the Ignored Culprit of the Constant Jets Mess

[flgreen]

The ignored culprit of the constant Jets mess

Another day, another anonymously sourced story alleging palace intrigue within the Jets.

And like seemingly all the other ones before it, this latest claim of a “toxic” stew brewing in the halls of their Florham Park practice facilty never gets around to blaming the king.

Oh, the report for SB Nation by veteran NFL writer Thomas George that dropped Friday morning is definitely juicy, citing unnamed sources to back up tales of Rex Ryan, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and general manager John Idzik being constantly at one another’s throats during this 2-10 disaster.

Curiously, not once in a 1,200-word story — which immediately went viral, as all stories on the Rex-era Jets seem to do — was the real culprit for their current state of near-total dysfunction mentioned.

Woody Johnson escaped again.

Allegations from the whisper-filled story caused quite a stir within the Jets’ Florham Park practice facility on Friday. Ryan denied trying to “stick it” to Idzik or ever thinking about firing Mornhinweg, Mornhinweg denied trying to stick it to Rex. But two sources did tell The Post’s Brian Costello there has been some tension between Ryan and Mornhinweg. And, of course, Idzik stayed true to form and didn’t say a word.

While parts of the SB Nation story didn’t exactly ring true (how was the all-run game plan against the Dolphins an attempt by Mornhinweg to get back at Rex and an attempt by Rex to get back at Idzik?), it is totally beside the point by now.

It’s all just soap-opera material at this point since everyone on the coaching staff is getting fired a month from now, and the hapless, overmatched Idzik might get the boot, too.

What is much more germane and needs no sleuthing to prove is the ultimate source of all this mess is Johnson, though the buck of blame rarely — if ever — seems to stop with the Jets owner when the national spotlight focuses on his woebegone franchise.

The Jets are indeed a circus, but their true ringleader doesn’t get the blame.

The Jets have $12.4 million in cap space after carrying as much as $25 million for much of the season, and they’re projected to go into next season with a staggering $44 million in room if the cap ends up at $142 million per team.

Idzik often gets the grief for being cheap in free agency and hoarding all that cap room when it could have been spent on cornerbacks or wide receivers not named Eric Decker who could have had the Jets thinking about the playoffs now instead of the 2015 draft class.

But since when do NFL general managers who aren’t Jerry Jones control the purse strings? It defies all logic to think Idzik has locked the Jets’ wallet all on his own or is refusing to spend money against Johnson’s wishes.

It also defies logic to blame Idzik for refusing to take Darrelle Revis’ phone calls last spring out of some kind of personal animosity, considering Idzik wasn’t even here for any of Revis’ contract disputes.

Johnson was, though.

Idzik is out of his league and can be blamed for a lot of things, particularly his brutal drafting outside of Sheldon Richardson, but final say-so on financial decisions rests with the owner. And if it doesn’t, then the Jets have much bigger problems.

Johnson also is responsible for the wacky scenario in which Idzik was hired but was forced to inherit Ryan, which is almost always untenable and usually leads to conspiracy theories.

You know, like the one popular among Jets watchers that Idzik purposely tanked this season to get rid of Ryan to bring in his own coach.

There will no doubt be more variations on that theme as Gang Green slogs through the final four games of this disaster, because juicy Jets stories are always fun.

But it’s time their owner becomes one of the main characters.

[j4jets]

Seriously? Read less than half of this crap n couldn't finish it. Fans that think Woody is cheap are idiots, morons, n have no clue about the Jrts history. The one damn yr we carry a lil bit of salary cap has all of a sudden become Woody's fault. God, all hell breaks loose. How about the other yrs Jets have been in a cap hell situation? "Oh that was just poor cap management by the GM". Really? Really? Woody never closed his wallet when it came to salary cap.

