" Jets hit paydirt with Todd Bowles/Mike Maccagnan tandem " ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

EA Q&A : Sterling Start for Maccagnan & Bowles

@nyjets @eallenjets Todd/Mac might have missed playoffs, but from 4-12 I think both deserve some HC/GM of Year consideration

EA: True. The season-ending loss in Buffalo will sting for a while, but the Jets have come a long way in a calendar year. After a 4-12 season, Woody Johnson started anew last January. After hiring a pair of astute consultants in Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, Mr. Johnson hired Mike Maccagnan and then Todd Bowles. With final say over the 53-man roster and the draft, Maccagnan made a pair of masterful trades while acquiring Brandon Marshall  (109-1,502-14TD) from the Bears and  Ryan Fitzpatrick  (31 TD & 3,905 Yards) from the Texans. He kept ILB  David Harris  off the market and he struck in free agency with what was an unheralded signing of LG  James Carpenter . He gave the secondary an overhaul as  Darrelle Revis  (9 Takeaways) and Antonio Cromartie  returned and safety  Marcus Gilchrist  (3 INT) and nickel back  Buster Skrine  came via free agency.  Bilal Powell  (47 Receptions) wasn’t a flashy re-sign in March, but he became one of the Jets most important offensive players in the season’s second half.

Sticking to the best player available philosophy on draft weekend, the Jets were delighted when  Leonard Williams  fell to them at No. 6 overall and they got a pass rusher with potential in the third round in the form of  Lorenzo Mauldin  (4 Sacks). So after greatly increasing the talent on the roster, Bowles and his brand new coaching staff had to put it all together. Defensively, the Green & White finished T3 in takeaways with 30 and 3rd on third downs at 33.2%. Bowles turned over the offensive controls over to Chan Gailey and the Jets’ offense averaged nearly a full touchdown better in scoring per game (24.2 to 17.7) than last year. A unit who struggled at times when the run was taken away in earlier in the season flourished down the stretch with its pass game. And when the Jets hit adversity, they smiled and found a way to get themselves back into playoff contention. Bowles won over his locker room with a direct, no-nonsense approach. There were off-the-field situations that he handled seamlessly and he started to create a culture here. The Jets ultimately fell short of their postseason goal in 2015, but Maccagnan and Bowles pointed this team ahead.

 

@eallenjets @nyjets what's the key to keeping our roster together for the new year?

4:14 PM - 10 Jan 2016

 

•  
   likes

EA: The key is keeping the right people because you can’t retain everyone. Roster change is inevitable in the salary cap era. Todd Bowles, who made clear that the Jets would like to retain Ryan Fitzpatrick, talked about the offseason ahead at his season-ending news conference. “It’s going to be a lot of work. The way teams are nowadays with free agents, the draft and people getting hurt, you’re going to have a new team every year,” he said. “There’s going to be about 12 to 15 new guys on your team. So, you just have to find the right mix and try to find the right guys to sign back. Obviously, free agency is a crapshoot and a gamble and certain guys may try to leave. Hopefully, a lot of guys stay. We’re building something here. Everybody understands that. We’ll try to get as many of our guys as we can.”

@eallenjets @nyjets After witnessing this weekend's games, aren't you even more pissed at the opportunity the Jets blew in Buffalo?

EA: No. Now I’d be lying if I said the thought of the Jets matching up with the Bengals didn’t go through my head Saturday evening.  John Greetleaf Whittier wrote, “For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’" And some people – even in the realm of sports – can’t get beyond the might have beens. But to move forward, you have to learn from the past and be ready the next time an opportunity is in front of you. The Jets lost 6 times in 2015 – not once.  

@eallenjets @nyjets how do you think the organizations feels about Bryce Petty? The future, or do they go QB early?

 

EA: They certainly like Bryce Petty. From a physical standpoint, the 6’3”, 230-pounder has all the tools. A two-time All American QB who led Baylor to back-to-back Big 12 championships, the ball jumps out of Petty’s right hand and he delivers with accuracy down the fieldl. But this season was basically a redshirt year for Petty as he had the opportunity to take a step back and watch Ryan Fitzpatrick man the offensive controls. One of the most significant challenges for rookie signal callers is understanding how defenses are trying to attack you. It’s not just line up and play. I think back to the Giants game in Week 13 when the Jets were facing a 4th down in the fourth quarter as they were attempting to tie the game. Even before the ball was snapped,Fitzpatrick knew the offense was in a “bad” look against the coverage the G-Men had on the field. So on 4th and 6, Fitzpatrick scrambled for 15. That’s not how they drew it up in the film room, but that’s a savvy vet coming up big in winning time.

Petty learned a different language last season. Let’s see how far he progressed when the players return for spring camps and OTAs.  With that being said, I don’t think the Jets would avoid taking a QB if a prospect is the top player on their board. 

