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John Idzik Named Jets GM - MERGED


fti1422

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Wilson did not and will not work. What he did his rookie year with a life great d around him proves nothing. You think jets fans would know best.

Are you really trying to compare what Wilson did this year to what Sanchez did his rookie year? Wilson already looks better then Sanchez did at any point in his career and was arguably the best in an all time great rookie class

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actually i responded to your post the exact same way you responded to mine but hey double standards are cool.

im sorry you feel that way though ill try to find another way of disagreeing

but i def need to find this wizard though. Is it a harry potter type or merlin?

Not sure, I heard something about oz, good luck on your quest.

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Are you really trying to compare what Wilson did this year to what Sanchez did his rookie year? Wilson already looks better then Sanchez did at any point in his career and was arguably the best in an all time great rookie class

We will see, in 2009 everyone was loving Sanchez.

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Are you really trying to compare what Wilson did this year to what Sanchez did his rookie year? Wilson already looks better then Sanchez did at any point in his career and was arguably the best in an all time great rookie class

The argument would be an incredibly weak one considering the competition. At best he's always going to be #3.

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We needed a personnel guy. Just like after the loud player coach who players would "run through a wall for", Herm, we needed the no nonsense Mangenius, after who's rigid style, we needed a more player friendly coach who guys "want to play for". I'm pissed we didn't hire someone based largely on the fact that on paper he kind of looks like the opposite of what we've got.

Except for one thing. Tannenbaum's resume was really that he was friends with Parcells. He want a genius at the salary cap, as evidenced by our current problems. He ran the team like it was franchise mode in Madden. Mortgaged the future while sacrificing depth in the present. That was his error in leadership and direction, not the fact that he was on the business end of things. And yet, it almost worked, save the fact that this GM gave the Super Bowl ready team that he over paid for to a rookie quarterback with 16 starts in college at a program notorious for under performers at the NFL level. Further evidence of poor management, not simply lack of personnel experience. Then Tannenbaum went on to give Sanchez the worst contact possibly in team history. If not, he's competing with himself with Pennington, Harris, and Holmes.

Tannenbaum's problem wasn't that he was a "bean counter", it's that he was a bad "bean counter" who had a bad, if any, plan for building a team. So, the opposite of Tannenbaum is not a personnel guy, the opposite is someone who its actually good at their on paper "strength", surrounds themselves with people who are good at their jobs, especially in areas where the leader might be lacking, and most important has a good plan for the long term future of this team. That's the opposite of Mike Tannenbaum we should all be hoping that Idzik is.

Well said.

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We needed a personnel guy. Just like after the loud player coach who players would "run through a wall for", Herm, we needed the no nonsense Mangenius, after who's rigid style, we needed a more player friendly coach who guys "want to play for". I'm pissed we didn't hire someone based largely on the fact that on paper he kind of looks like the opposite of what we've got.

Except for one thing. Tannenbaum's resume was really that he was friends with Parcells. He want a genius at the salary cap, as evidenced by our current problems. He ran the team like it was franchise mode in Madden. Mortgaged the future while sacrificing depth in the present. That was his error in leadership and direction, not the fact that he was on the business end of things. And yet, it almost worked, save the fact that this GM gave the Super Bowl ready team that he over paid for to a rookie quarterback with 16 starts in college at a program notorious for under performers at the NFL level. Further evidence of poor management, not simply lack of personnel experience. Then Tannenbaum went on to give Sanchez the worst contact possibly in team history. If not, he's competing with himself with Pennington, Harris, and Holmes.

Tannenbaum's problem wasn't that he was a "bean counter", it's that he was a bad "bean counter" who had a bad, if any, plan for building a team. So, the opposite of Tannenbaum is not a personnel guy, the opposite is someone who its actually good at their on paper "strength", surrounds themselves with people who are good at their jobs, especially in areas where the leader might be lacking, and most important has a good plan for the long term future of this team. That's the opposite of Mike Tannenbaum we should all be hoping that Idzik is.

The problem with this theory is that Wilson, a 3rd round pick, made everybody in Seattle look good. Flynn was a guy who really had one start in a game nobody cared to play in. Before that they had Charlie Whitehurst, Seneca Wallace. Who knows what Flynn would or would not do considering he didn't even beat out a 3rd round pick after signing a huge contract.

Who knows what any of these guys do or don't do. I'm excited that this process is over and I hope he does a great job. But I'm not going to say he's destined to be a great GM because who knows what he really did or didn't do in Seattle and before this season, Seattle had some nice drafts, but they also made horrible decisions at QB.

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The problem with this theory is that Wilson, a 3rd round pick, made everybody in Seattle look good. Flynn was a guy who really had one start in a game nobody cared to play in. Before that they had Charlie Whitehurst, Seneca Wallace. Who knows what Flynn would or would not do considering he didn't even beat out a 3rd round pick after signing a huge contract.

Who knows what any of these guys do or don't do. I'm excited that this process is over and I hope he does a great job. But I'm not going to say he's destined to be a great GM because who knows what he really did or didn't do in Seattle and before this season, Seattle had some nice drafts, but they also made horrible decisions at QB.

I'm not sure what a single word of this post has to do with my point...

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I'm not sure what a single word of this post has to do with my point...

The Seahawks signed Flynn to a huge contract. The guy never even played one down this season because a 3rd round pick beat him out.

They made a nice pick in Wilson, but got lucky. The Jets signed Sanchez to a long term contract and nobody beat him out. Heck if Rex benched Sanchez in favor of Tebow and the Jets wound up 9-7 and made the playoffs, even if Tebow wasn't that good, would anybody really be calling Tanny or Rex idiots? As bad as Tebow is, he took the Broncos just as far as Manning did, and even won a playoff game for them.

People like to exaggerate what happens. Or misrepresent what happens. Tanny made a bad decision on Sanchez. He made a lot of other bad choices over the years. But who would say the Seahawks made a good decision on Flynn? On Whitehurst? At least Sanchez won a couple of playoff games, was a starter. Flynn was what? A guy who really played one meaningless game and got a big contract out of it. And then proceeded to never really play in a game.

The truth is, if we are to give this new GM credit for anything Seattle did, he should take a hit for signing a one game wonder to a 3 year, 20 million dollar contract. Tanny extended a kid who was the Jets starting QB. A kid who did go to 2 AFC Championship games. Was it too much? Was it stupid? Yes. But the reality is, the two moves aren't all that different. Hell, i'd say Seattles was far riskier. They just got lucky Wilson was good and Flynn never had to play.

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Jets analysis: New GM John Idzik has plenty of supporters; one calls it a 'great hire'

PROVIDENCE -- Those rushing to run John Idzik out of town may want to reconsider.

Only time will tell how the Jets' new -- and first-time -- general manager will fare in his latest endeavor. But he's been on the job only two days, so the time to critique certainly is not now.

The final year of the Mike Tannenbaum Era left Jets fans bitter and in desperate need of assurances that the team's future will be far brighter than this past 6-10 season. And Friday, owner Woody Johnson answered those questions with Idzik, a Seattle executive whose football knowledge is rooted in his gridiron pedigree and his 20 years of NFL experience.

Those who choose to label him as just a "numbers guy" -- the biggest criticism of Tannenbaum -- are misguided, one NFL agent said.

"It is a disservice, because it doesn't sum up all the attributes John's bringing to the table," he wrote in an email to Newsday Saturday. "John's resume speaks for itself. He has a strong understanding of the CBA / salary cap while also understanding the game of football and the personnel needed to win games for a particular system [offense and defense].

"He grew up the son of a coach, he played the game, he coached the game, all before crossing over to the personnel and admin side of the business. Not to mention his academic accomplishments. Great hire, in my opinion."

Those sentiments were echoed by others who called the formerSeahawks vice president of football administration a great guy, extremely intelligent and a "very good fit" for the Jets.

A former Tampa Bay player who had his contract drawn up by Idzik more than 10 years ago said the Jets' new GM understands "it's about finding the right type of people rather than just seeing who's out there.

"That's what really killed the [Jets'] organization. Some of those signings just didn't make sense," he said, drawing comparisons between what he termed shortsighted signings of aging veterans (i.e., Jason Taylor and Kris Jenkins, among others) by the Jets and the Seahawks' long-range vision in hiring former college coach Pete Carroll.

Idzik isn't as well-known as some of the other candidates the Jets interviewed during the past two weeks. In all, there were 10 -- ranging from personnel guys to strictly cap gurus. But the Jets seem to have found a new GM who strikes a balance between both worlds.

Though Idzik's personnel experience was characterized as "limited" by one NFL executive, another league source said he is an "excellent personnel man."