[joebabyny]

Seriously? Read less than half of this crap n couldn't finish it. Fans that think Woody is cheap are idiots, morons, n have no clue about the Jrts history. The one damn yr we carry a lil bit of salary cap has all of a sudden become Woody's fault. God, all hell breaks loose. How about the other yrs Jets have been in a cap hell situation? "Oh that was just poor cap management by the GM". Really? Really? Woody never closed his wallet when it came to salary cap.

 

None of us know the real deal, but I am going to assume that Idzik sold Woody on the tightening of the purse strings. I always thought Woody spent the money to try to win. Where I think Woody takes the hit is in allowing Idzik in the door from the beginning. He hired some non-football people to vet candidates and they came up with a guy who seems to not truly be a football guy, in the talent evaluation/personnel sort of way. If Bill Polian doesn't want the job of gm, at least hire him to find a real GM for us. Bill Polian wakes up in the morning and pisses away more football knowledge into the toilet than the whole korn ferry team has in their collective body. It is about time the Jets had real football guys running the show.

[IPBanBadPosters]

None of us know the real deal, but I am going to assume that Idzik sold Woody on the tightening of the purse strings. I always thought Woody spent the money to try to win. Where I think Woody takes the hit is in allowing Idzik in the door from the beginning. He hired some non-football people to vet candidates and they came up with a guy who seems to not truly be a football guy, in the talent evaluation/personnel sort of way. If Bill Polian doesn't want the job of gm, at least hire him to find a real GM for us. Bill Polian wakes up in the morning and pisses away more football knowledge into the toilet than the whole korn ferry team has in their collective body. It is about time the Jets had real football guys running the show.

 

He already did - he recommended Tom Gamble, currently VP of Player Personnel for the Eagles, who he worked with when they were both with the Colts.

 

The poster 'slats' will be by shortly to insist that the Jets passed on him (as opposed to him passing on the Jets after Woody made it known that he would have to retain Ryan as HC, and Bradway as director of college scouting), but if you're looking to hire someone recommended for the job by Polian, then Gamble is your man.

[Make me idSICK]

Woody and Axelrod hired that Jed Hughes clown from Korn Ferry - whose most high profile placements are a who's who of disasters. Dave Brandon (The AD that recently resigned from University of Michigan who he took from Dominos Pizza or some chain like that) & Brady Hoke... Glat & Idzik...

Watch this video and then think about the fact that THIS is the guy Woody paid 500k to to bring us Idzik & Glat:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8m151uf8DnM

It is quite comical, actually. The man can't even properly edit his own promo video.

The levels of incompetence that Woody displays are mind boggling. The only hope for this organization is for Woody to figure out that he is the main problem and hire a well respected football man who will keep him away from all football operations. And take his little buddy Axelrod with him.

[Make me idSICK]

Woody and Axelrod hired that Jed Hughes clown from Korn Ferry - whose most high profile placements are a who's who of disasters. Dave Brandon (The AD that recently resigned from University of Michigan who he took from Dominos Pizza or some chain like that) & Brady Hoke... Glat & Idzik...

Watch this video and then think about the fact that THIS is the guy Woody paid 500k to to bring us Idzik & Glat:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8m151uf8DnM

It is quite comical, actually. The man can't even properly edit his own promo video.

The levels of incompetence that Woody displays are mind boggling. The only hope for this organization is for Woody to figure out that he is the main problem and hire a well respected football man who will keep him away from all football operations. And take his little buddy Axelrod with him.

[kelticwizard]

That was certainly an amateurish video.  I've seen kids do much better.

[Kleckineau]

It is a false premise that Johnson is cheap. He was never cheap. He just didnt spend wisely. Idzik was cheap... this year.

Johnson hired him to run things and part of his model was to build cap space supposedly to make a run in the near future.

If he knew how to run a draft it may have worked.

[Sperm Edwards]

None of us know the real deal, but I am going to assume that Idzik sold Woody on the tightening of the purse strings. I always thought Woody spent the money to try to win. Where I think Woody takes the hit is in allowing Idzik in the door from the beginning. He hired some non-football people to vet candidates and they came up with a guy who seems to not truly be a football guy, in the talent evaluation/personnel sort of way. If Bill Polian doesn't want the job of gm, at least hire him to find a real GM for us. Bill Polian wakes up in the morning and pisses away more football knowledge into the toilet than the whole korn ferry team has in their collective body. It is about time the Jets had real football guys running the show.