 

What is our biggest weakness on the team? https://twitter.com/eallenjets/status/686294932395528194 …

4:42 PM - 10 Jan 2016

 

EA: Head coach Todd Bowles did stress that the team had to get faster and have more speed on the field in 2016. As far as specific needs, Bowles said the following, “We need a couple different areas and we’re going to meet as a staff and go over that. As we go over that, we’ll narrow down the specific areas. I can sit here and say we didn’t do this well and we didn’t do that well, but at the end of the day we probably want to get better at every area.”  In the past, Bowles has mentioned more speed off the edge. You can never have enough young talent on the offensive line and the Jets did use their tight ends primarily as inline blockers in 2015. And while the coverage units were a lot better down the stretch, the Jets will have to find some more consistency on special teams in '16. But the personnel staff has done an outstanding job and we'll review some of their recent successes in the weeks ahead.

 

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-1/EA-QA-Sterling-Start-for-Maccagnan--Bowles/3c7a56b6-df80-40d0-9fc7-1dfd06f9128c

[kelly]

Jets Spotlight : Mike Maccagnan

Entering His 2nd Offseason, Green & White GM Would Like to Retain Many Players & Build Through the Draft

 

video..

>  http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Jets-Spotlight-Mike-Maccagnan/f47363cd-cd4a-4754-a625-3d491b5b2b1e

[kelly]

10 Answers from Mike Maccagnan

Jets GM Responds to Questions About Ryan Fitzpatrick, Muhammad Wilkerson, the Draft & His 2015 Team

 

Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan sat with the team's beat reporters early this afternoon for a half-hour debriefing following the Jets' season coming to a close at Buffalo with a 10-6 record.He demurred on giving himself a grade for his first season in the GM's office as well as providing specifics on several player personnel questions. But he did expand on some points about the Jets, their quarterbacks, their defense and their future heading toward Season No. 2 for both himself and head coach Todd Bowles. Here are excerpts from his answers to 10 questions from reporters:

On if he wants to bring potential free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick back as QB...

"We’d like very much to get him back, based on how he played this year. But I don’t really want to get into the speculation aspect of it. I would simply leave it at we’ll see how this thing works out."

On how he sees Geno Smith's and Bryce Petty's futures with the Jets...

"Bryce has made a lot of progress and we're kind of excited to have another offseason with him. ... I would say with Geno, he's under contract, we like the progress he's made and how he even handled the situation in the summer. Right now, I would say going forward we're going to see how Geno and Bryce progress with the offseason and go from there, and that's assuming we're able to re-sign Ryan."

On if he will target quarterback or any other position in the draft...

"It’s such an important position that I think every NFL team probably goes into the draft, with maybe a few exceptions of people who have really well established quarterbacks, of always looking at that position as a position of interest. We’ll be no different than them. I don’t want to sit there and say, 'With the 20th pick we're going to be targeting a quarterback.' Two things. One is you don’t want to tell the 31 other teams what you’re going to do. But I also think that’s kind of a flawed approach to a certain degree."

On if he thinks he got a good return on the investment to bring Darrelle Revis back to the Jets...

"I think so overall. ... I think Darrelle is a very good corner. As Todd said, sometimes they have good games and bad games and it comes with that position, the style of defense we play, too, but I’m very happy we have Darrelle back in the organization, not only from his ability as a player, but also from what he kind of brought to the team. ... There are a lot of areas where you can look at stats and we actually got better at, which I felt was a positive thing. So from my standpoint, I know it was a very aggressive move on our part for what we did, but I’m very happy with the results from it."

On if he wants to sign DE Muhammad Wilkerson to a long-term deal…

"Needless to say, Muhammad played very well this year. I think with him, and all of our players that we had on the team last year, we’re going to try to figure out ways to keep as many of them as we can. But I don’t want to go too far down that road because, like I said, it’s early. In a perfect world, we’d keep everybody on the roster, but we have to see how this thing unfolds. ...  At the end of the day, yes, we would very much like to have Muhammad back in the organization. Now how we manage to do that, time will tell."

On if the franchise tag is something he would consider using this year…

"It’s at the discretion of every team to use, I think to kind of hold things together and to protect things. Absolutely we would consider using the franchise tag. I know it always pertains back to Mo [Wilkerson] and not to get too far ahead of ourselves, it’s one of those things, for the most part, if we get to that point, we’ll do what’s in the best interest of the team."

On if Wilkerson would be one of the players he would consider using the franchise tag on…

"We would, potentially, yes. It’s not a big secret or anything like that."

 

New York Jets

✔ @nyjets

Maccagnan: "Absolutely we will consider using a franchise tag." Says Wilkerson is one of the players that could be considered.

1:19 PM - 14 Jan 2016

 

On if it is financially possible to keep the defensive line together with Damon Harrison and Wilkerson being free agents…

"Hypothetically or philosophically, it’s not impossible. Those are determinations we’re going to work out ourselves with our team going forward. Quite frankly, you can do many different things in terms of how you manage your money with the salary cap."

On assessing last year's draft class after one season in the NFL...

