In our continuing countdown of the top players in New York Jets’ history, who was the best to wear number 97?
Despite winning just one championship, the New York Jets have sported a history of colorful, talented players. Whether it has been sack dancers or a quarterback that wears a mink coat on the sidelines, the history of the Green and White is an interesting one.
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Who are their best players?
Over the last several days, we have been counting down the best players to put on the Jets’ uniform. We have reviewed number 99 and number 98. Today we move along to number 97.
The choice is Calvin Pace.
Pace began his career in Arizona as a first-round draft pick of the 2003 draft. He signed with the Jets prior to the 2008 season, per Len Pasquarelli of ESPN, to a six-year contract worth $42 million, $22 guaranteed. That first year in New York, despite the team missing the playoffs, Pace posted 80 tackles and seven sacks.
In Rex Ryan’s first season of 2009, Pace put up an eight sack season, a career-high at the time, despite missing four games for a PED suspension. During the Week 16 game against the Colts, a game the Jets desperately needed to stay alive in the playoff race, Calvin set up the go-ahead touchdown with a sack of Curtis Painter, forcing a fumble that was recovered in the end zone, giving the Jets a much-needed victory.
After a 5.5 sack performance in 2010, Pace came up big in the playoffs, posting a sack in each of the Jets three games. That was followed by down years for Calvin, but he came back strong in 2013, posting a career-high 10 sacks in 2013, when the Jets finished 8-8 and earned Ryan one more season with the Green and White.
Pace’s final season starting all 16 games was 2014. The following year and under new head coach Todd Bowles, Pace started 13 contests. Over the last two seasons, Pace posted a combined total of eight sacks, giving him 46 quarterback traps during his career in New York.
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For the time being he is no longer with the Jets, but could be brought back on a lesser salary. Either way, he is the top player in team history to wear number 97.