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The Top Five Most Popular Jets of All Time


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Joe Klecko

As you read, please keep in mind that there is a distinction between popularity and on-field accomplishments.  Popularity is not performance.  We are not trying to make a list of the best players in NY Jet history.  If that is a topic of interest, you can weigh in here:

Although stats are cited in making the case for each player, it is only to highlight some of the reasons the player is held in such high regard by the fans.  Popularity is more about the level of adoration of a player and that player’s ability to maintain a significant place in the minds of the fans.  This is not a scientific endeavor.  It is an attempt to gauge the emotional attachment that fans have to each player.  We are just trying to have a little off-season fun.  And of course, if you want some extra off-season amusement you can get Casino advice by Erik King  .

Let’s get to it.

  1. Wayne Chrebet

Chrebet lands on this list for two primary reasons: first, he is a local guy – a graduate of Garfield High School in Garfield New Jersey.  There’s always something about a hometown kid making it to the big league.  Garfield is a 20-minute drive to MetLife Stadium.  Secondly, Chrebet is the ultimate underdog. Fans love an underdog and Chrebet certainly qualifies.  He stands at 5’10” and played at 188 pounds – hardly NFL typical measurements.  He graduated from Hofstra University, which is not known for cranking out NFL talent.  Despite long odds, Chrebet excelled on the field.  He played for the Jets for all of his 11-year career.  He caught at least 48 passes for his first eight seasons.  It seemed like Chrebet was catching tough passes in traffic at critical points in games since the first time he put on the Jet helmet.

  1. Don Maynard

Don Maynard is not a name that young Jet fans will be familiar with, but he’s easily worthy of this list with older fans.  Although Maynard played his final game for the Jets in 1972, you can still spot his number 13 jersey around the stadium on Sundays.  Maynard is arguably the best Jet player of all time.  He is a Hall of Famer for a franchise that has very few , and he was part of the Jets Super Bowl team in 1969.  Maynard remains among the all-time leaders in yards per catch with an 18.7 mark.   Maynard produced stats comparable with players in the modern era despite playing shorter seasons during a time when the passing game was not nearly as much of a focus.

  1. Kevin Mawae

Kevin Mawae is another name that may be fading for current Jet fans, but most fans remember Mawae very fondly.  Like Maynard, Mawae would need to be mentioned on a list of all-time best Jet players.  Mawae lands on this list largely for displaying toughness and tenacity at a position most fans don’t fully appreciate.  The fans that do appreciate the game that takes place in the trenches recognize Mawae’s effectiveness and the fact that he was an emotional leader on offense.  You could often spot the seven-time Pro Bowler celebrating big runs downfield after making effective blocks at multiple levels of the defense.  Mawae was a centerpiece for the Jets during a period where the playoff-starved franchise made the post-season four times.  Kevin Mawae is another player on the short list of Jet Hall of Famers.

  1. Joe Klecko

Joe Klecko might be the defensive equivalent of Kevin Mawae.  Jet fans love Kelcko to this day for the high-motor effort and lunch-pail approach the four-time Pro Bowler applied to his craft.  Klecko has a bit of underdog in his fan appeal as well, entering the league at 263 pounds and playing the interior defensive line at about 270 pounds.  He played with a strength that far exceeded his stature.  Klecko was the perfect complement to the flash of Mark Gastineau.  Klecko’s understated style suited many fans who felt his teammates may have been over the top.  Joe Klecko rates well in this analysis as he excelled at a position where the franchise has historically struggled.  Klecko and the rest of the “Sack Exchange” pressured and sacked quarterbacks at a rate the team has not nearly approached since.

  1. Joe Namath

Joe Namath is far and away the most popular New York Jet.  Namath is maybe the only Jet player in history to carve a space for himself in the psyche of non-Jet fans.  The franchise’s struggle for success since Namath and the Jets won the Super Bowl over 50 years ago is a barrier for most Jet players in achieving national recognition.  Namath’s success on the field, his transition to broadcasting, and his personal flair have allowed him to stay relevant in the mind of football fans for nearly 60 years.  Namath was perhaps the first player to have a brand.  His on on-field individuality, appearances in commercial spots, and very public personal life resulted in a level of notoriety that had not been approached before.  Namath escaped the anonymity with which the NFL helmet veiled other players.  He was larger than life during his time in the league, and he is still a relevant cultural icon today.

