old enough to understand and appreciate football.
Ronnie Lott doesn't belong anywhere near an all Jets team... All NFL...Yes.. All Jets.. No. He was a shell of his former self as a Jet. Victor Green should be the all time Jets SS..
Agreed. What about Erik McMillian? I would have posted the URL but my post count is too low. In just 61 career games he has 22 INT and has returned them for 5 of his 7 TD ... in 1991 he set a club record with 608 career INT yards which surpasses Darrol Ray (581) for the best in club history ... the 22 INT are 4th best in club records ... could find a new spot in the defense at cornerback in 1992 ... became the 1st Jet to go to the Pro Bowl in his 1st 2 years in the pros ... in 1991 had 55 tackles on special teams in addition to 3-168-2 TD and 3 passes defensed ... also tied for the team lead with 3 FF, had 1 QB sack and 1 FR ... had INT in playoff game at HOU ... was awarded special teams game ball in week 1 vs. TB and in week 6 at CLE ... had 83-yard INT return for a TD in week 5 vs. MIA ... scored 2nd TD of season with 57-yard INT return in week 14 at DET ... started 16 games at FS in 1990 and had team-high 5 INT (tied for 3rd best in AFC) in addition to 95 tackles (2nd to Kyle Clifton), and 9 passes defensed ... INT total was down from previous years as he was used more in run defense and less as a centerfielder ... was Pro Bowler in 1989 when he led team in INT with 6-180-1 TD ... tied NFL record with 2 FRs for TD(45-yarder vs. SF, 74-yarder at NO) ... set club record with 92-yard INT return for TD vs. IND breaking old mark of 82 set by Wayne Fontes (Titans-1962), now the Lions coach ... was consensus Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1988 when he led AFC with 8-168-2 TD INT ... had 3 INT in win at MIA ... father, Ernie, went to Pro Bowl as T for STL in 1966, 68, 70, 71... is the 1st father-son combo to go to the Pro Bowl in NFL history ... All-America as senior at Missouri where he tied NCAA record by returning 3 INT for TD ... has degree in business management ... earned his Master's in education from Fordham University and is currently working towards his doctorate ... single, daughter Chievanne 5. From 1992 Jets yearbook.
I think james Hasty was the best corner we ever had, I think Aaron Glenn was good but a bit overrated.
So was I. Finally we got a player with some ability & we go ahead & cut him & he then excels in beantown
Unfortunately, those are really the only two elite defensive Jets that you missed (John Elliott was an excellent defensive tackle, but not at the level of Klecko, and didn't play at a high level as long as Lyons did).
