What a night it was for the New York Jets. Shortly after Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner both won Rookie of the Year honors, Darrelle Revis and Joe Klecko were both inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Revis enters Canton, Ohio, as a First-Ballot Hall of Famer, to no surprise, as arguably the best cornerback in NFL history. For Klecko, the wait took longer than it should have, but at last, he gets to be a Hall of Famer.
Certainly, expect the Jets to play in the Hall of Fame game this summer.
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New York Jets greats Darrelle Revis and Joe Klecko enter Hall of Fame:
Starting with Revis, he was the Jets’ first-round selection (14th overall) in the 2007 NFL draft. He spent the first six years of his career with the Jets (2007-12) and then had a second stint for two years (2015-16). Revis spent eight of his 11 years in the NFL with the Jets, playing in 108 games for the team, and did some special things that changed the game in New York.
As a rookie, Revis came in and started all 16 games for the Jets. He recorded three interceptions and 17 passes defended, which tied for the fifth-most in the NFL. In his second year, Revis recorded five interceptions, and 16 passes defended.
Year three was when Revis took his play to an all-time level. In 2009, Revis recorded six interceptions, which tied for the fifth-most in football. Revis also had 31 passes defended that year, which is the most for a single season in NFL history. The next closest is 27.
Beyond just the stat sheet, what Revis did in coverage all throughout 2009 was generational. He went up against many top wide receivers all year and shut them all down on his own, in press, 1-on-1, without any safety help, earning the nickname “Revis Island.” Revis led the Jets’ defense to finish as the first-ranked unit in 2009 (252.3 yards per game) and as the first-ranked pass defense (153.7 yards per game). He helped lead the team to an AFC Championship game. What Revis did with the Jets in 2009 will probably never be done again.
Come Revis’ fourth year with the Jets, in 2010, he was hardly ever tested. It led to no interceptions being recorded for the year. In 13 games played, Revis did tally up 10 passes defended. From a coverage standpoint, Revis continued to shut everyone down. His performance against Calvin Johnson, specifically in 2010, is one that gets highly remembered. Revis shut Johnson down to one catch for 13 yards on four targets and had two passes defended. For the second year in a row, Revis helped the Jets make it to the AFC Championship game.
In 2011, year five with the Jets, Revis started all 16 games. He recorded 21 passes defended and four interceptions. In 2012, Revis started just two games after suffering a torn ACL. He still recorded three passes defended and one interception in those two games.
Revis returned to the Jets in 2015, starting 14 games that year. He recorded five interceptions, nine passes defended, and had four fumbles recovered (nine total takeaways). His final year with the Jets, 2016, was his last full season in the NFL.
All in all, Revis has many remarkable accomplishments on his resume. He was put in the Jets Ring of Honor in November. His four-year run with the Jets from 2008-11 will always hold a special place in the history of the game, as he transformed the cornerback position. He propelled the Jets to win four road playoff games en route to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010. Over those four years, Revis had 15 interceptions, and 78 passes defended (19.5 per season).
In the 108 games that Revis played for the Jets over eight years, he recorded 25 interceptions, and 112 passes defended. He had five seasons with double-digit pass breakups as a Jet. Revis had at least three interceptions in five years with the Jets.
Revis finished his career as a Super Bowl champion, a first-team All-Pro four times (2009-11, 2014), a seven-time Pro Bowler (2008-11, 2013-15), and now, a First-Ballot Hall of Famer. His impact on the game was nothing short of special.
Then, with Klecko, he was drafted by the Jets in the sixth round (144th selection) of the 1977 NFL draft. He played 12 years in the NFL, his first 11 with the Jets, and played in 140 games for the team.
Klecko tallied eight sacks in years one and two of his career. He had seven in his third year before really hitting his prime.
In 1980, Klecko had his first double-digit sack season, posting 10.5. Then, in his fifth year, 1981, Klecko recorded a ridiculous 20.5 sacks, which led the NFL. The production led to a ton of honors, such as a Pro Bowl, first-team All-Pro, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Klecko was only able to play in two games in 1982 after a right knee injury in which he ruptured his patella tendon. He still did post two sacks in just those two games.
In 1983, Klecko posted 6.5 sacks and made his second Pro Bowl. Klecko recorded three sacks and another Pro Bowl in 1984. Klecko had 7.5 sacks in 1985, earning his third-consecutive Pro Bowl and second first-team All-Pro.
He recorded four sacks in 11 games in 1986. In his final year with the Jets, 1987, Klecko played in just seven games due to a knee injury and had one sack.
Klecko wrapped up his 11-year tenure with the Jets recording a total of 78 sacks, the second-most in Jets franchise history. He was an integral part of the Jets Sack Exchange in the 1980s alongside Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons, and Abdul Salaam.
Klecko was a Defensive Player of the Year (1981), two-time first-team All-Pro (1981, 1985), second-team All-Pro (1983), and four-time Pro Bowler (1981, 1983-85). He has his jersey number, 73, retired by the Jets. He is also a part of the Jets Ring of Honor. Now, Klecko gets to say that he is a Hall of Famer.
This was certainly a big, great night for the Jets. Revis and Klecko are more than deserving of being Hall of Famers. For the Jets to have Revis and Klecko, two of their best players in franchise history, both inducted into the same Pro Football Hall of Fame class is quite exciting.