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I can't speak for everyone else, only myself. 

MY Top 5 Favorite Jets looks nothing like this list.

1. Al Toon
2. Nick Mangold
3. Wayne Chrebet
4. Joe Klecko
5. Curtis Martin

Honorable Mentions:  Chad Pennington and Ken O'Brian

The pre-my-birth guys, Namath and Maynard and their ilk, I totally get why they'd be so popular with the geriatric set, but it was before I was alive.  They're not "my" Jets.  

No idea why Mawae would be so popular, I get he was very good, but he wasn't exactly a ball of personality by my memory (maybe I've forgotten).  I respect him, but he was never a favorite of mine.

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11 minutes ago, Warfish said:

I can't speak for everyone else, only myself. 

MY Top 5 Favorite Jets looks nothing like this list.

1. Al Toon
2. Nick Mangold
3. Wayne Chrebet
4. Joe Klecko
5. Curtis Martin

Honorable Mentions:  Chad Pennington and Ken O'Brian

The pre-my-birth guys, Namath and Maynard and their ilk, I totally get why they'd be so popular with the geriatric set, but it was before I was alive.  They're not "my" Jets.  

No idea why Mawae would be so popular, I get he was very good, but he wasn't exactly a ball of personality by my memory (maybe I've forgotten).  I respect him, but he was never a favorite of mine.

Love Chad and Mawae but I do not think they were Jets for a long enough time to be considered.

Curious how Brick doesn't seem to make anyone's list? I guess being quiet and just doing your job on a consistently high level doesn't count for much.

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9 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Curious how Brick doesn't seem to make anyone's list? I guess being quiet and just doing your job on a consistently high level doesn't count for much.

Brick was a really good player for a lot of years, but I think fan favorites are the guys that seem to love the game.  I never got the impression that this was anything more than a job to him. 

Maybe I am being unfair and he was just a quieter guy, but I think that impacts how fondly we think of Brick.

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1 hour ago, Warfish said:

I can't speak for everyone else, only myself. 

MY Top 5 Favorite Jets looks nothing like this list.

1. Al Toon
2. Nick Mangold
3. Wayne Chrebet
4. Joe Klecko
5. Curtis Martin

Honorable Mentions:  Chad Pennington and Ken O'Brian

The pre-my-birth guys, Namath and Maynard and their ilk, I totally get why they'd be so popular with the geriatric set, but it was before I was alive.  They're not "my" Jets.  

No idea why Mawae would be so popular, I get he was very good, but he wasn't exactly a ball of personality by my memory (maybe I've forgotten).  I respect him, but he was never a favorite of mine.

C'mon bro...

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1 hour ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Love Chad and Mawae but I do not think they were Jets for a long enough time to be considered.

Chad is as much disappointment for many folks as he was hope, but different that flat busts like Sanchez, Darnold, Geno, etc.  So I get why he wouldn't make the list.

Mawae just surprises me, I don't see it.

1 hour ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Curious how Brick doesn't seem to make anyone's list? I guess being quiet and just doing your job on a consistently high level doesn't count for much.

Same as Curtis Martin but worse.  Quiet to the extreme, no personality (far as the fans could see publicly), and played a position (O-line) that generally doesn't get you noticed by fans unless you screw up.  Mangold avoids that with his huge public persona and his post-retirement team loyalty.

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17 minutes ago, peekskill68 said:

C'mon bro...

To have seen Super Bowl III and actually understood it in any meaningful way, you'd need to be at least approx. 7-10 years old at the time of the game on January 12, 1969.  

That would make such fans in their early to mid 60's today, with most older or much older.

Geriatric just means elderly.  Elderly generally starts in western countries at the same time as retirement, i.e. in ages between 60-65.

