Best New York Jets’ Player to Wear Number 92
Continuing the trek through New York Jets’ history, who was the best player ever to wear number 92?
Traveling through New York Jets’ history is an interesting journey. There are a lot of losing seasons to visit during that trip, and a lot of hard luck to go with it. Most of us are familiar with the “Butt Fumble”. The 1986 playoff game is another sore spot for Jets’ fans. The NFL draft has been a recurring nightmare over the years, for vastly different reasons. Those devoted to the Gang Green have suffered a lot. There, I said it.
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That being said, there have been many talented players all throughout team history. Today we continue our countdown. Over the last several weeks, we have been counting down the best players ever to put on the uniform, backwards by jersey number. Our trip has led us through sack masters, such as our number 99 choice and our number 94 selection.
We have reached our number 92 choice, and we have a player that spent a long time in New York. He was a fan favorite and a consistent performer.
His name is Shaun Ellis.
Shaun was a first round selection in 2000, the same year as John Abraham and Chad Pennington. He only started three games as a rookie, but was able to be a force as an edge rusher by posting 8.5 sacks. That year, he began his strong play against the rival Patriots, posting two sacks in a week two win.
Ellis became a starter in 2001, and never relinquished the job until he left the Jets after the 2010 season. From 2001-2002, he posted 4-5 sacks per season and averaged just under 40 tackles each season. The next year was Ellis’ breakout season that saw him post 12.5 sacks and 69 tackles, earning him his first of two career Pro Bowl selections. That year, he was able to post those sacks in only 11 games. Dominant is the only word necessary.
In 2004, Ellis was a force once again, posting 11 sacks, including double-digits in five separate games. His best day that year was the final day, when he dropped three sacks on the Rams in a losing cause.
After an off-year in 2005, he rebounded to post five sacks in 2006, and never posted less than 4.5 in any season before departing the team after 2010. One of his best days came in 2007 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That afternoon he posted two sacks, helping the Jets to a 19-16 upset victory over Big Ben and company.
In 2010, Ellis was 33 years old and finishing 11th and what turned out to be his final year in New York. That didn’t stop him from putting in a performance to remember in the divisional playoffs. In the well-remembered upset victory over the Patriots, Ellis posted two sacks and five tackles. The game was such a beloved game amongst the Jets’ faithful, it was voted one of the three games to be included on the NFL YouTube channel, as reported by Dom Cosentino of NJ.com.
The game also led to this:
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For his 11 year career in New York, Ellis posted 552 tackles, 73.5 sacks, one interception, 14 passes defended, 13 forced fumbles and five recoveries. His durability was the story as well, starting 156 games in his Jets’ career.
He’s certainly the best player in team history to wear number 92.