"The guys we took we're excited about. Leonard [Williams], obviously, I thought played very well and has a very bright future. Devin [Smith] got hurt, which is unfortunate and he was doing better before he got hurt. ... [Lorenzo] Mauldin showed some things as a pass rusher and we think he has a bright upside. ... Bryce unfortunately didn't play, but we liked working with him as a potential prospect. Both [Jarvis] Harrison and [Deon] Simon, those guys will have the biggest jump after their first offseason where we'll really know what they can do. ... I think at the end of the day I'm a bit of a perfectionist, like a lot of people in my business ... but for the most part we liked the guys we took."

New York Jets

 

✔ @nyjets

Macc: "Our goal was to make ourselves a better team that can consistently compete for the playoffs...We're happy with the progress we made."

1:07 PM - 14 Jan 2016

 

On how he evaluated the Jets as a team this season...

"We came up short in six games, but the one nice thing about our season was watching the team kind of come together in the locker room, and that’s some of the stuff, those intangible things, that are hard to judge and so I felt we made progress. I thought at the end of the season we came together as a team, we were doing some nice things, and statistically we did some good things and stuff like that. But I felt good that we maybe started to come closer to being a team that could go in there and compete for a playoff spot every year."

>     http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-randylangefb/10-Answers-from-Mike-Maccagnan---/4f042c64-c179-4274-8737-81bbafeb44a8

[kelly]

jets 2015 draft class grades..

> http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/01/jets_2015_draft_grades_how_did_mike_maccagnas_firs.html#0

[bassmaster2]

let's win a playoff game first,this team luck out in a lot of game, the Jets need a top ten QB,Fitz is not the answer 

[RutgersJetFan]

let's win a playoff game first,this team luck out in a lot of game, the Jets need a top ten QB,Fitz is not the answer 

Pretty much the only thing that matters with the two of them. Find us a quarterback in the next few years or it's on to the next regime.

[Charlie Brown]

A funny thing happened to Mike Maccagnan in his first season as general manager: The Jets nearly made the playoffs.The job Maccagnan did puts him front-and-center in the running for the NFL Executive of the Year award. If the NFL gave out a “Rookie’’ Executive of the Year award, he would run away with the hardware in a landslide.

Despite the lack of a happy ending (a playoff berth), Maccagnan’s Jets gave their fans quite a ride this season — if a somewhat unexpected one.

Maccagnan might not concede this publicly, because in the NFL everyone is trained to say they “expect’’ to win every year, but, if given a drop or two of truth serum in his morning coffee, he would tell you that 10-6 and a play or two away from a postseason berth was not exactly on his radar when he first took over.In conversations I had with several respected NFL personnel before the season about realistic expectations for the Jets in 2015, their projections ranged from five to six wins given the team’s roster deficiencies. The Jets, of course, beat those expectations by four to five wins and bettered their 2014 output by six.

The challenge facing Maccagnan and the Jets now is this: Did they win too soon ?

Because now the automatic expectation is for the Jets to “take the next step’’ in 2016, which means making the playoffs. Anything less, of course, will be considered a step back or a failure.But the reality is, with the Jets’ schedule expected to be more stout than it was this season with the NFC West and AFC North replacing the weakling NFC East and AFC South on the slate, it’s possible the Jets could finish 8-8 next season and miss the playoffs — and actually be a better team than they were this year with a deeper roster and more talent.

Maccagnan and his front office staff came to the Jets with a long-term plan — a plan that remains in place — to turn a 4-12 team into a consistent contender by stocking its roster with the talent and depth it had been lacking so badly after too many years of poor drafts and bad personnel decisions.His plan is based on a patient, methodical building process. Of course, no fan of any team wants to hear about a four- or five-year plan. But the astute Jets fan needs to trust Maccagnan, who was hired for his talent-evaluation skills.

Yes, the Jets’ 2015 season was terrific — up until Sunday in Buffalo. But many holes remain in their roster, beginning with a serious deficiency in team speed.

Maccagnan did some immediate retooling with key veterans at the spots that were the most glaring weaknesses in 2014 — at receiver and in the secondary — and hoped for immediate improvement, which he got.Receiver Brandon Marshall, cornerbacks Darrelle Revis, Buster Skrine and Antonio Cromartie and safety Marcus Gilchrist quickly made the Jets much better than they were a year ago. Throw in quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and suddenly the Jets became instantly relevant again.

“We’re building something here; everybody understands that,’’ coach Todd Bowles said. “The core is in good shape. We need to build around that.’’

They will do that under Maccagnan’s capable watch, and it should begin by re-signing Fitzpatrick as soon as possible. That needs to be a building block that is solidified first. The Jets’ next task with their own free agents likely will be doing what they can to keep defensive tackle Damon “Snacks’’ Harrison.As far as defensive tackle Mo Wilkerson, they hold the upper hand on him with the option of locking him in for 2016 with the franchise tag, which is the most likely scenario because the sides are believed to be far apart on long-term talks.