I'm not sure what your complaint is here:  To have seen Super Bowl III, and really gotten it (as opposed to playing with your toys on the floor while Dad watched it and you having some vague memory of it) you are almost by definition a member of the geriatric set today.

It's just a fact.  Time is a cruel mistress. 

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38 minutes ago, jgb said:

The number of lists posted in this thread that do not include Joe Willie is a disgrace on all of us.

Honest question:  I never saw Namath take a single snap.  So why would he be one of MY favorite players?

Peoples favorites are generally the guys they loved in their most formative years.  Not guys their fathers or grandfathers liked necessarily.

And I'm distinctly middle-aged for this forum community.  We have people posting here born post-2000, 30 years after Super Bowl 3 was played.  

That would be akin to someone born in 2000 having "Theme from A Summer Place"  by  Percy Faith be their favorite song.

Respect, yes.  I respect the Super Bowl III team and those players.  But they'll never be my favorites, for what should be obvious reasons.

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6 minutes ago, Warfish said:

Honest question:  I never saw Namath take a single snap.  So why would he be one of MY favorite players?

Heathen.

6 minutes ago, Warfish said:

Peoples favorites are generally the guys they loved in their most formative years.  Not guys their fathers or grandfathers liked necessarily.

So Backstreet Boys > The Beatles? ;) 

6 minutes ago, Warfish said:

And I'm distinctly middle-aged for this forum community.  We have people posting here born post-2000, 30 years after Super Bowl 3 was played.  

That would be akin to someone born in 2000 having "Theme from A Summer Place"  by  Percy Faith be their favorite song.

My favorite song is from before I was born. Book too.

6 minutes ago, Warfish said:

Respect, yes.  I respect the Super Bowl III team and those players.  But they'll never be my favorites, for what should be obvious reasons.

Most popular doesn't equal favorite actually...

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10 minutes ago, jgb said:

Heathen.

Note:  Not an answer.  I'll accept your surrender on the issue, no worries.

10 minutes ago, jgb said:

So Backstreet Boys > The Beatles? ;) 

If you poll folks born after 2000, their favorite would likely be mostly something from 2010-2018, not something from 1969. 

As a mid-70's born kid, for me, Metallica > Beatles all day long.  Doesn't mean I don't respect the Beatles.  I very much do.  But Metallica is a favorite.  

But admittedly, Music isn't the best analogy here, because I (for example) can enjoy Pink Floyd's DSOTM just as much in 2022 as someone did in 1974.  Nothing is really lost, except the ability to also see it performed live (which IS a factor in making emotional connections).

Live sports doesn't really work that way. 

Again, oldtimey players of bygone eras generally get later generation respect, not "OMG I LOVE HIM HE'S MY FAVORITE!!!" type feelings.  That vital emotional connection is just much harder to make when the player in question is dead or very old and came from long before you were born.

Perhaps this is a better analogy for you:  Otani as a Favorite Player > Ruth as a Favorite Player, in 2022.  

Want a real trip:  Ask a few post-2001-born kids about 9-11.  

 

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32 minutes ago, jgb said:

So Backstreet Boys > The Beatles? ;) 
 

Your favorite book

Neither would be in my top 100

Your favorite book/movie can be from anytime. You experience it at the time you’re reading/watching it. Sports have already happened so there’s no level of anticipation or excitement on what’s going to happen if you already know. 

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2 hours ago, Warfish said:

I can't speak for everyone else, only myself. 

MY Top 5 Favorite Jets looks nothing like this list.

1. Al Toon
2. Nick Mangold
3. Wayne Chrebet
4. Joe Klecko
5. Curtis Martin

Honorable Mentions:  Chad Pennington and Ken O'Brian

The pre-my-birth guys, Namath and Maynard and their ilk, I totally get why they'd be so popular with the geriatric set, but it was before I was alive.  They're not "my" Jets.  

No idea why Mawae would be so popular, I get he was very good, but he wasn't exactly a ball of personality by my memory (maybe I've forgotten).  I respect him, but he was never a favorite of mine.

