Marty Lyons joined the New York Jets from Alabama as the 14th selection in the 1979 NFL Draft, and he’s been with the NFL team ever since. After 11 seasons on the defensive line as part of the “New York Sack Exchange,” he’s handled a variety of jobs for the Jets, and the 2024 season will be his 23rd as the analyst on the team’s radio broadcasts.
“I’ve seen the good, I’ve seen the bad and I’ve seen the ugly of the New York Jets for 45 years,” Lyons said on Sunday, “and I was a part of all of it. …
“I think the big thing for the Jets is right now on paper you look pretty good. But nobody ever wins the game on paper. You got to go out there and perform, and you got to stay healthy.”
Lyons expects the good this season as New York hits reset on what might have been in 2023. After the Jets traded for four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers last offseason, the quarterback sustained a season-ending injury on the first series of the first game.
But Rodgers’ return isn’t the only reason for Lyons’ optimism.
“If you look at the talent they have on the defensive side, they have two Alabama players over there in C.J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams,” Lyons said. “And when you’ve got two out of the 11 that come from Alabama, the other nine are going to listen to you.
“And they’re doing great.”
A five-time Pro Bowler, Mosley is the defensive signal-caller for the Jets and has recorded 478 tackles in the past three seasons.
“He’s well-respected not just on the field, but he’s well-respected in the locker room,” Lyons said. “He leads by example, and when he’s up there in front of the defense and he’s talking, people are listening. And it’s the same with Quinnen Williams.”A College Football Hall of Fame member, Lyons talked about Mosley, Williams and the Jets before his induction into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame on Sunday. The Senior Bowl added Lyons, Southern Cal quarterback Carson Palmer, Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans, Utah defensive back Eric Weddle and UAB wide receiver Roddy White to its Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Grand Hotel Golf Club and Spa in Point Clear.
Williams earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2022 and was a Pro Bowl selection again in 2023 as a defensive tackle.
“I think Quinnen’s a little bit heavier,” Lyons said when comparing Williams to himself as New York defensive linemen separated by three decades. “He might be a little bit faster. He might be a little bit stronger. And I love him. He can make a lot of things happen, and, hopefully, when I look back on my career in the NFL, players, teammates in particular, are saying, ‘Hey, you know what? He might not have been the strongest, fastest or the best player out there, but one thing he gave us was 100 percent every day, and we knew we could count on him.’
“And that’s all you could ever ask: That you’re respected by your teammates and respected by your fans and you can look yourself in the mirror after every game and say, ‘Hey, you know what? I gave it my all.’ And sometime in the NFL, you can say ‘I gave it my all,’ but it wasn’t good enough.”
Lyons said he’s able to talk to Mosley and Williams before every New York game, and he tries to do the same with Alabama alumni on other teams.
In his rookie season, Lyons started every game for the Jets, making him one of the 18 Alabama alumni to appear in at least one regular-season contest in the 1979 NFL campaign. During Lyons’ 11 seasons with the Jets, 64 former Crimson Tide alumni played in the NFL.
In the 2023 season, 72 former Alabama players appeared in at least one game.
“It’s a pleasure to see all those Alabama players,” Lyons said. “They’re sprinkled out throughout the NFL. If we’re playing an opposing team and they have an Alabama player, I’ll make sure that I search them out, introduce myself to them and wish them the best of luck and tell them just go out there and play hard, make yourself proud and make the people back there in Alabama proud also.”
New York added another former Alabama player on April 27 when they made safety Jaylen Key the final selection of the 2024 NFL Draft.