“We have the foundation,’’ receiver Eric Decker said. “We have the core group to have success. We just have to add a few pieces here and there. I feel good about the direction we’re headed. This year has been a building block from last year.’’In a midseason state-of-the–team meeting with reporters in November, Maccagnan was asked if this season would be considered a “failure’’ if the Jets failed to make the playoffs, and he said, “I don’t view it as a benchmark. We want to build a team that can compete for the playoffs and then, hopefully, at some point in time, beyond that.’’

Here’s the dilemma coming so close to the playoffs has created for Maccagnan and Bowles: In the eyes of Jets fans, making the playoffs will be considered a benchmark in 2016, and anything short of that will be considered a step backward.

>         http://nypost.com/2016/01/06/how-expectation-game-could-backfire-on-maccagnan-bowles/

Great article that every Jets fan should  read over and over again.   

Finally we may get it right !!!!!

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

Pretty much the only thing that matters with the two of them. Find us a quarterback in the next few years or it's on to the next regime.

Having a franchise quarterback as a binary proposition is mostly a matter of luck. Dozens of regimes around the league come and go for every time such a quarterback becomes any degree of available. As far as what you can control, with Fitz they've done about as much as you can do in terms of incremental improvement through normal means as with any other position. Above-average quarterback play basically for free is highway robbery. Step two is not falling into the Pennington trap but you'd have to think the risk of that is pretty minimal given that Fitz is 33 or whatever. 

[joewilly12]

No one has hit pay dirt until this is a NY Jets team member hoisting the Lombardi 

[Tinstar]

Great article that every Jets fan should  read over and over again.   

Finally we may get it right !!!!!

Education is an important  thing in the life of humanity .  I think my big brother said it best when he said " Wisdom is the principle thing, so get wisdom but in all thy getting, get understanding".

This fan base is so starved for a winner, that it sometimes can't see the forest through the trees. I made a post about this same thing just a little while ago in which I stated that we might have been better off not making the playoffs. We made the playoffs in Edwards's  1st yr, in Mangini's 1st yr and in Ryan's 1st yr only to fall flat because of a belief that we were better than we actually were.

This type of thinking leads to drafting for supposed needs instead of taking the very best football players on the board regardless of position or turning our draft positions into commodities that can be used to gain additional commodities in the present draft yr and future draft yrs. This type of drafting leads to players like Hill and pryor and Amaro being drafted where they should never have been and being forced into action before they should be.

Every GM/HC makes mistakes and will make mistakes in the draft, but the better front offices minimize their mistakes and add talent to their  rosters. Maybe, we finally have a front office that can do this and will be allowed to do this even if  we take a step back so we can take 2 steps forward . 

[kelly]

10 best moves..

> http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/01/10_best_moves_for_jets_in_mike_maccagnans_first_se.html#0

[kelly]

Damien Woody: Bowles Changed the Culture

Former Jets OL Thinks Club Could Add a Dynamic Outside Rusher

 

video..

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Damien-Woody-Bowles-Changed-the-Culture/b6aff525-c17f-4ee0-aa6c-cb132e399385

[kelly]

The great Jenny Vrentas of MMQB wrote an excellent in-depth piece today about the interview process for NFL head coaches. It was around one year ago the Jets hired Todd Bowles, and Jenny's piece touches on the interview Bowles had.

Sometimes the smallest details say the most: Casserly recalls that when Todd Bowles interviewed with the Jets, the fact that he was so in command of the conversation and never once opened his notes impressed everyone in the room.

This article was a great read from top to bottom. I encourage you to click over and give it a look. There was one particular passage that really spoke to me, though.

 

"You’d be surprised," says one team executive who hired a new head coach this year. "People really reveal themselves."

 

Here’s an example of what that means: The candidate who said his vision for the offense will be whatever the coordinator wants is not ready to be a head coach. Here’s another: If an offensive coordinator interviewing for a head-coaching job still wants to draw cards for the game, that’s a sign he hasn’t graduated to being the CEO of a team.I think this touches on a mistake we all tend to make as fans when evaluating head coaching candidates. It isn't just you or me. It isn't just Jets fans. People all across the league do it. If our team's offense stinks, we gravitate to the coordinator of the best offense. If our team's defense stinks, we gravitate to the coordinator of the best defense.

 

The things we value, though, are traits of great coordinators, not great head coaches.

 

Sure, coordinator experience has some value. It is a chance to view performance supervising a unit. A head coach will likely put his philosophical input into the system of the team he runs. There is so much more that goes into it, though. Being a head coach is about managing, and the duties are wildly different from a coordinator. A head coach has to assemble a staff and supervise it. He has to manage the game. He has to create a culture and do so many other things that are inapplicable to a coordinator job.Here's the thing. It isn't just fans who fall into the trap of going for the hot coordinator. I have seen some people mock Woody Johnson for hiring Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf to help him with the searches for general manager and head coach a year ago. How can an owner not know enough to run his own search?

 

Well, Woody didn't pick these names out of a hat. He also didn't hire them because they ran winning teams. Casserly and Wolf were part of a committee the league commissioned to do quality control on candidates for big jobs and recommend the best. 

