3 NY Jets who deserve to be inducted into the Ring of Honor

Over the years the NY Jets have been represented by some of the all-time greatest players to ever play the game. Hall of Fame honorees include Joe Namath, Don Maynard, Curtis Martin, Winston Hill, Kevin Mawae, and of course Super Bowl III winning coach Weeb Ewbank.

In addition to those players, there are many more who have excelled for the green and white but for various reasons have fallen short of induction into the Hall of Fame. Joe Klecko, for instance, comes to mind as a former New York Jets player deserving of the honor.

In 2010, the Jets Ring of Honor was created to not only recognize their former Hall of Fame players but to also pay tribute to those players who were the best at their position for the franchise.

There are currently 18 members in the New York Jets Ring of Honor with the most recent inductee being center Kevin Mawae. Looking back in Jets' history, a case could be made for several other former players to be added to this list.

Let's take a look at three of those former players whose previous performance for the team should earn them further consideration for the Ring of Honor.

It should also be noted that recent retirees such as Nick Mangold, D' Brickashaw Ferguson, David Harris, and Darrelle Revis are not on this list because of the limited time since they hung up their cleats.

There is a very good chance that, in time, most of the above-mentioned players will find their rightful place in the Ring of Honor. This list is strictly for those guys who have put in the time and the honor is long overdue.

Let's take a look at three of those players who are very much deserving of consideration.

3. Mickey Shuler, TE, NY Jets

Mickey Shuler had a very long and successful career as a tight end for the Jets. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he seems to fly under the radar in terms of notoriety with the team. He is arguably the best tight end in franchise history and he has the numbers to prove it.

Shuler played for the Jets for 12 seasons from 1978 through 1989. He was drafted in the third round of the 1978 NFL Draft out of Penn State University. He is the all-time franchise leader in career receptions for a tight end with a total of 438 catches.

Shuler is tied for fifth place with Wesley Walker on the Jets' all-time reception leaders list. The former Nittany Lion also amassed 4,819 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns while with the team.

Shuler was a tough and durable player who played in 160 games of which he started in 102 for the Jets. His many honors include twice being named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams in both 1986 and 1988. He is a member of the Jets All-Time Four-Decade Team and the Jets Dream Team.

Shuler played in seven playoff games for the Jets as well and recorded another 20 receptions for 249 yards and two touchdowns in those games. In addition, he ranks second all-time in franchise history for most consecutive games played with at least one reception at 86 games.

In an era where tight ends were still viewed more for their blocking skills than their receiving ability, Shuler put up multiple years of high-ranking reception totals — 76 receptions in 1985, 70 receptions in 1988, 69 receptions in 1986, and 68 receptions in 1984.

Shuler finished up his outstanding career by playing his final two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1990 and 1991. Shuler's overall statistics are far superior to those of other acclaimed tight ends in Jets history such as Pete Lammons, Dustin Keller, Richard Caster, and Jerome Barkum.

Hopefully, at some point in the near future, Shuler will be given further consideration for induction into the Jets Ring of Honor.

2. Kyle Clifton, LB, NY Jets

Kyle Clifton played 13 seasons in the NFL — all with the Jets. He was a versatile linebacker and at different points in his career played middle linebacker as well as both right and left inside linebacker depending on the defensive scheme at the time.

Clifton was drafted in the third round of the 1984 NFL Draft and played his college football at Texas Christian University. In spite of having a long and productive career with the Jets, he is probably the most underrated of the three players on this list.

Not only was Clifton one of the better linebackers to ever put on a Jets uniform, but he was also one of the best linebackers to play in the NFL during the 1980s and into the early 1990s. Clifton led the NFL in combined tackles with 160 in 1983, 174 in 1986, and 162 in 1988.

He was in the top-10 in the NFL for combined tackles seven times from 1984 through 1991. The only exception was in 1987 when he was slowed by injuries. At the time of his retirement in 1997, Clifton was the second-leading tackler in NFL history.

As for the Jets, Clifton remains the team's all-time leading tackler with a total of 1,484 combined tackles. From 1984 to 1996, he played 204 games and started in 149 of them for Gang Green. He recorded 12 interceptions, 5.5 sacks, and forced 13 fumbles. He also played in four playoff games for the team.

With these kinds of numbers, it remains a mystery as to why Clifton has not received more attention for his performance on the field. He clearly ranks as one of the finest linebackers to have ever played for the Jets and should at the very least be considered for future induction into the Ring of Honor.

1. Mo Lewis, LB, NY Jets

Sticking to the defensive side of the ball, and also at linebacker, my top choice for the Jets Ring of Honor goes to Mo Lewis. The former Georgia Bulldog had many similarities to his game to that of Kyle Clifton, except that Lewis was a much more well-rounded player.

Lewis, like Clifton, was a third-round draft pick and played all 13 of his seasons with the Jets. Lewis also put up big numbers when it came to tackles as he accumulated 1,231 combined tackles and an even more impressive 883 solo tackles for his career.

In 1994, Lewis accumulated over 100 solo tackles and had over 100 combined tackles five times over the course of his career. In addition to being a tackling machine, Lewis had 14 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries, 52.5 sacks, 79 pass deflections and is the franchise leader in forced fumbles with 29.

Lewis played in 200 games for the Jets and started 199 of them. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times from 1998 to 2000 and, if not for playing in an era with the likes of Junior Seau, Kevin Greene, Derrick Thomas, Greg Lloyd, and Cornelius Bennett, he would have most likely made several more Pro Bowls.

Lewis was a long-time team captain for the Jets from 1997 to 2003 and was well respected among his peers. However, for as great a player as Mo Lewis was, he is often more remembered as the guy who injured then Patriots' quarterback Drew Bledsoe setting the stage for Tom Brady to take over.

The hit on Bledsoe was hard but clean and nobody at the time would have ever imagined that the unknown, former sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan would become the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL due to the hit by Lewis.

Mo Lewis had a long and illustrious career with the Jets and is deservedly well recognized for his accomplishments. It seems very likely that it's just a matter of time before he is inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor.