"Cool Hand John" Just What the Jets Need right now

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Green Lantern: ‘Cool Hand’ John Just What The Jets Need Right Now

New GM Idzik Is Now The Law, And Restoring Order Is The Name Of His Game

March 18, 2013 11:09 AM

 

By Jeff Capellini, WFAN.com

If you know anything about how the Jets operated prior to this offseason, you are very much aware that Florham Park, N.J., was the NFL’s version of the Wild West.

But then John Idzik rode into town on an old paint, as a lawman with a quiet, unassuming demeanor, and things started to change.

Prior to his arrival, the nights were filled with mayhem on the dirt-covered  streets and the saloons featured plenty of intimidation of town’s folk who simply wanted nothing more than to wet their whistles after a long day in the blazing sun.

Call it an overused cliche if you want, but the Jets needed a new sheriff or a mysterious stranger to materialize, one that knew he couldn’t round up all the outlaws in one sweep but was willing to change things regardless of the timetable of the impatient. They needed a thinking man, someone who specialized in making a town prosperous, someone who had a vision of an outpost of ill repute one day turning into a true spot on the map.

A destination.

Idzik, at least so far, seems like the guy in the movies who is more than willing to draw his revolver in a duel, but one that’s not filled with rage or intent on settling old scores, or settling them quickly. He’s operated during this offseason as a gunfighter or card player waiting for a twitch or a tell.

And he seems like he’s not going to draw or show his hand until the time is absolutely necessary.

No, Idzik is not Ted Thompson, Thomas Dimitroff or Ozzie Newsome. He’s got a long way to go before he can even be mentioned with those general managers as far as building a powerhouse franchise is concerned. But he’s also not Mike Tannenbaum, the previous lawman who was run out of town after throwing down his green sash.

Idzik is the guy with a vision of a better Florham Park, and he’s got the backing of the town’s richest man, which we all know goes a long way towards real change. Though this rich man is flawed, he’s also not stupid.

And if you look at the moves that have been made so far, or, more specifically, the ones that haven’t been made, you can rest a little easier. The Jets are not about robbing stagecoaches anymore. They’re into working for a living.

For his part in this story of the search for justice and a fresh start, Darrelle Revis is like the last remaining member of the gang that at times couldn’t shoot straight. He was never the rabble rouser, but was the guy that commanded the respect of everyone else in his posse and the vast majority of the law-abiding citizens. His vision never included spilling blood for the sake of spilling blood, but always was all about doing whatever was necessary to attain vast wealth. Though the people in town respected him, they always felt like they were being held hostage, like he was the outlaw that you looked at never really sure of where his true allegiances stood. Perhaps he was just here to make his fortune before moving off to greener pastures, regardless of what he told you.

The showdown between the town’s anti-hero and the stranger that just rode up was inevitable. And so far the stranger is refusing to draw, because sometimes in a gunfight it’s better to wait out your adversary, see who’s got the true gumption with every eye watching.

Idzik is playing Revis like an old, dusty banjo right now. And he’s giving the members of the media, some of whom are squarely in the Revis camp instead of not picking sides like they are supposed to, nothing to work with. Revis may still be traded, but Idzik is not going to let anyone influence how the deal gets done, if it gets done at all.

When a town is under new management, the flow of information changes. Reporters ran amok in 2011 and 2012, free to write whatever they chose while hiding behind sources cloaked in black hats and bandanas. You can already tell that a reporter’s job in this town is going to get a hell of a lot harder in 2013. Sources, specifically the unnamed variety, are going to dry up. And if they don’t, considering the precedent Idzik is in the process of establishing, both reporter and source will need to be heavily scrutinized once they break a story that they think their audience needs to know.

The Jets finally appear to have a front office structure. All information will flow through this general manager. I get the impression if anyone not named Idzik or Woody Johnson reveals state secrets to anyone they will spend considerable time in the hoosegow. I think Rex Ryan, he of the Tannenbaum green sash gang who for whatever reason avoided the hangman when the new form of law and order swept through the town, will be, as far as his boisterous personality goes, a church mouse. And if you are the Jets and their fans, that’s what you want. Ryan needs to worry about the on-field product. Let Idzik do the talking. If he fails to do either he’ll be riding out of town sooner rather than later.

The Jets have a responsibility to themselves to be fiscally smart. They also owe it to the fans that shell out absurd prices for PSLs to put something resembling a competitive team on the field. Idzik is trying to shoot a bunch of whisky bottles off a distant rock with one bullet. Now, you could get all annoyed because Mike Goodson, Antonio Garay and Willie Colon are not household names, or you could look beyond your need for the quick fix.

If Idzik has done nothing else he’s made one message clear: training camp will be about competition. No steep investments in players, long term or otherwise, will be made until guys prove their worth, and the Jets’ so-called salary cap hell — they are approximately a respectable $11 million under right now — will be a distant memory as early as next offseason. The three guys Idzik signed last week are hungry football players, guys who want a chance to make their names known. They are willing to fight for starting jobs. They also add depth at positions the Jets absolutely had to bolster. Do they make the Jets better? Well, they don’t make them worse when you consider the players that walked off into the sunset.

The competition at quarterback is beginning to take form. Sure, David Garrard is in no way a sexy signing, but he is a smart signing, because he has something to prove and, when healthy, won’t turn the ball over 50 times in two years like another signal-caller I could name. Kevin Kolb has been rumored as a potential target and, yes, he too is not a messiah, but he knows the Marty Mornhinweg offense. Kolb and Garrard will absolutely push that other QB much more than Tim Tebow and Greg McElroy, an idea that Tannenbaum inexplicably thought was viable.

And there will be more moves that will surely annoy the hell out of the fan base, but they won’t be moves that were made simply for the sake of being made. The Jets need numbers and bodies with at least some ability if 2013 is to avoid becoming an embarrassing year. They need guys without any laurels to rest on. They need positional battles and intensity in camp, and they need guys who can assimilate into this new family, as opposed to the fractured household this team was during the previous two seasons.

You cannot judge Idzik the talent evaluator for at least two years. That’s how long at a minimum it will take to assess the 2013 draft and any player he signs. But you can judge him right now on the change of message and the organizational approach to how things are done. And if you don’t like what you have seen so far you either have to open your eyes or resign yourself to the fact that you’ll never be happy.

Getting back to Revis, I can say with confidence that regardless of what his future ends up being, the Jets will come out of this in a better position than they were at the end of the 2012 season. They will either get a very good package in a trade or they will sign him to what will be deemed as a fair contract by both sides.

I can say this because Idzik doesn’t have an itchy trigger finger. He’s a thinking man’s lawman.

And while it seems like the tumbleweeds are blowing through the streets of Florham Park right now, they won’t be for very long. Parity in the NFL isn’t an old wive’s tale. It happens with regularity.

And Idzik just got a stake in a Faro card game, with no intention of letting the next gang to blow into town beat the banker.

Read more columns by Jeff Capellini and follow him on Twitter at @GreenLanternJet

[SouthernJet]

great read

 

The past IBMer in Idzik is showing

 

Cool and calcualting

[dbatesman]

Tom just exploded in his pants.

[T0mShane]

Tom just exploded in his pants.

Blogs.

[slats]

The best thing you can say about Idzik right now is that he hasn't made a bad situation worse. We have a long way to go before we know whether or not he's capable of making things better.

[Joe Jets fan]

Wow. Really good read.

Sounds right, and reporters are going to be pissed. I wonder how many story's will just be made up this year.

[T0mShane]

The best thing you can say about Idzik right now is that he hasn't made a bad situation worse. We have a long way to go before we know whether or not he's capable of making things better.

He reminds me a lot of Sandy Alderson, for better or worse. It seems, like Alderson, he's going to be methodical, and we might have to wait to see results. It'll be a mess for a while, but it'll be a contained mess.

[CM28]

great read

 

The past IBMer in Idzik is showing

 

Cool and calcualting

 

I agree. Just what the doctor ordered.

 

Been a while since my last post, and I have to say that I have cooled down now and am very anxious to see what´s his next move will be. For sure, the next year will be tough but as long as John keep on doing the right thing, I for one will not blame him for any result based on the current squad. I also hope there are more that feel the same way.

[SouthernJet]

He reminds me a lot of Sandy Alderson, for better or worse. It seems, like Alderson, he's going to be methodical, and we might have to wait to see results. It'll be a mess for a while, but it'll be a contained mess.

yup

[NJ]

If this is half true and real, it's a huge step forward. The reactionary Ritalin twins Rex and Mikey, under the expert guidance of our dumfuk owner were on track to sink the ship deeper. Hope springs eternal ....

[Larz]

I have been thinking the same thing.  I like his approach.  it's like the team has a grown up in charge now

[slats]

He reminds me a lot of Sandy Alderson, for better or worse. It seems, like Alderson, he's going to be methodical, and we might have to wait to see results. It'll be a mess for a while, but it'll be a contained mess.

What is this? Some sort of homo-baseball analogy? Am I supposed to understand that?

[faba]

Nice to see a professional running operations.

[Il Mostro]

He reminds me a lot of Sandy Alderson, for better or worse. It seems, like Alderson, he's going to be methodical, and we might have to wait to see results. It'll be a mess for a while, but it'll be a contained mess.

 

 

Good analogy.  SA has avoided any long term, big ticket acquisitions at a time when they will not make two cents worth of difference in the overall scheme of things.  Both The Idz and SA are handcuffed financially (albeit for different reasons).  Dropping the dead weight, without adding long term bloat, and having a good draft will go a long way towards digging the Jets out of the hole they are in.  

[jack48]

Good analogy.  SA has avoided any long term, big ticket acquisitions at a time when they will not make two cents worth of difference in the overall scheme of things.  Both The Idz and SA are handcuffed financially (albeit for different reasons).  Dropping the dead weight, without adding long term bloat, and having a good draft will go a long way towards digging the Jets out of the hole they are in.  

 

Agree with you guys--and like SA, Idzik work for a ninny.  Even more impressive if he succeeds.  And isnt Rex's silence positively deafening?

[SenorGato]

Jets’ so-called salary cap hell — they are approximately a respectable $11 million under right now — will be a distant memory as early as next offseason.

 

Idzik will get all the credit in the world for this but the roster was pretty much set up to happen this way. "Cap hell" - be prepared to be shocked here - was a media contrived story to get through February when the only thing to write about is some stupid pre-draft events that the causal, emotion based fan has no urge to read about. 

 

Anyway, good piece and so far everything is going as expected. He even sped it up with the Pouha/DeVito moves, and considering where those guys play you have to figure that...dare I say it...he let Ryan speak in his presence. 

[T0mShane]

Idzik will get all the credit in the world for this but the roster was pretty much set up to happen this way. "Cap hell" - be prepared to be shocked here - was a media contrived story to get through February when the only thing to write about is some stupid pre-draft events that the causal, emotion based fan has no urge to read about.

Anyway, good piece and so far everything is going as expected. He even sped it up with the Pouha/DeVito moves, and considering where those guys play you have to figure that...dare I say it...he let Ryan speak in his presence.

This roster was part of a "plan"?

[dbatesman]

This roster was part of a "plan"?

Mike Tannenbaum was secretly an awesome GM.

[faba]

This is the way it should be GM quietly go about reformatting a roster for the long term and Rex being quiet

[JADEDGREEN]

This is the way it should be GM quietly go about reformatting a roster for the long term and Rex being quiet

 

Idzik = Hard Drive Guru!

[SenorGato]

Mike Tannenbaum was secretly an awesome GM.

The JN black/white approach does not appeal to me. Saying the cap hell stuff was nonsense and the Jets are fine by 2014 is certainly not out there, and there is plenty to work wih in a league with the kind of turnover rate the NFL works in. A careful FA to go with a strong draft and mini-draft would do what may get called wonders to the roster of Los Yets. No one is saying this should be easy, just that it's not as dramatic as some might feel it is because the team went 6-10.

[Scott Dierking]

The JN black/white approach does not appeal to me. Saying the cap hell stuff was nonsense and the Jets are fine by 2014 is certainly not out there, and there is plenty to work wih in a league with the kind of turnover rate the NFL works in. A careful FA to go with a strong draft and mini-draft would do what may get called wonders to the roster of Los Yets. No one is saying this should be easy, just that it's not as dramatic as some might feel it is because the team went 6-10.

The Jets are going to suck next year, and that will be a deserved fate. It is going to take a methodical, calculated approach by Idzik in getting this straightened out.

 

Luckily, the NFL is a forgiving sport where you can make sharp gains in a couple years, if you follow the right path. 

 

If I am reading the article about Idzik correctly, he is not a "me first" type of rewarder. That means that Revis and Rex can be sure to be shown the door. Maye Rex can change his spot, but I doubt it. Next year will be a humbling one for him.

[T0mShane]

The JN black/white approach does not appeal to me. Saying the cap hell stuff was nonsense and the Jets are fine by 2014 is certainly not out there, and there is plenty to work wih in a league with the kind of turnover rate the NFL works in. A careful FA to go with a strong draft and mini-draft would do what may get called wonders to the roster of Los Yets. No one is saying this should be easy, just that it's not as dramatic as some might feel it is because the team went 6-10.

So...we're not going 9-7 this year? Did I buy these playoff tickets...FOR NAUGHT???

[faba]

So...we're not going 9-7 this year? Did I buy these playoff tickets...FOR NAUGHT???

Trade them in for Lingerie League playoff tickets

[dbatesman]

So...we're not going 9-7 this year? Did I buy these playoff tickets...FOR NAUGHT???

"playoffs" are just another narrative the media feeds to you sheeple

[bitonti]

The Jets are going to suck next year, and that will be a deserved fate 

 

 

when the Jets are supposed to be amazing, they stink. When the Jets are supposed to be awful, they sneak up on teams. 

[Drums]

We always fall for the new guy but I'm with you guys-- It's nice having a grown up in charge.

[SenorGato]

The Jets are going to suck next year, and that will be a deserved fate. It is going to take a methodical, calculated approach by Idzik in getting this straightened out.

 

Luckily, the NFL is a forgiving sport where you can make sharp gains in a couple years, if you follow the right path. 

 

If I am reading the article about Idzik correctly, he is not a "me first" type of rewarder. That means that Revis and Rex can be sure to be shown the door. Maye Rex can change his spot, but I doubt it. Next year will be a humbling one for him.

 

Like have a bunch of big contracts come off in that two year span, like now, and not buy any big money FAs. The last big money the Jets spent was the Sanchez extension that is throw onto the pile next year barring a miracle. Their big offseason FA signing last year was Landry at 4 million for a year. They did not even do that during the 2011 offseason, rather extending a few guys through this year or next next year (Harris, Pouha, Holmes, Moore) in a far less rebuild friendly environment (coming off an 11-5 season, AFCCG appearance again, and a lockout). These are casually dismissed details because Tannenbaum sucked and 6-10. Dig a little deeper and the Jets have been bridging for 2014 for two years now.

 

The Jets probably will suck in 2013, definitely the most probable outcome. Lots of teams that are supposed to suck in the NFL end up not sucking and vice versa.  The Jets were even one of the teams to pull it off! 2006 Mangenius took a team who's most dominant offensive player was the rookie center and had Chad Pennington off another major arm injury starting at QB.  Parcells took a 1-15 team and turned it into a 9-7 team the next year with at least 10 new starters.

[T0mShane]

"playoffs" are just another narrative the media feeds to you sheeple

Black: stadium burns down, killing thousands. Team subsequently revealed to be secret sect of Bohemian Society; pedophilia, rape, ritual murder carried out in locker room. Owner Woody Johnson also revealed to be penniless street hustler elevated to current position solely as result of wealthy pranksters. Real Robert Wood Johnson found living on street with voluptuous prostitute.

White: Team wins Super Bowl as Dennis Thurman cures cancer and Neil Glat brokers Israeli peace treaty. New midtown stadium to run on arc reactor. Touching Mark Sanchez's hair found to reverse blindness.

[SenorGato]

So...we're not going 9-7 this year? Did I buy these playoff tickets...FOR NAUGHT???

 

It's as within the range of possibilities right now as 0-16 or whatever your dream record is.

[SenorGato]

Black: stadium burns down, killing thousands. Team subsequently revealed to be secret sect of Bohemian Society; pedophilia, rape, ritual murder carried out in locker room. Owner Woody Johnson also revealed to be penniless street hustler elevated to current position solely as result of wealthy pranksters. Real Robert Wood Johnson found living on street with voluptuous prostitute.

White: Team wins Super Bowl as Dennis Thurman cures cancer and Neil Glat brokers Israeli peace treaty. New midtown stadium to run on arc reactor. Touching Mark Sanchez's hair found to reverse blindness.

 

 

 

[T0mShane]

The Jets probably will suck in 2013, definitely the most probable outcome.

JN LULZ THIS SITE SWEAR TO GAWD

[SenorGato]

"playoffs" are just another narrative the media feeds to you sheeple

 

No no my friend, the legends are real. They require years of work and preperation disguised by losing (but only losing under the newest savior counts) and special magic people doing unprecedented, magical things.

 

TOO MANY GIFs

 

Number of GIFs reduced!

[T0mShane]

.

[JADEDGREEN]

No no my friend, the legends are real. They require years of work and preperation disguised by losing (but only losing under the newest savior counts) and special magic people doing unprecedented, magical things.

 

 

Number of GIFs reduced!

 

 

25 GIFs?