“I couldn’t convince anyone… that I was more than a crazy Jets fan stuck in the 1980s who wanted to make this movie.”
Some men dream of walking on the moon, building a Fortune 500 company, or starring in a Hollywood blockbuster movie.
James Weiner had more esoteric aspirations. He wanted to direct “The New York Sack Exchange,” a film about the New York Jets’ famous defensive line in the 1980s.
Weiner is a senior producer for award-winning NFL Films for “The Brady 6” and “SEC Stories: Saturday Night Lights,” but he grew up in Port Washington, New York, a 20-minute drive from Shea, in the 1980s. Stadium, his lifelong professional passion, was directing a film about the Jets’ formidable defensive line of the 1980s featuring Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam, Joe Klecko and Mark. Gastineau.
“I’ve been trying to make this movie for at least 20 years,” Weiner said. “But I couldn’t convince anyone.”
That dream was postponed but not realized. Weiner and co-director Ken Rodgers (previously featured on this site and director of many great NFL documentaries, including “Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching,” “The Two Bills” and “Four Falls of Buffalo” ). gave a lighthearted and captivating look at one of the most talked-about defensive units in NFL history.
“The New York Sack Exchange” premieres December 13 at 8pm on ESPN and will be available to stream on ESPN+ following its linear premiere. The film is narrated by Method Man, a musician, actor, and lifelong Jets fan.
Weiner said he met with Gastineau and his family in 2013 to work on the film at Sack Exchange, but to no avail. By the fall of 2022, the project appeared dead. When Weiner rode his bike to Rodgers’ house, the two discussed a project they’d always wanted to do. In an encouraging manner, Rodgers told Weiner that good ideas never die.
Then came the news catalyst. Klecko is inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023. It finally paid off big time. Last year, Rodgers gave 30 for 30 a tour of NFL Films with Marsha Cooke, vice president and executive producer of ESPN Films, and the two got to talk about Joe Namath. Cooke, who began his current role in 2021, said he is a Jets fan from the Bronx. Rodgers gave her a presentation while on tour for a documentary at the New York Sack Exchange, and Cooke loved it. The filmmakers later made a more formal announcement, and ESPN Films eventually became involved.
“Things changed when Joe Klecko went into the Hall of Fame,” Rodgers said. “My first shoot with the group was at the Hall of Fame. We followed Joe backstage and connected them all with his speech and behind the scenes. I don’t know if any of the four of them necessarily wanted to make a movie about them. They wanted a movie about Sack Exchange. I think Mark understood that after Joe was inducted into the Hall of Fame, it was validation for his career. But as you can see in the movie, he wonders if he’ll ever be in the Hall of Fame.”
After receiving approval from ESPN Films, Salaam’s declining health necessitated interviewing him. He died in early October at the age of 71. The filmmakers knew they had to film the foursome at the New York Stock Exchange. A photo of the quartet posing in uniform on the floor of the financial hub (shown at the top of this article). So, as part of making the film, they hired their own car to make the 10-hour drive from Salam’s home in Cincinnati to New York in April 2024.
Gastineau is the documentary’s central character, a compelling but still exhausting figure. The filmmakers didn’t sugarcoat Gastineau’s career, his decisions and how his actions angered his teammates. Rarely do you see anyone on film more generous about his teammates than Lyons is about Gastineau. They also highlight where Gastineau was ahead of his time (his sack dance today is quaint compared to some of the celebrations).
New York Jets’ Mark Gastineau (99) became famous for his brilliant performance after his defensive play. (TG Higgins/Getty Images)
“Even though I’m not Mark, I resonate with Mark’s argument,” Weiner said. “There is real merit to his argument, and it allows us to present it as he argues.”
(athleticDan Pompei wrote a great profile of Gastineau last June, which is worth a read if you missed it.)
“I was always attracted to this project that James was so passionate about,” Rodgers said. Because it was a disagreement that these four people had together,” Rodgers said. “In the past, Klecko and Gastineau disagreed, but now there is more Lyons and Gastineau. The question the movie asks seems to be, ‘Do you have to get along well with other people to get along?’ They were great together, there’s no doubt about it. But you can ask a question. If they had gotten along better, could they have reached much greater heights? I don’t know the answer to that. But ultimately the theme of the film is about forgiveness and acceptance.”
The film’s most notable moment (which will likely go viral once the film is released) is footage obtained by Gastineau’s producers last fall showing longtime NFL quarterback Brett Favre lying on a dazed-looking Favre at a memorabilia show in Chicago. . About helping New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan break Gastineau’s 1984 single-season sack record of 22 (Strahan currently holds the record with 22.5 sacks gifted to him by Favre in 2001). The video has never been made public.
“This is a real-time moment in the movie and something you’ve never seen before,” Rodgers said. “We knew they were going to be signing autographs together at a card show in Chicago. However, Abdul ultimately failed to attend. Our goal was to catch three together. When we got there, Mark was discussing with Klecko and Lyons the fact that Brett Favre was there and how they were going to finally talk to him since they never had a chance to confront him. We were following the mark when it happened and it was as real as it seemed. He expressed that hurt 100%. I think Farve was 100% taken aback by the reaction and the intensity.
“Things got serious very quickly,” Rodgers continued. “Everyone in the room realized the severity of the situation. I don’t know if there was any thought that it was going to hit, but there was a real feeling. It still sticks with Mark. He believes it is unfair to break his record. I think if he’s going to blame anyone, he might as well blame the NFL for letting it happen second only to Favre. I don’t want to speak for him, but I think at that moment he feels robbed.”
deeper
Mark Gastineau doesn’t need your attention anymore.
(Top photo: Ronald C. Modra / Getty Images)
