NFL Legends: The New York Sack Exchange

The New York Jets are a team that has suffered bitter disappointment throughout the last four decades. While the New York Giants have won three Super Bowls, and have had 27 people, who had, at least, a small part of their career there, go into the Hall of Fame, the New York Jets have only six with two spending minor portions of their career there.

A team that has been around 49 years has only six Hall of Famers? They may have had only one Super Bowl victory, but I find it hard to believe that the New York Jets have not been successful at all for a few decades.

So, I checked into it. I found they have a very underrated, rarely talked about, running back named Curtis Martin, who will undoubtedly; go into the Hall of Fame. However, he is more recent from 1998 to 2006 for them.

He'll go into the Hall of Fame around 2012 or 2013 then. The waiting period is very dull, but required.

So this team has only Weeb Ewbank (the head coach), Don Maynard, Joe Namath, and John Riggins (played with them long enough to be considered a primary member) as primary members in the Hall of Fame.

That is ridiculous. There are multiple teams that have been in dry spells and still produce Hall of Fame players: the Eagles, the Lions, the Seahawks, and the Chargers just to name a few.

If you look hard enough, you'll find a player that has been passed over, missed, snubbed, or just plain ignored by the Hall of Fame selection committee.

I found one, arguably two, who have been forgotten.

Well I, James Williamson, feel that if they cannot be honored by the Hall of Fame, I will induct them into the NFL Legends along with their other two teammates.

So, sit back, get a drink, and prepare for a nice history lesson about the New York Sack Exchange.

Wow! What a name; the New York Sack Exchange. The only thing these guys have in common with the New York Stock Exchange is that they deal in green. Green dollars to green jerseys.

The great thing about these guys was the fact that none of their names are ordinary. They have the perfect kind of name where it's not too common, but not too hard to pronounce. Those kinds of names are easily remembered.

They were: Abdul Salaam, Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau, and Marty Lyons. All of them were unique in their own special way aside from the fact they were professional football players.

Abdul Salaam was the only one of African-American descent. He was born Larry Faulk out of Cinncinatti, OH and was one of the tackles out of Kent State as a seventh-round draft pick in 1976.

Mark Gastineau was the only one born in the southern part of the United States, Ardmore, OK to be exact. He was gifted in football, but apparently did not have enough skill to make it to a big university, so he settled for East Central Oklahoma State.

However, he flourished on the football field, making 27 sacks as a defensive lineman. He managed to build himself up to a second round pick in 1979.

Joe Klecko was born in Chester, PA. Next door to Philadelphia, and he wanted to play for the birds, but they passed him over, and the Jets got him in the sixth round of the 1977 draft. He also went to a non-football (not really known for football success) university known as Temple.

Marty Lyons was, to be accurate, a regular player with high expectations really. He was arguably the weakest on the line, and he was supposed to be the best. Lyons was born in Takoma Park, MA, and he was the Jets first-round pick in 1979 before Gastineau.

He went to SEC's Alabama and the Crimson Tide, where he helped win a national championship, but he was not the same star in the NFL.

Combine these four guys together, and you get a defensive line that, I think, was better than the Steel Curtain's line. They were great together, and something to be very proud of if you are a New York Jets fan or even an NFL fan.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?