During his six-year tenure with the Seahawks, Idzik oversaw player negotiations and salary-cap situations and was involved in personnel evaluations and scouting assignments. Before that, he spent three seasons as the Arizona Cardinals' senior director of football operations and another 11 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was part of the 2002 Bucs' Super Bowl championship team.

Said Tony Dungy, who coached the Bucs from 1996-2001: "John Idzik was a big part of our success in Tampa and I believe he'll do a great job in New York. He is extremely bright and he knows talent. He's been around football all his life and he understands what it takes to win in the NFL. From a coach's perspective, he was great to work with because he was so knowledgable but was also a good listener. John is a high-quality person and the Jets are very fortunate to have him."

Idzik's experience will come in handy, considering his toughest challenges to date will be shaping a Jets roster on a significant budget and determining the future of beleaguered quarterback Mark Sanchez.

But those within the Seahawks' organization seem to think Idzik will fare just fine in Florham Park. Seattle GM John Schneider called him a "well-respected, lifelong football man" who will be "a strong addition" to Johnson's team.

Seahawks safety Chris Maragos sent his best wishes to Idzik, via Twitter, shortly after the Jets announced the hiring: "Congrats to John Idzik on the move to Jets. Great football mind and even better person."

The apprehension of Jets fans is warranted after two straight disappointing seasons and a 2012 campaign that introduced the term "butt fumble" into football lexicon. But there will be plenty of time to question and critique the Jets should Idzik fail in his first year or two at the helm. For now, though, the Jets have promised a renewed focus to winning and a better product in 2013.

And that's something Jets fans can -- at least for now -- get excited about.

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Ok, in this QB hungry league, I am guessing he will have multiple offers to make a roster, then. Or are you the only guy that sees his true talent?

Not at all, but dont be silly and say 1/2, LOL

I am ONLY trying to figure a CHEAP one year solution (other than Sanchez) before we hand team over to draftee from 2013 or 2014 draft. If he can play system new OC likes all the better. (Why I suggest him more than McElroy). I could really care less since 2013 is a rebuilding year as we implement a new Off playbook. (Why I think we will trade down, accumulate picks and look to the more QB friendly 2014 draft)

I see his talent as a very temporary stopgap in the new WCO offense. :)

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A football man down to the core

New Jets GM John Idzik, who learned the NFL game from his father, lands big shot

nfl_a_idzik11_576.jpgAP Photo/Jack DempseyAfter building an extensive résumé in the NFL, John Idzik accepts his first general manager job.

What makes a man a football man?

John Idzik, son of a coach, grew up in the sport. As a youngster, he scribbled X's and O's on a kiddie chalkboard, sat alongside his father for countless hours as he studied game tape and annoyed his sisters at the dinner table with intense, father-son football conversations.

As a teen, Idzik followed his father to NFL training camps, including the New York Jets' in the late 1970s. He washed jock straps, ran errands and served as a ball boy, staying close to the game he loved. He played wide receiver at Dartmouth, won a couple of Ivy League titles and earned an unsuccessful tryout with the New England Patriots.

Does that make the Jets' new general manager, better known for his salary-cap acumen, a football man?

Idzik discovered the answer to that question when he tried to get away from the game, when he got a job in the corporate world IBM figuring that was the best way to utilize his degree in scientific mathematics. It was a good life, but it wasn't the life he wanted.

After six years at IBM, Idzik returned to his parents' home in Chadds Ford, Pa., and made the big announcement. It started with, "I want you to sit down," his mother, Joyce, recalled Friday night.

"I know you and dad sacrificed a lot to get me into the school I wanted," Joyce Idzik remembered her son saying that day. "Solving math problems is terrific -- I like my job -- but there are no people involved. I miss football."

[+] Enlargeny_a_idzik3_sy_200.jpg

AP Photo/Jack DempseyJohn Idzik

With that pronouncement, Idzik began a 23-year journey that took him from Scotland to Durham, N.C., to Tampa to Phoenix to Seattle and, finally, to New York. His career path reads like the lyrics to a Steve Miller Band song. Keep on rockin me, baby.

"Football was always in my blood," Idzik once said.

Now he gets a chance to fix one of the most publicized franchises in the NFL, a team on the decline. It's a tough job, but this is something he always dreamed about -- a chance to run his own team.

Until a few days ago, Idzik was a relatively anonymous executive with the Seattle Seahawks, their vice president of football administration. Now he enters one of the biggest stages in sports, taking control of the loud and controversial Jets and trying to prove he's more than a numbers guy.

