By Paul Newbold Edited by Saivamsi Polavarapu
At then end of last season Woody Johnson went on a house cleaning, firing both his Head Coach and General Manager. We all know the story leading up to the moves. If the 4 -12 record wasn't enough to move Woody's hand, the planes, banners, and billboards probably were.
Then we were introduced to the "search team". Highly regarded NFl insiders who were going to help hire a team who would then set our troubled franchise back on its feet. The result as we all know was the hiring of Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan.
For the most part, the pair was met with open arms by the fan base. They both came as highly regarded candidates, so there was really no reason to question the hires. Equipped with a huge cap space and 6 draft picks in the upcoming draft, it would appear the Jets would turn this around rather quickly.
In recent days I've begun to wonder what we really have in Mike Maccagnan. We were told with his extensive scouting experience, that he would be the perfect guy for the job. Mike Maccagnan however has never been a GM in the NFL.
While I am optimistic about Maccagnan can do for the Jets, I still have my doubts. Maybe it's being a 40 year fan of the team that makes me skeptical. Let's face it, how many times have we heard this before?
Last year it was a slightly different scenario. John Idzik had fixed the cap situation and was equipped with 12 draft picks headed into the draft. Many fans claimed that it would be a banner year. The year the Jets would return to legitimacy once again. To state the obvious, it didn't work out too well.
Enter Mike Maccagnan. A personnel guy, equipped with a huge amount of money to spend in free agency. In contrast, John Idzik was the the money guy, equipped with a ton of draft picks. Ironic isn't it?
Being the skeptic I am when it comes to the Jets, I've been doing my best to keep a close eye on our new GM. He met the press and seemingly said all the right things. At his initial presser, one thing became clear, Mike is not all that comfortable in front of the camera answering questions. He did fairly well, no major snafus, but I realized he's not going to be a guy running out and calling for press conferences.
Things have been fairly quiet coming out of Flroham Park as of late. There just hasn't been a whole lot going on. With free agency just days away, there haven't been any major announcements. Fans are still debating, the Harvin scenario, along with the rest of our pending free agents.
We've heard they are working on a deal with Muhammed Wilkerson to keep him a Jet long term as well. We were also told the team was meeting with David Harris at the Combine, presumably to work out a deal to keep him a Jets. While these deals take time, the word from the Jet organization has been silence.
Then Maccagnan signed a former Bowles' player in Ron Talley. A four year veteran with a total of 15 game appearnces in his career, and a single start to his credit. It was an interesting signing if you look at it. He's connected to Bowles from his prior job in Arizona. He can be seen as depth, or as camp competition ofcourse, but to me it was an odd signing just before free agency.
The rumor that really has my attention is reports that Woody Johnson is "pushing hard" for a return to Revis Island. Now I'm not a fan of resigning Revis, he's a great corner, but he's looking for a long term deal worth a small fortune at the age of 29. All that aside, if the rumor is true, what concerns me is Johnson's involvement.
Woody Johnson is not a football guy by any means of the imagination. He's meddled with the running of the Jets before, and it hasn't always worked out so well. Johnson is Maccagnan's boss, I get that, but Johnson should stay out of personnel decisions. He hired Maccagnan, now he needs to trust him to do his job. Maccagnan as a GM also needs to be able to stand up for himself. Maccagnan is a first time GM; my concern is he might turn out to be a Woody Johnson "yes" guy.
Next, we have the rumored trade for Brandon Marshall for a late round pick. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't concern me. Marshall is talented, but he's 30 years old and was likely to be cut by many accounts. The Jets now take on the remainder of his contract and drop their number of picks to 5 for this year's draft.
The Jets need to get younger and rebuild for the future. That was the stated plan out of Florham Park this offseason. Yet they have traded another draft pic after Idzik traded for Percy Harvin. Marshall's a talented veteran, but he surely isn't young. The trade just doesn't seem to match the stated plan.