Polian sucks also. For how many years were the Colts considered a 5-7 win team without Peyton Manning, only to find out they were even worse than that when it actually happened?

Try to list the 5 best players from Polian's last 5 drafts before he got fired.

[sourceworx]

None of us know the real deal, but I am going to assume that Idzik sold Woody on the tightening of the purse strings. I always thought Woody spent the money to try to win. Where I think Woody takes the hit is in allowing Idzik in the door from the beginning. He hired some non-football people to vet candidates and they came up with a guy who seems to not truly be a football guy, in the talent evaluation/personnel sort of way. If Bill Polian doesn't want the job of gm, at least hire him to find a real GM for us. Bill Polian wakes up in the morning and pisses away more football knowledge into the toilet than the whole korn ferry team has in their collective body. It is about time the Jets had real football guys running the show.

You have the right idea, but the wrong guy in mind. The man who should be brought in to find us a GM is Ernie Accorsi.

[j4jets]

Polian sucks also. For how many years were the Colts considered a 5-7 win team without Peyton Manning, only to find out they were even worse than that when it actually happened?

Try to list the 5 best players from Polian's last 5 drafts before he got fired.

Agreed there. The one yr Polians team did not have possibly the best QB in the history of the NFL, his team goes what 1-15? That's Polian. In other words, Polian 'stat padded' his win totals with Manning n now we consider his words to be sacred of some sort.

Even Tanny built better teams than Polian. One of Mr. Ts biggest mistake (at the time) was locking up Sanchez long term. He saw something in Sanchez to do so. Chip Kelly also saw something in him n picked him up off the streets. Guess what? Kelly is also considered God here while Tanny is considered the worst GM of all time. I don't get that. Tanny built some excellent teams albeit below average QB play. The one yr he had FHoF QB, his team was 8-3 before the QB got injured n the season came down crashing. I'd much rather have Tanny back than Polian as GM or Kelly as HC.

[j4jets]

None of us know the real deal, but I am going to assume that Idzik sold Woody on the tightening of the purse strings. I always thought Woody spent the money to try to win. Where I think Woody takes the hit is in allowing Idzik in the door from the beginning. He hired some non-football people to vet candidates and they came up with a guy who seems to not truly be a football guy, in the talent evaluation/personnel sort of way. If Bill Polian doesn't want the job of gm, at least hire him to find a real GM for us. Bill Polian wakes up in the morning and pisses away more football knowledge into the toilet than the whole korn ferry team has in their collective body. It is about time the Jets had real football guys running the show.

Thing is, we know Jets have spent pretty much their entire cap almost every year Woody has owned the Jets. Then how is Woody cheap trying save a buck or two that NFL will require us to spend the following yr anyway? I never understand the reasoning behind calling him cheap.

[ZachEY]

Thing is, we know Jets have spent pretty much their entire cap almost every year Woody has owned the Jets. Then how is Woody cheap trying save a buck or two that NFL will require us to spend the following yr anyway? I never understand the reasoning behind calling him cheap.

Because most people are goldfish?

[LIJetsFan]

Thing is, we know Jets have spent pretty much their entire cap almost every year Woody has owned the Jets. Then how is Woody cheap trying save a buck or two that NFL will require us to spend the following yr anyway? I never understand the reasoning behind calling him cheap.

Agreed.  And this is not the first time this season that I've read articles about the cap and spending where the author was TOTALLY misinformed/clueless about how it actually works.

[ZachEY]

Also, if there's one thing I've always thought, it's that people rarely seem to place blame on Woody Johnson...

[FTL Jet Fan]

Should of hired Gamble and showed the rest the door.

[Barkus]

Should of hired Gamble and showed the rest the door.