"He's apparently very good with the cap, but he likes to have his hand in football, too," his mother said. "He doesn't want to be excluded from being around the ballplayers."

His father was a ballplayer, and a good one -- a football man to the core.

John Idzik was a schoolboy star in Philadelphia, played in the Marines and played fullback at the University of Maryland in the late 1940s. He got into coaching, college and pro -- 10 different places in 27 years, including three seasons as the Jets' quarterbacks coach under Walt Michaels.

Sadly, Idzik's health is failing. He's 84, battling dementia, diabetes and heart problems, according to his wife, who said neurologists believe the dementia was caused by too many blows to the head in football. She recalled times when he was knocked unconscious and returned a few plays later.

"It makes me sick to see him go downhill," Joyce said. "He was so vibrant."

The eldest Idzik uses a walker and requires 24-hour care. He doesn't speak much. He says "yes" and "no," and nods his head. When told the news Friday that his son was the new boss of the Jets, he nodded and said, "Jets," according to Joyce.

"Sometimes," she said, "he opens his brain and he's back for a short time."

She once asked him if he regretted playing football, and he said "no," because there was no other way he could've gone to college.

Keenly aware of the ravages of the sport, Idzik refused to let his son play football until middle school. That didn't make John happy, but he also played baseball and tennis. He was so obsessed with sports that his mother once asked, "Don't you want to date?"

No time for that, he told her.

Much like Rex Ryan, whose father, Buddy, was a longtime coach, Idzik had the benefit of seeing the NFL from the inside. During his high-school years, he worked as a summer ball boy with the Philadelphia Eagles and Jets.

"I was hanging around as a ball boy, a PR assistant, doing odd jobs," Idzik once said. "[The NFL] was always a big part of my life."

His father coached the Jets' quarterbacks from 1977 to 1979, in the middle of the celebrated Richard Todd-Matt Robinson controversy. Idzik reportedly sided with Todd, leading to a clash with Michaels, who fired him and hired Joe Walton.

"The fact that I didn't get along with the old man doesn't mean the son isn't good," Michaels said by phone, recalling vague memories of young John as a ball boy.

The Jets had a couple of players from Dartmouth, and they sold him on the school. Idzik was an athletic and academic standout, playing wide receiver and graduating with magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors.

Idzik's quarterback was Dave Howard, the New York Mets' executive vice president of business operations. In fact, they lived in the same dorm, Howard only a couple of doors down from Idzik. Dartmouth's Class of '82 is well represented on the New York sports landscape.

After Dartmouth, Idzik coached the receivers at the University of Buffalo for a year before deciding to join the real world. He landed a job at IBM, moving from White Plains, N.Y., to Atlanta to Tampa.

Six years in a shirt and tie was enough.

"I wasn't shocked that he wanted to get back into football," his mother said. "Life is too short. You have to be happy."

Idzik's return didn't occur on American soil; in 1990, he got a job as an assistant coach with the Aberdeen Oilers of the British American Football League. He and his pregnant wife, Carol, lived in Scotland.

He returned to the States and became a graduate assistant at Duke, where he assisted the offensive line and running backs and earned a master's degree. He also served as a liaison to NFL scouts who visited the campus.

After two years, Idzik returned to his previous home -- Tampa -- with no job and a house payment. He landed a job as a pro-personnel assistant with the Tampa Bay Bucs, starting an 11-year climb through the organizational ranks.

With his math background, Idzik gravitated toward the business side of the operation and eventually was put in charge of managing the salary cap. A former Bucs colleague described him as bright and a hard worker, an excellent cap manager.

"John was pushy; he wanted to get into personnel," the former colleague said. "He had a goal: He wanted to be a general manager."

Those were good times. After decades of misery, the Bucs assembled an outstanding team and won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season. It was the second Super Bowl ring for the Idzik family; his dad was a backfield coach for the Baltimore Colts, which captured Super Bowl V.

John was pushy; he wanted to get into personnel," the former colleague said. "He had a goal: He wanted to be a general manager.
--Former Bucs colleague

Eventually, Idzik lost his job as assistant GM, the result of a power struggle in which coach Jon Gruden brought in his own people to the front office. He spent three years as the Arizona Cardinals' senior director of football operations before moving to the Seahawks in 2007.

"He's a sharp individual, a very bright guy," said player agent Alan Herman, who has negotiated several contracts with Idzik. "He knows his stuff, and he has a feel for personnel. It's a real good hire, in my opinion."