Why did this panel come into being?

Robert Gulliver, the league’s executive vice president of human resources who is assisting with the initiative, said that teams face obstacles in the hiring process. For one, decisions are made incredibly quickly—usually within a week of the firing. Then there is the fact that media hype often shapes coaching hires.

 

The NFL’s committee, officially known as the Career Development Advisory Panel, is trying to change the way owners hear about candidates. "We realized there was an opportunity to do more digging, more analysis and get more names beyond what were mentioned in the media," said Gulliver, a former Wells Fargo executive.Most owners have not been around football their entire lives. Their frame of reference for many coaching decisions has been the same as fans, hire the hot coordinator whether or not his skills as a coordinator translate to the very different job of being a head coach.

 

Think about some of the successful coaches in the NFL today. Bill Belichick was fired from his first head coaching job. Pete Carroll was fired from his first two. Mike Tomlin was only a coordinator for a year before the Steelers hired him. Andy Reid was a position coach. Mike McCarthy was coordinator for one of the worst offenses in the league. Bruce Arians was run out of Pittsburgh as a coordinator and thought his career was over. Sean Payton was stripped of his play-calling duties once as a coordinator. Even a lot of diehard Eagles fans wouldn't have recognized the name John Harbaugh as an assistant on their team when the Ravens hired him in 2008.

 

Recent resumes of coordinator work cannot tell you whether somebody has the leadership tools to succeed or whether somebody has learned from failures and is now better equipped to succeed than in the past. These evaluations are more art than science.

 

The teams asking the smart questions and judging qualities correctly are the ones that make good hires,

 

>  http://www.ganggreennation.com/2016/1/19/10794614/new-york-jets-the-making-of-a-head-coach

[kelly]

JETS' FRONT OFFICE DESERVES TONS OF CREDIT

Plenty of fans wanted New York to grab Kevin White at No. 6, but it opted to bring in Brandon Marshall for a sixth-rounder and draft Leonard Williams there instead. Mel Kiper Jr. has nothing but praise for those two moves. Re-grading 2015 draft (Insider)

> http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[kelly]

just an fyi..

~ ~ Bears first-round draft choice WR Kevin White won't play this season

 -- The Chicago Bears announced Tuesday that 2015 first-round draft choice wide receiver Kevin White will remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list for the remainder of the season

White is no longer eligible to practice for the rest of the year.

The No. 7 overall pick underwent surgery in August to repair a stress fracture in his left shin the team discovered during the offseason program. Doctors inserted a rod to stabilize White's tibia and reduce his risk of suffering a similar stress fracture in the future.

The Bears claim they had no knowledge of White's condition prior to the draft.

The Bears initially conceded that White's injury could sideline him his entire rookie season, but the club opened White's 21-day practice day window on Nov. 24. After a week of working on the side with trainers, White began participating in full team drills, spurring debate about his readiness to play this season.

Head coach John Fox further muddied the waters when he declared White's leg "healed" on Dec. 7."I think his leg is healed," Fox said. "Now it's a matter of getting into football shape. We'll evaluate that deal. We have medical people that deal with him every day. And we'll continue to bring the football play element back into it. If he's cleared to play football, he'll be out there. If not, he won't."

However, the Chicago Tribune reported two days later that Bears management already decided White would not play a single snap in 2015. Fox attempted to discredit the report.

"There are always lots of reports. Then there's facts," Fox said.

White is expected to be ready for the club's offseason program next spring.

> http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14375997/wr-kevin-white-chicago-bears-remain-pup-list-rest-2015-season

 

[kelly]

On the one-year anniversary of his introduction as general manager of the New York Jets, Mike Maccagnan was recognized Thursday for a job well done.Maccagnan was voted 2015 Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America, the organization announced. He became the first member of the Jets' front office to receive the honor. The PFWA began the award in 1993.

In a press release, the PFWA said of Maccagnan  :

"After a 4-12 season in 2014, the Jets had a huge turnaround in 2015 with a 10-6 record, just missing the AFC playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Maccagnan was hired as Jets’ GM in January 2015. The Jets signed key unrestricted free agents, including guard James Carpenter, safety Marcus Gilchrist and cornerback Darrelle Revis, and New York also traded for wide receiver Brandon Marshall and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Maccagnan and his staff selected defensive lineman Leonard Williams in the first round, who went on to PFWA All-Rookie Team honors."

>     http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/58079/jets-gm-mike-maccagnan-named-executive-of-the-year-by-pfwa

[kelly]

Jenny Vrentas, the Star-Ledger alumna who these days does outstanding work for The MMQB, wrote a story this week that peels back the curtain on the NFL's job-interview process for head coaches.Vrentas talked to a number of people who've been directly involved in interviewing for NFL coaching jobs, both on the record and with a promise of anonymity. The whole story is worth your time, but there's a revealing anecdote about head coach Todd Bowles and what Bowles did to impress the Jets' decision-makers when he met with them.