Yes, gamble was my preferred guy. Woody the bozo is to blame for revis, he let personal feelings interfere with business and he is also to blame for keeping Rex too long and forcing idzik to keep him.

[sourceworx]

A lot of b.s. in this article. The only valid point made is that Woody is partly responsible for this current mess because he made keeping Rex a requirement in his GM search. That resulted in lesser candidates being the only ones willing to come here.

If Woody had atleast given them the option to fire Rex if they so wished, we would have had much better people wanting to take the job.

[slats]

He already did - he recommended Tom Gamble, currently VP of Player Personnel for the Eagles, who he worked with when they were both with the Colts.

 

The poster 'slats' will be by shortly to insist that the Jets passed on him (as opposed to him passing on the Jets after Woody made it known that he would have to retain Ryan as HC, and Bradway as director of college scouting), but if you're looking to hire someone recommended for the job by Polian, then Gamble is your man.

No one else took Polian's recommendation either. Go figure.

Sticking to the bold without a shred of evidence to support it (which you can't find because it doesn't exist) is impressive in a thick-headed kinda way.

[Bugg]

Polian sucks also. For how many years were the Colts considered a 5-7 win team without Peyton Manning, only to find out they were even worse than that when it actually happened?

Try to list the 5 best players from Polian's last 5 drafts before he got fired.

It's fair to say he lucked into Manning, he is old and may be the game is past him. But you also have to take into account he built a great team  in the USFL Blitz, helped build the Jim Kelly/Bruce Smith/Marv levy Era Bills into a powerhouse,and helped the Panthers go from an expansion team to an NFC title game in 2 years. The guy knows something about pro football, he recommended Tom Gamble and Johnson instead insisted on a GM who would keep Ryan, ergo, Idzik. Extraordinarliy stupid to solicit and pay for for a professional's advice and then ignore said paid adivce. Robert Wood Idiot Johnson the 3rd is the problem until he hires a competent GM/President and takes a giant step back. Until then he should wallow in a stadium half filled with fans of the visiting team.

[jetrider]

Not to defend Idzik - he didn't build Seattle so expectations weren't high for him in the first place - but when your coaching staff sucks most anyone you draft will be a disappointment.

[slats]

It's fair to say he lucked into Manning, he is old and may be the game is past him. But you also have to take into account he built a great team in the USFL Blitz, helped build the Jim Kelly/Bruce Smith/Marv levy Era Bills into a powerhouse,and helped the Panthers go from an expansion team to an NFC title game in 2 years. The guy knows something about pro football, he recommended Tom Gamble and Johnson instead insisted on a GM who would keep Ryan, ergo, Idzik. Extraordinarliy stupid to solicit and pay for for a professional's advice and then ignore said paid adivce. Robert Wood Idiot Johnson the 3rd is the problem until he hires a competent GM/President and takes a giant step back. Until then he should wallow in a stadium half filled with fans of the visiting team.

Don't fall for any bad poster's line of crap. Johnson announced that Rex would be retained at the end of 2012, and interviewed Gamble a week later. Gamble knew the deal with Rex, and he wanted the job regardless.

There were a number of GM jobs that year, and Gamble interviewed for a couple. Everyone passed on him for whatever reason. The 49ers let him walk, and he took a lateral position with the Eagles. Maybe he's just not as good as people hoped? The decision to keep Rex certainly got on the way of hiring a number of better candidates than Idzik, but Gamble wasn't one of them.

But that's why they have to fire them both now. No good coaching candidate will come to work for this embattled GM. The Jets head coaching job is unattractive enough without having to work for an incompetent micro-manager.

The GM job will be much more attractive than it was two years ago with no Rex requirement, tons of cap space, and a high draft pick to work with. And a new & improved GM here will make the head coaching job that much more attractive, too.

[Bugg]

Not to defend Idzik - he didn't build Seattle so expectations weren't high for him in the first place - but when your coaching staff sucks most anyone you draft will be a disappointment.

Robert Wood Johnson the 3rd doesn't get off the hook because he choose the mailroom/laundry guy instead of a real GM. Idzik was his choice, agains the advice of those he paid to advise him. And it was his decision to insist Ryan stayed. Everything awful follows from those decisions.

[Bugg]

Don't fall for any bad poster's line of crap. Johnson announced that Rex would be retained at the end of 2012, and interviewed Gamble a week later. Gamble knew the deal with Rex, and he wanted the job regardless.

There were a number of GM jobs that year, and Gamble interviewed for a couple. Everyone passed on him for whatever reason. The 49ers let him walk, and he took a lateral position with the Eagles. Maybe he's just not as good as people hoped. The decision to keep Rex certainly got on the way of hiring a number of better candidates than Idzik, but Gamble wasn't one of them.

But that's why they have to fire them both now. No good coaching candidate will come to work for this embattled GM. The Jets head coaching job is unattractive enough without having to work for an incompetent micro-manager.

The GM job will be much more attractive than it was two years ago with no Rex requirement, tons of cap space, and a high draft pick to work with. And a new & improved GM here will make the head coaching job that much more attractive.

Why is it smart football people be it Bellicheat, Parcells, Gamble, run out of the room if Woody Johnson  is in said room?

[T0mShane]

The GM job will be much more attractive than it was two years ago with no Rex requirement, tons of cap space, and a high draft pick to work with. And a new & improved GM here will make the head coaching job that much more attractive, too.

Nope. #ya #mon

[T0mShane]

Why is it smart football people be it Bellicheat, Parcells, Gamble, run out of the room if Woody Johnson is in said room?

Imagine Parcells, in his office, making phone calls to agents with Woody sitting in front of him, in boat shoes, flipping through tennis magazines for eight hours.

[slats]

Why is it smart football people be it Bellicheat, Parcells, Gamble, run out of the room if Woody Johnson  is in said room?

  

I ain't defending Woody Johnson, I promise you that. He needs to offer up a big chunk of change, and a promise to get out of the way. It's the only way he'll get someone in here who knows what he's doing.

Nope. #ya #mon

Lol. T0mShane, defender of the status quo.

[faba]

No one here knows for sure if Woody said to control the money situation or not-this season will hopefully make them realize there needs to be  a lot of smoothing of the fanbase that is angry

[jetrider]

Robert Wood Johnson the 3rd doesn't get off the hook because he choose the mailroom/laundry guy instead of a real GM. Idzik was his choice, agains the advice of those he paid to advise him. And it was his decision to insist Ryan stayed. Everything awful follows from those decisions.

 

Idzik wasn't Woody's top choice. If I remember correctly, Idzik was the only one who'd take the job. 

 

Rex had a case for deserving another year - Sparano, Tebow, Revis, Holmes ...

 

Idzik didn't have the credentials to build his own coaching staff, so keeping Rex was the safest.  

[Sperm Edwards]

Unless the best HC candidate on the market will ONLY come here if Idzik is retained, there has to be a full housecleaning. And it's a pretty unlikely scenario for that to be the case anyway. If his philosophy is build through the draft no matter how long it takes, that may be appealing to an owner, and it may even be appealing to patient members of the fan base. But it's not going to be appealing to a head coach in a media market like ours.

 

If Amaro gets no better in year 2 (or even a little worse) and a new HC wants a new TE, he's not going to want to hear a GM say he wants to give the cheap player 1 more season before admitting defeat (even if the HC knows the player better far than the GM). 

 

Also an inherited GM is going to be more likely to be loyal to guys he brought in himself, and this can affect bringing in replacements. A new GM wouldn't (or shouldn't) care one way or the other. There is no emotional attachment to a draftee or FA pickup that maybe didn't work out as well as planned. What if Idzik wants to head into the season with Milliner & McDougle as the starters and only pick up a NB to replace Wilson plus maybe a shot at a 5th-7th round CB? He is the most likely person on the planet to want this plan, if not the only person, before the draft and the bulk of FA is over.

 

Percy Harvin is a huge decision. Is Idzik the most likely to be the most open-minded on how to handle it if things don't go exactly as he ideally wants them to? Quite the contrary. And a HC interviewing in January will know this as well: he may want this player badly but Idzik won't bring him back if the restructuring negotiations don't go well; likewise, he may not want Harvin but he's force-fed this player for Idzik to save face for picking him up when he did (and for how much).

 

Even if one doesn't think Idzik is as bad as he's been made out to be, and is mostly the victim of poor circumstances (coaches, scouts, Woody, injuries), it matters not.  He has to go to get the best HC candidates in here to interview. 

[Sperm Edwards]

It's fair to say he lucked into Manning, he is old and may be the game is past him. But you also have to take into account he built a great team  in the USFL Blitz, helped build the Jim Kelly/Bruce Smith/Marv levy Era Bills into a powerhouse,and helped the Panthers go from an expansion team to an NFC title game in 2 years. The guy knows something about pro football, he recommended Tom Gamble and Johnson instead insisted on a GM who would keep Ryan, ergo, Idzik. Extraordinarliy stupid to solicit and pay for for a professional's advice and then ignore said paid adivce. Robert Wood Idiot Johnson the 3rd is the problem until he hires a competent GM/President and takes a giant step back. Until then he should wallow in a stadium half filled with fans of the visiting team.

 

I'm well aware of Polian's pre-Colts history. And every one of his drafts wasn't a disaster even when one takes Manning out of the equation. 

But even if one wanted to romanticize his past, he is what he is, not what he was. Nor is the league itself what it was, as you alluded to yourself.

[IPBanBadPosters]

Don't fall for any bad poster's line of crap. Johnson announced that Rex would be retained at the end of 2012, and interviewed Gamble a week later. Gamble knew the deal with Rex, and he wanted the job regardless.

There were a number of GM jobs that year, and Gamble interviewed for a couple. Everyone passed on him for whatever reason. The 49ers let him walk, and he took a lateral position with the Eagles. Maybe he's just not as good as people hoped? The decision to keep Rex certainly got on the way of hiring a number of better candidates than Idzik, but Gamble wasn't one of them.

But that's why they have to fire them both now. No good coaching candidate will come to work for this embattled GM. The Jets head coaching job is unattractive enough without having to work for an incompetent micro-manager.

The GM job will be much more attractive than it was two years ago with no Rex requirement, tons of cap space, and a high draft pick to work with. And a new & improved GM here will make the head coaching job that much more attractive, too.

 

  It's like shooting fish in a barrel with this guy! Any mention of the name 'Gamble' elicits a Pavlovian response.

 

 

Anyway, regardless of what anyone believes re: which party declined the other, for anyone looking for a Polian recommended candidate, Gamble was the guy.

[Larz]

well after all, it was me and you

[Il Mostro]

I want to turn the entire operation over to Joe Moglia and really shake things up.  Let him hire a cap guy and head of scouting and coach the team himself.  This would be a winning move that Woody does not have the balls to make.

[Larz]

Seriously? Read less than half of this crap n couldn't finish it. Fans that think Woody is cheap are idiots, morons, n have no clue about the Jrts history. The one damn yr we carry a lil bit of salary cap has all of a sudden become Woody's fault. God, all hell breaks loose. How about the other yrs Jets have been in a cap hell situation? "Oh that was just poor cap management by the GM". Really? Really? Woody never closed his wallet when it came to salary cap.

 

spending money isn't the issue.  It really isn't

 

it's that he doesn't do his job.  His job is to set the standards high, hire the GM, and give him everything he needs to succeed, and then hold him accountable for the results.

 

Woody has failed in every aspect of the job description.

 

He even hire a search firm to find the GM.  I know the seahawks did it, but he needs to do it the old fashioned way and tap into his network of real football contacts and gather a half dozen recommendations and then hire the best one.