The Toughest Players to Play for Every New York Jets Head Coach

Curtis Martin: Martin's toughness showed well before he suited up as an NFL player. Growing up in the rugged Homewood section of Pittsburgh, he estimated that over 30 of his friends and families died in violent crimes. This included his grandmother, who he found stabbed to death after a robbery. ?

His NFL accomplishments speak for themselves, and it's no surprise that he was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame quickly when his eligibility came up. Only a bone-on-bone condition in his knee ended his career, and he even tried to play through that. Martin isn't only one of the toughest Jets of all-time, but one of the NFL's toughest players during his era.

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Shaun Ellis: It can be argued that during Ellis' career as a Jet, the franchise enjoyed it's most sustained run of success. It's no coincidence that it came while Ellis was anchoring the defensive line. Ellis' 72.5 sacks ranks second to Mark Gastineau on the all-time Jets list, and that doesn't take into account the rest of the dirty work he did along the defensive line.

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Jason Fabini: At 6'4", 310 pounds, Fabini was a giant on the offensive line for the Jets for eight seasons. Always considered one of the strongest players on the team, Fabini started his career at left tackle, but was moved to the right side to protect the blindside of Vinny Testaverde and Chad Pennington.?

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Kevin Mawae: In a 2009 Sports Illustrated?poll, Mawae was voted one of the five dirtiest players in the NFL. He absolutely loved that. Mawae was the NFL's dominant center for a solid decade and made the Pro Bowl in each of his seven full seasons as a Jet. Mawae had a nasty streak as a pass-blocker, but what made him even more dangerous was his mobility. Mawae had the rare ability to work as a pulling center and often surprised defenders as he got out ahead of the attack. And by "surprised defenders," I mean knocked them clear out of their uniform with devastating blocks. ?

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Laveranues Coles:?Regardless of position or size, Coles was one of the toughest players to take the field for the Jets during the recent era. Standing just 5'11", Coles was drafted as a burner, but developed into a fearless possession receiver who was never scared to take a hit.?

Coles was also recognized by the NFL as a recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award after the 2007 season and gained a ton of notoriety and respect when he admitted that he was the victim of sexual abuse as a youngster.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1262739-the-toughest-players-to-play-for-every-new-york-jets-head-coach

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