Vrentas' source for the Bowles tidbit was Charley Casserly, the former Washington and Texans general manager who is now on the NFL's career development advisory panel. Through the panel, Jets owner Woody Johnson had tapped Casserly and Hall of Fame ex-Packers GM Ron Wolf to assist in the search process, which included being in the room when the Jets interviewed their coach and GM candidates.And here's how Vrentas passed along what Casserly told her about those meetings:

Sometimes the smallest details say the most: Casserly recalls that when Todd Bowles interviewed with the Jets, the fact that he was so in command of the conversation and never once opened his notes impressed everyone in the room.Bowles, in his 12 months on the job, has shown an ability to take control of situations and to be decisive. Last summer, he was greeted with the suspension and

subsequent arrest

 of defensive end Sheldon Richardson, and starting quarterback Geno Smith

having his jaw broken

 by a punch from linebacker IK Enemkpali.

Bowles' responses ? He had Richardson work with the backups during training camp, and Ememkpali was immediately released, while Ryan Fitzpatrick took over at quarterback. Bowles acted quickly, and moved on.

During the season, Bowles laid into the Jets after a midseason swoon, in part by releasing Quinton Coples, an underperforming former first-round pick, and in part by showing the kind of fiery emotion Bowles' public persona belies. Bowles wasn't afraid to hold players accountable, be it by platooning starting inside linebacker Demario Davis with Erin Henderson, or by benching star defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson for the first quarter of a game because Wilkerson was late for a meeting.And once the season was over, Bowles immediately cut ties with special teams coach Bobby April, whose unit underperformed all season long.

In Bowles' first season, the Jets improved from 4-12 to 10-6. They ultimately came up just short of the playoffs—an outcome that still stings for many fans—but it's almost impossible to argue that they hired the wrong coach. Vrentas' story provides a pretty darn good clue as to why they made the decision they did.

>    http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/01/how_did_todd_bowles_impress_jets_during_job_interv.html#incart_river_index

[kelly]

The Jets’ remarkable turnaround in general manager Mike Maccagnan’s first year netted Maccagnan a big honor Thursday, when he was named NFL Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.Maccagnan is the first Jets executive to win the award — voted on by the PFWA membership — since it was created in 1993.

Gang Green came up just short of the playoffs, but Maccagnan earned praise for improving them to 10-6 after a 4-12 finish in 2014, the final year of predecessor John Idzik’s brief reign.As well as landing NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Leonard Williams in the draft, Maccagnan fueled the turnaround with key free-agent additions in cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie and trades for wide receiver Brandon Marshall and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

>    http://nypost.com/2016/01/21/it-took-one-year-for-mike-maccagnan-to-make-jets-history/

[BRONX DUDE]

Doesn't help Jets and Bowles that the team came out flat against Rex on the final day of our season.

[neckdemon]

as far as bowles and his great adjustments go......how was it he was completely unable to adjust and stop the bills only real threat in sammy watkins??

[kelly]

Kirwan : Maccagnan 'Starting to Be a Star'

Former Jets executive Pat Kirwan can’t wait for what’s next. He likes the pairing of Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles and thinks the Green & White have a promising future ahead.“I like Mike and I’m proud of him, and he got an opportunity to do it his way. And I think he’s starting to be a star,” Kirwan told me. “And you know what, the Jets have needed a star at that position. I think the future of the club is going to be very exciting. I can’t wait to see his next draft to tell you the truth.”

 

Maccagnan, who is down here in Mobile, AL with his college scouts, also has been joined by Bowles. The former has final say on the 53-man roster while the latter is responsible for molding those pieces together. “At the end of the day I think the guy is in total control … He was almost built to be a head coach,” Kirwan said of Bowles. “Some guys – I worked for four of them – they struggle with it. It’s hard for them. They’re constantly guessing or re-evaluating what they say or do in front of the team. I don’t think the guy has any problem in front of the football team.”

 

After a 10-6 campaign, both Maccagnan and Bowles have publicly said they would like to retain as many as their own players as possible. Kirwan believes that is imperative as the duo attempts to create a foundation.“First thing you have to do and I learned the hard way when I was at the Jets, is you better keep all your talent and grow from there,” Kirwan said. “You can’t lose players and then just constantly use the draft to replace guys who were good because you’re not making any progress.”

 

Every team must work within the constraints of a salary cap and the reality is there will be changes ahead. The Jets have a number of prominent players with expiring contracts including DE Muhammad Wilkerson, NT Damon “Snacks” Harrison, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and RBs Chris Ivory & Bilal Powell.

 

“But if it doesn’t equal out financially, you’re going to have to say goodbye,” Kirwan said.

 

The Jets, who finished 10th overall in offense while amassing a franchise mark with 5,925 yards, had a 3,000-yard passer (Fitzpatrick), two 1,000-yard receivers (Brandon Marshall & Eric Decker) and a 1,000-yard runner (Ivory).  “If you put a big-time vertical threat tight end in there, that would scare people that you wouldn’t know if you should be in nickel or base defense,” Kirwan said. “He could flex out and cause the same kind of problems that Gronk causes and a lot of this good tight ends cause. Then I think you have it all.”And even if the Jets re-sign Fitzpatrick to an extension, Kirwan believes the club should continue to stockpile talent at the position.

