A custody battle over Chrebet’s former teammates broke out in the latest edition
The New York Jets will need to improve their defense if they hope to end the NFL’s longest playoff drought any time soon. Wayne Chrebet and Robby Sabo were on hand to acquiesce—though they brought a different brand of help to the table.
The duo’s “Underdog Jets” podcast finished off its all-time Jets draft in its latest edition, one rife with Chrebet’s former comrades from his 11 years of green service.
However, the opening two picks centered on both the pre and post-Chrebet era to kick off the defensive dramatics: Sabo opted to vacation on a certain island, opening the proceedings with lauded cornerback Darrelle Revis while Chrebet went before his time with the selection of Joe Klecko.
Despite Klecko’s legendary status, Sabo saw no other choice than to take the shutdown secondary presence, as he created the “biggest gap between one and two” in his respective position group.
The Jets X-Factor founder and editor waited until his 24th pick to select Revis’ other cornerback (James Hasty) while Chrebet used the third choice on former teammate Aaron Glenn and later took Bobby Jackson a dozen picks later.
“He was outstanding, very quick when he’d use his hands. He was a little smaller than me, but he made up for that in quickness and positioning out receivers,” Chrebet said, explaining that he’d often go up against Glenn, now the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, to see where he stood at the NFL level. “That’s the guy I wanted to go up against. I went against him as much as possible to kind of see where I stood when I came into camp, and he was a great battle. We had some great battles over the years, so he certainly he would be my first cornerback pick.”
Other Chrebet teammates that fell to his side included John Abraham, Hugh Douglas, Marvin Jones, Kyle Clifton, and Victor Green. He also spent time with his respective specialists chosen, with John Hall and Tom Tupa repping No. 80’s squad.
“He can bring it. He could know He fill the hole,” Chrebet said of Jones, with whom he shared nine seasons in New York (1995-2003). As the ninth pick of the defensive selections, Chrebet was surprised that the fourth pick of the 1993 draft lasted as long as he did. “I don’t know how much he could cover guys, stuff like that, but he didn’t need to. He made a big impact stuffing up the middle of the field. He’s certainly one of my favorite teammates that I’ve played with.”
Sabo swiped one of Chrebet’s other teammates at linebacker in the form of Mo Lewis, lining him up next to the late Super Bowl champion Larry Grantham. Chrebet went back to the 1980s for his other linebacker, working with Kyle Clifton, whose final two NFL seasons overlapped with the receiver’s first two campaigns.
The New York #Jets all-time defensive fantasy draft is official. Whose team is best, Chrebet or Sabo? Underdog Jets Podcast, Ep. 8: 🎧iTunes: https://t.co/QpbazBRN58
✅Spotify: https://t.co/BtNlabPTSM
🚨YouTube: https://t.co/7o3K8pvsx8 pic.twitter.com/Yer95lHEOR
— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) February 2, 2022
Much like the offensive version, Chrebet and Sabo’s all-time Jets defensive draft was open to players chosen from a specific pool at each position. NFL legends who spent only a passing time in green (i.e. Steve Atwater, Jason Taylor) were ineligible but both sides managed to secure some strong teams.
In addition to their defensive draft, Chrebet and Sabo offered their thoughts on the upcoming Super Bowl LVI, namely the AFC representative from Cincinnati. The Bengals, winners of last weekend’s AFC title game in Kansas, are eligible for their first Lombardi Trophy since 1989, an opportunity that comes only a couple of years after a two-win season. Part of the reasons for Cincinnati’s surge is the rise of sophomore quarterback Joe Burrow.
The modern Jets have a chance to embark on a similar journey next season with Zach Wilson going into his second season and the pair pondered how the Jets could replicate the Bengals’ trek, which will conclude against the Los Angeles Rams on Feb. 13 (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
“That would be nice. It’d be great we followed what they did in the last couple of years,” Chrebet said. “They definitely had the talent, it just wasn’t working out for them. But when Joe Burrow came to town, everything changed, (like) what people were thinking the fans were thinking, how positive it was. They felt like they had a chance to do something and they certainly turned around this year (with) the addition to Ja’marr Chase and some of those free agents have really stepped up. So I’m happy for them (and) hopefully that’s a pattern that now we can do like they did a couple of years ago.”
Jets X-Factor subscribers are eligible for virtual meet-and-greets with Chrebet, the next of which is scheduled for March 28 at 7 p.m. ET. To register and for more information, click here.