So under your judgement...the greatest 5 Yankees of all time would not be on the list for Yankees .  I always SMH when someone says, normally a fan under 40, ... "Well, I never saw him".  Namath is number 1, I don't care who the fan is.  Calling some of the greatest Jets "ILK" speaks volumes to how you and many others see sports. A 20-30  year window . Sports marks time. It is history.    From field of dreams.. "Baseball marks the time".  

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4 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

So under your judgement...the greatest 5 Yankees of all time would not be on the list for Yankees .  I always SMH when someone says, normally a fan under 40, ... "Well, I never saw him".  Namath is number 1, I don't care who the fan is.  Calling some of the greatest Jets "ILK" speaks volumes to how you and many others see sports. A 20-30  year window . Sports marks time. It is history.    From field of dreams.. "Baseball marks the time".  

The thread is titled "Most Popular Jets", not "Greatest Jets".  Of course Namath is at the top of the "greatest" list (though I wouldn't quibble with anyone who wanted to put Maynard in that top slot).  But "most popular" is something different.  

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7 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

So under your judgement...the greatest 5 Yankees of all time would not be on the list for Yankees .  I always SMH when someone says, normally a fan under 40, ... "Well, I never saw him".  Namath is number 1, I don't care who the fan is.  Calling some of the greatest Jets "ILK" speaks volumes to how you and many others see sports. A 20-30  year window . Sports marks time. It is history.    From field of dreams.. "Baseball marks the time".  

He's number one because the list is "most popular" not "your favorite" Jets.

Joe is objectively the most celebrated, famous, well-known, and most sought after for events/commentary, etc.

Popularity isn't subjective. He simply is the most popular Jet.

Others here have posted their list of favorite Jets. That's all well and good. People can disagree there for sure. But it's a different thing entirely.

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6 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

I can live with this..... Chrebet, Revis, Mangold, Brick  for Walker and or Mawae but 1-3 are solid. 

I suppose one has to add Revis in somewhere. 
He just wasn't a green blooded NY Jet AFAIC.  Well he got his ring with the Pats.  He doesn't make the list for me. 

I hope he takes care of his superbowl ring well and keeps it in a warm place.

MV5BODc1YjgwMDEtOWZjYS00NmE0LWJjYWMtOGNj

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"Most popular" is an interesting (as far as off-season topics go) question.  It's not the same as "best".  I guess you have to be universally liked, and probably play a position where you're frequently "visible".  This is why I'd leave Revis off... but hey...

5. Wesley Walker
4. Curtis Martin
3. Wayne Chrebet
2. Joe Klecko 
1. Joe Namath

Hon mentions:  Don Maynard, Bruce Harper, Leon Washington, Mo Lewis, Freeman Mcneil

Deep cuts:  Chad Pennington, Victor Green, Jerricho Cotchery, Rich Caster

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14 minutes ago, jgb said:

He's number one because the list is "most popular" not "your favorite" Jets.

Joe is objectively the most celebrated, famous, well-known, and most sought after for events/commentary, etc.

Popularity isn't subjective. He simply is the most popular Jet.

Others here have posted their list of favorite Jets. That's all well and good. People can disagree there for sure. But it's a different thing entirely.

Thank you for saving me the effort.  I would suggest to my old friend CPA that he actually read the thread before getting angry next time.

Topic being "Popular", and "popular" being another way of saying "favorite", the thread is about the favorite Jets of the most # of people.

Since most of us, presumably, were not polled, the replies so far have mostly been offering our own individual lists of favorite Jets.

As JGB so clearly says, while who each of our favorite Jets are is subjective for us as individuals, "popularity isn't subjective", ultimately it's just a tally of poll results.  The objective output of the replies to a subjective question.

Presumably, the author did do some actual polling to support his piece (although he does say it isn't scientific in the OP).

Now.....if he did no polling, and simply wrote a piece saying who he thought was the most popular Jets, without any objective evidence (like a poll) to support it, then it IS in fact subjective. 

He may still be (and likely is) correct (if a poll WAS done, it could reasonably match his listings pretty closely, I'd wager, especially Namath at #1), but without such a poll or supporting objective evidence, the OP article would have to be considered entirely subjective.

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