 

”I love Ryan Fitzpatrick, would go into but I the quarterback business. Now they may not agree with me on that, but I don’t think you ever stop trying to get quarterbacks.  And Dick Steinberg who raised me at the Jets said, ‘Never pass a quarterback.’ So if there is one sitting there and you know Ryan’s age, I think you go get one too. And there’s nothing like having two or three of them that you really believe in.”

 

>       http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Kirwan-Maccagnan-Starting-to-Be-a-Star/0aded6ba-2a97-40e1-bc73-d24fb292132c

[kelly]

Remember that "toxic" atmosphere that permeated the Jets during Rex Ryan's and John Idzik's last days as respective head coach and general  manager ? Right guard Willie Colon credited Ryan's replacement, Todd Bowles, with fixing all that. "Todd Bowles changed the culture in that team," Colon said Wednesday in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, via USA Today's Jets Wire. "Everybody knows the circus Rex and Idzik was and everything they went through, and we had to go through.

"Todd, coming in, was pretty much able to hold everyone accountable and get guys to be professionals."

The Jets failed to make the playoffs in 2015 after being knocked out by a season-ending loss to the Bills, the team Ryan now coaches. But the Jets did improve to 10-6 after a 4-12 finish at the end of Ryan-Idzik administration. They benefited from an infusion of talent, but Bowles also brought a degree of cool-headed decisiveness that set a tone from the beginning.

Colon, who spent the last half of 2015 on injured reserve and has hinted at retirement, had noticed that right away, too. As far back as April, Colonsaid tardiness had been "an issue" under Ryan. A month later, Colon said it was clear Bowles would hold players accountable in a way Ryan didn't. Now, he's saying that's exactly what wound up happening.

You can hear a portion of Colon's SiriusXM NFL Radio interview here:

>     http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/02/willie_colon_todd_bowles_cleaned_up_rex_ryan_john.html#incart_river_index

[k-met57]

honestly this is such nonsense. Mac made a few good moves, he also spent a ton of money. As a team we played an easy schedule and ended things 10-6, next year we have a terrible schedule...lets see what happens. i distinctly remember people losing their minds over the Manginious...not falling into that trap again. as a true jets fan, i have taken a "dont tell me, show me" kind of an attitude...anything else is for the birds.

[kelly]

Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan is off to a promising start. That much we know.

He pushed a lot of the right buttons last offseason, after owner Woody Johnson hired him to replace John Idzik. (Yes, Maccagnan had the benefit of copious salary cap space, because of Idzik's financial clean-up.

But for the most part, Maccagnan didn't look like a rookie in the GM's seat, even though that's what he was — just as head coach Todd Bowles had never held that role before Johnson paired him with Maccagnan last offseason. 

So how did Maccagnan's first offseason grade out, after the Jets improved their record from 4-12 to 10-6, but still missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year ? 

Quite well, according to ESPN's Mike Sando, who on Thursday re-graded the 2015 offseason for every NFL team. Sando gave the Jets an A in his initial grading. His re-grade was also an A. 

Here's Sando: 

The Jets' first year under general manager Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles showed what can happen when a struggling team uses all potential avenues for improvement. The Jets went from the bottom 10 to the top 10 in both offensive and defensive expected points added. Trades for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and receiver Brandon Marshall paid off big. Spending in free agency often backfires, but the Jets fared well there too, upgrading their secondary. Veteran addition James Carpenter was better on the Jets' offensive line than he previously was on the Seattle line. The Jets also resisted overthinking in the draft when they selected Leonard Williams sixth overall.

Do you agree with his assessment of Maccagnan's first offseason? Disagree? Sound off in the comments. 

> http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/02/heres_how_mike_maccagnans_first_offseason_graded_o.html#incart_river_index

[kelly]

Kirwan Can't Wait for Maccagnan's Next Draft

Pat Kirwan Catches Up with Eric Allen and Raves About the Jets Leadership

 

video..

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Kirwan-Cant-Wait-for-Maccagnans-Next-Draft/beab41f4-20d0-4460-a20d-b0c836189781

[Mainejet]

MacCagnan was a great move and that paid off so far. Todd Bowles I still have serious reservations about. The middle part was like the players were sleepwalking. Anything Bowles was telling them was going in one ear and right out the other. They played without discipline. They played uninspired. they just really looked like sh*t. The last game of the season was a lot of the same.  What was glaringly obvious was Bowles unwillingness to make in game adjustments. When you see Revis getting torched, why not change things up? Giving Chris Ivory very limited touches? That was a huge disappointment and a major dingbat moment for the HC.

[kelly]

Brugler : Jets '15 Draft a Great First Step

CBS Sports Senior NFL Draft Analyst Discusses GM Mike Maccagnan's Inaugural Draft Class  

 

video..

