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The Arts Intel Report

30 for 30: The New York Sack Exchange

Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam, and Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets in 1982.

Streaming on ESPN+

It’s hard to believe, but the New York Jets haven’t always been horrible. A Super Bowl win in 1969, and recent A.F.C. Championship appearances in 2009 and 2010 come to mind. Between those high water marks, there was also the early 80s, when Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam, and Mark Gastineau made up a fearsome Jets defensive line. They were called The New York Sack Exchange, and boy, did they sack. For a few seasons this foursome struck fear into offenses the league over. They were so perfectly New York: snarling, tough, never satisfied. As we learn from ESPN’s new documentary on the quartet, it turns out they also despised each other. What makes The New York Sack Exchange sing is the animosity between these phenomenal players, and the stories they recall from the sometimes good, sometimes not-so-good ol’ days. —Jack Sullivan

Photo: Sports Illustrated / Getty Images