10/31 — The Pro Football Hall of Fame's preliminary list of modern-era nominees for the Class of 2009 is out, and of the 133 players, coaches and contributors, six have Jets connections.

And for one of those six, well, it would be nice if he could finally be connected with Canton.

Joe Klecko is one of those six Jets on the list. I'd like to see Klecko in the Hall. I know some of the Hall's hard-working and dedicated selectors and the method they use to select up to six new members each Super Bowl week, so I won't disparage the people or the process.

But Klecko has been waiting awhile. If Jets fans want to see No. 73 enshrined, all we can do is raise our voices and let the selectors know that "We want Joe."

QB Boomer Esiason, offensive tackle Marvin Powell and kicker Nick Lowery are also on the list, as are former O-line coach Chuck Knox and personnel guru Ron Wolf.

You may or may not be familiar with how the list gets sifted down from 133 to six or fewer. Hall selectors reduce the list to 25 in a November mail ballot, then to 15 in a December mail ballot. They will be joined by Senior Selection Committee nominees Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey as the 17 nominees who have gotten "into the room" the day before Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.

The 39 selectors listen to arguments from each team's presenter as they whittle the field from 17 to 10 to six, then vote yes or no on each of the six to determine who will be in the Class of '09.

Here are thumbnail bios compiled by the Jets' PR department on the half-dozen Jets candidates in this year's pool:

Joe Klecko

Played 11 seasons with the Jets (1977-1987) before finishing his career with the Colts (1988). … First player in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl at three different positions: DE (1981), DT (1983-84), NT (1985). … Consensus All-Pro and Sports Illustrated’s Player of the Year as he led the NFL in 1981 with 20½ sacks and recorded 136 quarterback pressures. … Member of "the New York Sack Exchange,” the Jets defensive line that featured Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam and Mark Gastineau and peaked with 66 sacks in 1981.

Boomer Esiason

Played three seasons with the Jets (1993-95) in a career that spanned 14 seasons and was also spent with the Bengals (1984-92, '97) and Cardinals (1996). … Threw for 37,920 career yards and 247 touchdowns. … Led Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII. … Named to four Pro Bowls (1986, '88, '89, '93) and was NFL MVP in 1988. … Threw for 522 yards in overtime win for Arizona against Washington in 1996. … In his Pro Bowl season with the Jets in 1993, threw for 3,421 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Marvin Powell

Played nine seasons with the Jets (1977-85) before finishing his career with the Buccaneers (1986-87). … All-Rookie selection in 1977 and was elected to the Pro Bowl for five consecutive years (1979-83). ... Past president of the NFLPA.

Nick Lowery

Played the final three seasons of his 18-year career with the Jets (1994-96), hitting 54 of 68 field goals (79.4 percent) and 76 of 78 extra points. ... Also played with the Patriots (1978) and the Chiefs (1980-93). ... Made the Pro Bowl twice (1990, '92). ... Led NFL in FG percentage three times and in points once (139 points for Chiefs in 1990).

Chuck Knox

Head coach with Rams (1973-77, '92-94), Bills (1978-82) and Seahawks (1983-91). ... Began NFL coaching career with Weeb Ewbank on the Jets in 1963. ... Coached Jets' OL for four seasons before moving on to the Lions, where he coached for six seasons before he was hired as head coach by the Rams. ... NFL career head-coaching record: 193-158-1.

Ron Wolf

With the Jets from June 1990–November 1991 before he was named Green Bay's general manager. ... Retired from Packers in 2001. ... Started his career with Oakland (1963-75). ... VP of operations for Buccaneers (1975-78) before rejoining Raiders (1978-90) in personnel. … During his tenure in Green Bay, Packers had NFL's second-best record (92-52), reached playoffs six times and won one Super Bowl. ... Named Executive of the Year in 1992.