David Harris gets another contract from the Jets as well. I'm not knocking the signing, it was no surprise as the Jets LB corp needs help, but again Harris is already 31 and will be 34 by the time his new three year deal is done. Harris has been a solid against the run during his career, but he's proven to be a liability in pass coverage. It's a good signing, but I have to wonder if Maccagnan gave into Harris' agents on the length of the deal, just food for thought.
Let's get this right folks. I'm not criticizing Maccagnan before he has a chance to show his stuff. I'm not even questioning the signings or the talent of the players. The point I'm trying to make is that if you follow these signings and break them down a bit, you get small bits of insight into Mike Maccagnan.
I'm optimistic at this point, I'm glad to have a real personnel guy holding the reins. We'll know more as we get through free agency and into the draft. Maccagnan is a brand new GM, he's being handed a cap space many team would die to have. It's another pivotal year.
Maccagnan will have to grow into the position, he has to learn as he goes. He'll need to learn to work with Bowles, without surrendering to his wishes at every turn. Balance will be a key factor in their relationship.
Maccagnan will also need to resist the urges to please his owner. He will need to learn to navigate around a owner that historically meddles in football operations. He'll also need to stand up to him as best he can. Balance of power should not be a part of this relationship. Yes, Johnson signs the checks and will have his say in the contract end, but as far as personnel he need say nothing.
While growing into the position, he'll also need to learn to handle agents. These guys are looking out for their clients and they can be aggressive in their dealings. At the same time some of these guys much like the players they are representing have fragile egos. Dealing with agents is sort of like getting through a maze while walking on egg shells.
Maccagnan is brand new, fans will need to be patient and keep that "skeptical Jet fan" inside us on hold. Whether or not the Jets are in the right man's hand, we won't know for a couple of years. Cautious optimism will be my approach. I'm not ready to crown him the saviour of the Jets as some sections of the fan base seem to be willing to do. Time will tell.
To conclude, Maccagnan is about to set out on a major adventure. The tempo of things surrounding the Jet organization is about to explode in activities. Maccagnan's job is a daunting one, spend the money in the right places and spend it wisely. Get the right personnel at the right price. I wish him the best of luck, but like many fans I'll be looking for insights into what makes Maccagnan tick. Let's get this show on the road!
At then end of last season Woody Johnson went on a house cleaning, firing both his Head Coach and General Manager. We all know the story leading up to the moves. If the 4 -12 record wasn't enough to move Woody's hand, the planes, banners, and billboards probably were.
Then we were introduced to the "search team". Highly regarded NFl insiders who were going to help hire a team who would then set our troubled franchise back on its feet. The result as we all know was the hiring of Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan.
For the most part, the pair was met with open arms by the fan base. They both came as highly regarded candidates, so there was really no reason to question the hires. Equipped with a huge cap space and 6 draft picks in the upcoming draft, it would appear the Jets would turn this around rather quickly.
In recent days I've begun to wonder what we really have in Mike Maccagnan. We were told with his extensive scouting experience, that he would be the perfect guy for the job. Mike Maccagnan however has never been a GM in the NFL.
While I am optimistic about Maccagnan can do for the Jets, I still have my doubts. Maybe it's being a 40 year fan of the team that makes me skeptical. Let's face it, how many times have we heard this before?
Last year it was a slightly different scenario. John Idzik had fixed the cap situation and was equipped with 12 draft picks headed into the draft. Many fans claimed that it would be a banner year. The year the Jets would return to legitimacy once again. To state the obvious, it didn't work out too well.
Enter Mike Maccagnan. A personnel guy, equipped with a huge amount of money to spend in free agency. In contrast, John Idzik was the the money guy, equipped with a ton of draft picks. Ironic isn't it?
Being the skeptic I am when it comes to the Jets, I've been doing my best to keep a close eye on our new GM. He met the press and seemingly said all the right things. At his initial presser, one thing became clear, Mike is not all that comfortable in front of the camera answering questions. He did fairly well, no major snafus, but I realized he's not going to be a guy running out and calling for press conferences.
Things have been fairly quiet coming out of Flroham Park as of late. There just hasn't been a whole lot going on. With free agency just days away, there haven't been any major announcements. Fans are still debating, the Harvin scenario, along with the rest of our pending free agents.
