Silver Spoons, Few Trophies Jets’ Struggles Under Owner Woody Johnson Feel Familiar

[F.Chowds]

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Woody Johnson does not quite take command of a room as much as he blends in. His manner is amiable but guarded. His sartorial message — a ubiquitous Jets cap that shouts jock informality offset by the seriousness of a dark business suit — is curiously mixed. His voice is shallow enough to be almost drowned out by photographers at work.

 

Sitting at a mike, expounding on his football team, Johnson, 67, occasionally comes across as a well-heeled baby boomer absolutely thrilled with his expensive techno-toy but not quite certain he knows how it works.

 

“We’re in the winning business,” he said early in his news conference Monday morning to discuss the firings of Coach Rex Ryan and General Manager John Idzik. More than an assurance of a fresh start moving forward, Monday’s 23-minute session was an overdue explanation of organizational steps backward — business as usual, more or less, for much of Johnson’s 15-year ownership of the franchise.

 

In purchasing the Jets for $635 million in January 2000, Johnson outbid Cablevision, which may have ultimately kept the team from the clutches ofJames L. Dolan, the guitar-strumming strongman of Madison Square Garden. But the Jets’ fans lament of the past decade-plus has pretty much run parallel to that of supporters of the Knicks: They have come to expect men who have successfully built on family fortunes to infuriatingly meddle and fail miserably as team owners.

 

They have had to bear the heir, a common man’s complaint on the current state of New York City sports.

Under the co-ownership of John Mara and Steve Tisch, sons of Wellington and Bob, the Giants’ two Super Bowl victories since February 2008 have cushioned the sting of three straight playoff-less seasons. But at the Garden with the Knicks and until recently the Rangers, Dolan, son of the Cablevision patriarch, Charles, has become a symbol of wrongheaded stewardship.

 

At Citi Field in Queens, Jeff Wilpon has left Mets fans feeling no great yearning for a day when he will carry on solely for his none-too-popular father, Fred.

 

Even at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, the levelheaded Hal Steinbrenner does not strike many as having his father’s insatiable appetite for winning, the stomach for continued spending on the franchise that George Steinbrenner purchased in 1973 with 12 other investors for $10 million — or less than Hal will pay Chase Headley to play third base next season.

 

For all his foibles, the Boss built something formidable, competitively and financially. Johnson, by comparison, merely bought something and made more money off it.

 

 

 

Johnson — the great-grandson of the co-founder of Johnson & Johnson — likened himself Monday to the typical Jets fan after four nonwinning seasons, bottoming out with a just-completed 4-12 disaster.

 

On what they call Black Monday around the N.F.L., Johnson dismissed Idzik, who was handpicked by him two years ago, along with Ryan, whose outsize personality had made him an appealing six-season face of the franchise. Not surprisingly, Johnson sounded sorry only about Ryan

 

“Those first two years, he was so phenomenal,” he said of Ryan’s consecutive runs to the A.F.C. title game.

Yet even Johnson had to admit, albeit a year or two too late, that Ryan’s Jets were sloppily managed, a mistake machine. Charisma could not overcome an inconsistent offense, average (at best) in-game coaching skills and the knack for having bombast blow up in his face.

 

History will most likely recall Idzik as overmatched in his abbreviated time with the Jets, not up to the task of assembling enough talent. We should also note that he was an obvious victim of Johnson’s man-crush on Ryan, and thus not allowed to hire his own coach and to establish an orderly chain of command.

 

“I get all the blame,” Johnson said. “I have to get a lot better.”

 

Having said that, he did not rule out hiring the next coach before a general manager, depending on who’s available and at what time.

 

He said, “Ideally, you want to hire a G.M. first.” But added: “I have a little trouble with that argument, Which comes first, the chicken or the egg. You get what you get.”

 

If Johnson can talk Bill Cowher into coaching the Jets and he comes with the front-office clout Bill Belichick has in New England, then that’s different. Otherwise, he again may get what he asked for.

 

For now, his fan base can wistfully bid farewell to Ryan, thankfully forget about Idzik and hopefully wait on Johnson to get it right in what he called a “really critical” period.

 

 

He has made a believer out of at least one informed skeptic.

 

“I’m starting to get some faith in Woody, that maybe this has been a learning experience,” Jay Koeppel said in a telephone interview. “The fact that he’s hired Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf as consultants is encouraging — those are two highly respected guys.”

 

Who is Jay Koeppel? Part of a small group of fans (including his brother, Jared) responsible for the recent campaign to have Idzik fired. Koeppel, 35, said it was Idzik’s meandering midseason news conference that drove him to create a website and raise almost $20,000 from disaffected fans and the sale of merchandise to pressure Johnson to part ways with Idzik.

 

“There was no reason to bring Rex into this, kick him when he was down, because it was a foregone conclusion that he was going,” said Koeppel, who has a web design business. “But we wanted Woody to know that we weren’t going to accept this kind of management. Who knows how much influence we had? I don’t care. All I care about is the result.”

 

Fans like Koeppel do not live in the same world as the billionaire Johnson, with his multiple homes and tax settlements with the government for more millions than the richest of Jets will ever earn.

 

The fans do not begrudge him that. They ponied up for those scandalous personal seat licenses in the new stadium. All they ask in return is for him to make smart decisions, sign the checks, stay out the way.

 

They do not want to bear, or fear, the heir. On Black Monday, they want the coach and general manager on the podium, happily employed, talking about the playoffs

[vincenzo69]

If it wa for Al Jr we would have the dumbest, most unlikeable owner in the nfl

[UnitedWhofans]

If it wa for Al Jr we would have the dumbest, most unlikeable owner in the nfl

Dan Snyder, Jimmy Haslem, Dolphins fans would say Stephen Ross

[Warfish]

Oh look, typical New York Media playing up typical New Yorkers "working class heroes hate the rich guy" bullsh*t.

 

We're not even the discussion of "worst owner" in the NFL.

[fythesg]

The Jets are nowhere near as bad of a franchise as the Knicks. Not even close. 

[vincenzo69]

The Jets are nowhere near as bad of a franchise as the Knicks. Not even close.

Dolan also owns the rangers who are contending for a championship

[fythesg]

Dolan also owns the rangers who are contending for a championship

 

True, but Dolan seems more hands on with the Knicks than the Rangers.

[joewilly12]

Woody Johnson will hire the best GM and then we will get the best coaches the best draft picks shortly thereafter an announcement will be made the team has been sold and is moving to LA or London. 

[vincenzo69]

True, but Dolan seems more hands on with the Knicks than the Rangers.

I didn't know you were sitting in on the meetings at MSG. Knicks have a top 3 pick and $25 mil in cap room next summer they will turn it around just like Sather did with the rangers.

[vincenzo69]

Dan Snyder, Jimmy Haslem, Dolphins fans would say Stephen Ross

Haslam has owned the browns for less than 2 years and one of those years finished with a better record than us so how he's a worse owner than Woody is beyond me. Snyder wants to win. Woody is too focused on trading for Tebow and hiring firms to find the worlds worst gm.

[Integrity28]

Oh look, typical New York Media playing up typical New Yorkers "working class heroes hate the rich guy" bullsh*t.

 

We're not even the discussion of "worst owner" in the NFL.

 

This.

[Integrity28]

I stopped reading after the first two paragraphs. People with money don't make me feel insecure, so this article wasn't written for me. Gross.

[Jetscode1]

Woody Johnson will hire the best GM and then we will get the best coaches the best draft picks shortly thereafter an announcement will be made the team has been sold and is moving to LA or London. 

 

San Antonio