Idzik became an integral part of the Seahawks' front office, surviving a house cleaning and climbing the ladder. He was the No. 3 man, behind coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider. In recent years, Idzik dabbled in personnel, attending meetings and taking a couple of scouting trips.

Schneider called Idzik a "well-respected, lifelong football man who I believe will be a strong addition" to the Jets.

Despite Schneider's description -- football man -- Idzik is regarded throughout the league as a cap/business guru. He's been a fixture at owners meetings and Management Council sessions, but not at the scouting combine or Senior Bowl.

The scouting community is sharply divided on whether someone with Idzik's background can succeed in the big chair. Some believe the Jets need a leader with a strong personnel background; others say the GM position has evolved into an all-encompassing, CEO-type job.

He's a sharp individual, a very bright guy. He knows his stuff and he has a feel for personnel. It's a real good hire, in my opinion.
--Alan Herman, Agent

"How difficult will it be for him?" asked former Denver Broncos GM Ted Sundquist, who interviewed for the job. "Things will come up that will surprise John because he hasn't done it before. Ultimately, it boils down to, how do you solve problems?"

Those problems, Sundquist said, could range from settling draft-room disputes to deciding whether to serve chicken or beef on the team flight. With the Jets, it'll mean co-existing with a polarizing coach, trying to fix the quarterback situation, and so on.

For the first time in his life, Idzik will have to deal with the media.

"He's kind of private," Joyce Idzik said of her son. "That doesn't mix with New York, but I think he's tough enough to handle it. He gets that from his father."

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Eventually, Idzik lost his job as assistant GM, the result of a power struggle in which coach Jon Gruden brought in his own people to the front office.

Maybe Gruden to the Jets isn't all that much of an eventual possibility. (Good!)

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The Seahawks signed Flynn to a huge contract. The guy never even played one down this season because a 3rd round pick beat him out.

They made a nice pick in Wilson, but got lucky. The Jets signed Sanchez to a long term contract and nobody beat him out. Heck if Rex benched Sanchez in favor of Tebow and the Jets wound up 9-7 and made the playoffs, even if Tebow wasn't that good, would anybody really be calling Tanny or Rex idiots? As bad as Tebow is, he took the Broncos just as far as Manning did, and even won a playoff game for them.

People like to exaggerate what happens. Or misrepresent what happens. Tanny made a bad decision on Sanchez. He made a lot of other bad choices over the years. But who would say the Seahawks made a good decision on Flynn? On Whitehurst? At least Sanchez won a couple of playoff games, was a starter. Flynn was what? A guy who really played one meaningless game and got a big contract out of it. And then proceeded to never really play in a game.

The truth is, if we are to give this new GM credit for anything Seattle did, he should take a hit for signing a one game wonder to a 3 year, 20 million dollar contract. Tanny extended a kid who was the Jets starting QB. A kid who did go to 2 AFC Championship games. Was it too much? Was it stupid? Yes. But the reality is, the two moves aren't all that different. Hell, i'd say Seattles was far riskier. They just got lucky Wilson was good and Flynn never had to play.

My post isn't really complimenting Idzik though, or talking him up. It's talking about not making a reactionary signing of a "personnel guy" because the "business guy" screwed up.

As for the Sanchez contract, it's pretty much universally considered one of the worst in football. You took a guy who's never been out of the bottom 1/3rd of QBs statistically and paid him as the 7th highest.

You're also killing our current GM for his former team signing a QB to a deal that wasn't for ridiculous money considering the QB market and the position's pay scale, and also drafting a developmental player who was better than expected. Flynn wasn't a bad decision, because when they made it, they needed someone. Wilson proved to be a better decision later on, and apparently an even better decision by the organization to go with the young QB who obviously showed a lot of promise. Ultimately, you're killing the Seahawks for something you and every other Jets fan should be and likely is envious of.

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Maybe Gruden to the Jets isn't all that much of an eventual possibility. (Good!)

From what I hear they have solid relationship. Gruden became HC in 2002 and Idzik left in 2004. Gruden didnt like the Bucs GM Rich McKay and when his buddy Bruce Allen became available from the Raiders to be Tampas GM Gruden hired him and Allen brought his own folks in. But Idzik and Gruden remain close and have mutual respect for each other.

But Darrell Bevell may be choice #1 over Gruden anyways if Rex falters.

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