>  http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Brugler-Jets-15-Draft-a-Great-First-Step/258bd317-7732-4390-81ec-2e96855078e6

[Mainejet]

Mike MacCagnan is dong a great job as our GM thus far. Todd Bowles f*cking SUCKS as a HC.

[ljr]

9 hours ago, Mainejet said:

Mike MacCagnan is dong a great job as our GM thus far. Todd Bowles f*cking SUCKS as a HC.

Agree on MM ... Although I'm afraid he whiffed on Smith

pretty harsh criticism of TB there ... There were def some growing pains ... Including leaving Revis 10 yards off Watkins the entire week 17 game ... But being a cool head in the middle of our mid-season swoon seemed to help get the troops back on track. Plus he & his specially picked OC Gailey getting the best season out of a journeyman up until 2015, QB  merits congratulations.    I'd thInk "inc." would be the worst grade & most people would go more positive than that

[kelly]

Louis Riddick : Steady Bowles a 'Great One'

ESPN Analyst Calls QB Christian Hackenberg an “Intriguing” Prospect

 

video..

>    http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Louis-Riddick-Steady-Bowles-a-Great-One/a506bcfc-979b-41f2-99d2-94c2f264cecb

[Mainejet]

Mac has a turned out to be the real deal. Bowles is a terrible HC. The guy gets owned by Rex Ryan twice and you guys are still stroking the guy? Do you guys even remember when you sold out? If Rex Ryan lost to the Bills twice, like he did in 2014, you guys would have his ASS. Yet, Bowles does the same f*cking thing and you guys wanting to have his babies? I nm ust say Jets fans are the worst kind of full of sh*t I think I've ver seen.

[kelly]

Charles Davis : Maccagnan Adheres to His Philosophy

Ezekiel Elliot and Derick Henry Earn Praise from NFL Network Analyst

video..

> http://www.newyorkjets.com/videos/videos/Charles-Davis-Maccagnan-Adheres-to-His-Philosophy/b58aa548-841c-4ec9-a282-61d5942923ad

[FlaJetsFan]

I am not an NFL GM.  So basically I don't know sh*t.

That said, I will say this:

1) Fitz no, at this point.  Greedy ahole.  Dont play games with us, we who have given you the best opportunity in your mediocre career.  Remember, you did not have what it took to beat Rex when it counted.  Ergo, you are, and will always be, an effen loser.

2) Mac.  Please, you had a lot of money last year.  Easy to look genius with cash in the till.  Now it looks like without all that money, you are turning into I aint signing nobody Idzik.  Your deal with Revis was foolish. Just admit it.  Next year, it shall be really sad watching young bucks sail past the old man, over and over again.  And the year after that, and the year after that.... etc

3) Geno?  An NFL QB?  Okay, me, I am famous actor.  20M million per film. Keep sniffing the glue, please.  I love those paper planes.

4) Bryce?  Does anyone really know?  Anybody?  Hello?  

5) Bowles?  Did you see anything last season that was, from a coaching perspective, imaginative?  I didnt. Then again, maybe I am suddenly blind.  And I pay effen over 200 bucks to what this s*** on Direct TV.

 

So.... given the upcoming schedule, expect maybe 5-11, with Brandon retiring, Decker getting into the music biz with that lapalalooza wife of his, and all our backs gone, and of course the Bearded Multi Rich Wine Man and his friends on and off to better vistas.

 

And here we sit.  Jets fans since Joe Willie.  Losers.  Once again.

 

 

so Mac, here is what I say to you:  find the qb.  everyone else is expendable.  and it aint some 34 year old charlie hustle whose taking your freshman a**  for a novice ride.

 

do whatever it takes.  get rid of everybody.  just find that effen qb.  

 

cappice?

[ljr]

On March 3, 2016 at 11:04 AM, Mainejet said:

Mac has a turned out to be the real deal. Bowles is a terrible HC. The guy gets owned by Rex Ryan twice and you guys are still stroking the guy? Do you guys even remember when you sold out? If Rex Ryan lost to the Bills twice, like he did in 2014, you guys would have his ASS. Yet, Bowles does the same f*cking thing and you guys wanting to have his babies? I nm ust say Jets fans are the worst kind of full of sh*t I think I've ver seen.

Way too extreme IMO bro

how do you think Bowles did in the other 14 games?

how about Training Camp & Preseason?

2 games vs. your ex-coach does not a season make.

Bowles had plenty he did wrong in '15 ... He also had plenty he did right

let's see if he can learn from his mistakes & improve, unlike his predecessor 

 

[Dcat]

46 minutes ago, ljr said:

Way too extreme IMO bro

how do you think Bowles did in the other 14 games?

how about Training Camp & Preseason?

2 games vs. your ex-coach does not a season make.

Bowles had plenty he did wrong in '15 ... He also had plenty he did right

let's see if he can learn from his mistakes & improve, unlike his predecessor 

 

Mainejet over reacts to everything.  He's not the only Chicken Little, but he never disappoints in this regard.  Take it with a grain of salt.