We've heard they are working on a deal with Muhammed Wilkerson to keep him a Jet long term as well. We were also told the team was meeting with David Harris at the Combine, presumably to work out a deal to keep him a Jets. While these deals take time, the word from the Jet organization has been silence.
Then Maccagnan signed a former Bowles' player in Ron Talley. A four year veteran with a total of 15 game appearnces in his career, and a single start to his credit. It was an interesting signing if you look at it. He's connected to Bowles from his prior job in Arizona. He can be seen as depth, or as camp competition ofcourse, but to me it was an odd signing just before free agency.
The rumor that really has my attention is reports that Woody Johnson is "pushing hard" for a return to Revis Island. Now I'm not a fan of resigning Revis, he's a great corner, but he's looking for a long term deal worth a small fortune at the age of 29. All that aside, if the rumor is true, what concerns me is Johnson's involvement.
Woody Johnson is not a football guy by any means of the imagination. He's meddled with the running of the Jets before, and it hasn't always worked out so well. Johnson is Maccagnan's boss, I get that, but Johnson should stay out of personnel decisions. He hired Maccagnan, now he needs to trust him to do his job. Maccagnan as a GM also needs to be able to stand up for himself. Maccagnan is a first time GM; my concern is he might turn out to be a Woody Johnson "yes" guy.
Next, we have the rumored trade for Brandon Marshall for a late round pick. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't concern me. Marshall is talented, but he's 30 years old and was likely to be cut by many accounts. The Jets now take on the remainder of his contract and drop their number of picks to 5 for this year's draft.
The Jets need to get younger and rebuild for the future. That was the stated plan out of Florham Park this offseason. Yet they have traded another draft pic after Idzik traded for Percy Harvin. Marshall's a talented veteran, but he surely isn't young. The trade just doesn't seem to match the stated plan.
David Harris gets another contract from the Jets as well. I'm not knocking the signing, it was no surprise as the Jets LB corp needs help, but again Harris is already 31 and will be 34 by the time his new three year deal is done. Harris has been a solid against the run during his career, but he's proven to be a liability in pass coverage. It's a good signing, but I have to wonder if Maccagnan gave into Harris' agents on the length of the deal, just food for thought.
Let's get this right folks. I'm not criticizing Maccagnan before he has a chance to show his stuff. I'm not even questioning the signings or the talent of the players. The point I'm trying to make is that if you follow these signings and break them down a bit, you get small bits of insight into Mike Maccagnan.
I'm optimistic at this point, I'm glad to have a real personnel guy holding the reins. We'll know more as we get through free agency and into the draft. Maccagnan is a brand new GM, he's being handed a cap space many team would die to have. It's another pivotal year.
Maccagnan will have to grow into the position, he has to learn as he goes. He'll need to learn to work with Bowles, without surrendering to his wishes at every turn. Balance will be a key factor in their relationship.
Maccagnan will also need to resist the urges to please his owner. He will need to learn to navigate around a owner that historically meddles in football operations. He'll also need to stand up to him as best he can. Balance of power should not be a part of this relationship. Yes, Johnson signs the checks and will have his say in the contract end, but as far as personnel he need say nothing.
While growing into the position, he'll also need to learn to handle agents. These guys are looking out for their clients and they can be aggressive in their dealings. At the same time some of these guys much like the players they are representing have fragile egos. Dealing with agents is sort of like getting through a maze while walking on egg shells.
Maccagnan is brand new, fans will need to be patient and keep that "skeptical Jet fan" inside us on hold. Whether or not the Jets are in the right man's hand, we won't know for a couple of years. Cautious optimism will be my approach. I'm not ready to crown him the saviour of the Jets as some sections of the fan base seem to be willing to do. Time will tell.
To conclude, Maccagnan is about to set out on a major adventure. The tempo of things surrounding the Jet organization is about to explode in activities. Maccagnan's job is a daunting one, spend the money in the right places and spend it wisely. Get the right personnel at the right price. I wish him the best of luck, but like many fans I'll be looking for insights into what makes Maccagnan tick. Let's get this show on the road!