Jets GM Mike Maccagnan ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

As a boy, Mike Maccagnan couldn't get enough of it.

The NFL Draft has always fascinated him. And even now, at age 48, he can't put his finger on why.It likely was a combination of several things: the exorbitant amount of information that needed quantifying, the challenge of wading through it all, the inherent risk of making the wrong decision.The Jets' first-year general manager likens his job to a portfolio manager or a stock market investor. Maccagnan, whose father was an educator, is enthralled by details. And his need to understand and analyze things at every level borders on excessive.

At his core, he's a talent evaluator who believes his strength lies in having a passion and an eye for scouting players. And in many ways, he's the antithesis of his predecessor.

Had John Idzik not failed in his two seasons as Jets GM, Maccagnan wouldn't have had the chance to rebuild the franchise from the ground up. The big-ticket signings of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine, plus the trade for receiver Brandon Marshall, were immediate fixes in a long-term transformation process. And Maccagnan's work has only begun."He could see the big picture of how to put a team together, which is an important characteristic for a general manager," former GM-turned-NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly said of Maccagnan in an interview with Newsday on Friday.Maccagnan scouted for the Redskins from 1994-99 during Casserly's tenure as GM and "was one of the first people" Casserly said he hired when he became the Houston Texans' GM in 2000.

" 'Thorough' would be an understatement when he's doing something," added Casserly, who, along with former Packers GM Ron Wolf, served as consultants for Jets owner Woody Johnson during his most recent GM search. "He's a very good evaluator and he has a good understanding of people. He's humble. He's a non-ego person. All he cares about is doing a good job. And he's very loyal."

IDZIK UPGRADE

While Idzik succeeded in creating a salary-cap surplus for the Jets, his fate was sealed by his refusal to address glaring roster holes and the team's 4-12 finish in 2014. Idzik declined to be interviewed by Newsday this past week, but the former Jets GM is expected to make his return to MetLife Stadium on Sunday when the Jets (4-3) host the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5). On Feb. 25, two months after he was fired by the Jets, Idzik was hired as special assistant to Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell, who, coincidentally, was Johnson's top GM choice in 2013 before he pulled out.The Jets are very much a work in progress, but they're far more talented and competitive than they ever were under Idzik. Their secondary now is considered a strength. Geno Smith, a second-round pick of Idzik's, is an afterthought behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, the quarterback Maccagnan traded for in March.

INFO INPUT

The dynamic that plagued Ryan, a head coach fighting for his job, and Idzik, a GM looking to a future that didn't include Ryan, won't be an issue for Maccagnan and Todd Bowles. And although it's too soon to predict if they'll succeed or fail with the Jets, one thing is clear: They're committed to doing it together.With Maccagnan, there is no ego. Down to earth and surprisingly chatty, he puts as much focus in building his draft and free-agent boards as he does empowering those around him to share their opinions. He isn't shy about having the final say, but he cringes at the thought of being mistaken for a dictator. His vision of success is rooted in the concept of inclusion and the belief that the loudest or the quietest voice in the room might have the right answer. Putting his proverbial stamp on the Jets pales in comparison with building a talented team that consistently wins.And unlike some front-office execs, Maccagnan isn't afraid to admit the areas he wasn't as strong in when he first took the job -- i.e., the salary cap.

SCOUT MASTER

The 2006 draft will always be special to him, and not just because the Texans selected future four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Mario Williams No. 1 overall. There was a sense of inclusion between first-year coach Gary Kubiak, GM Casserly and Maccagnan, who then was Houston's coordinator of college scouting. "We had a philosophy of blending everyone together," Casserly said.And with Maccagnan now in charge, the same is true for the Jets."There's no question [I hired him in Houston] because he was an excellent evaluator and I knew he could do a terrific job with the college and pro scouting because he could do both," said Casserly, who talked to Maccagnan as recently as last Sunday. "He was one of the first people I wanted to get there."

>    http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/jets-gm-mike-maccagnan-gets-high-praise-from-nfl-network-analyst-charley-casserly-1.11072414

[kelly]

- General manager Mike Maccagnan spoke to reporters Wednesday for the first time since training camp, a 20-minute fireside chat (sans fire) in which he was asked about several topics surrounding the New York Jets. My quick takeaways:

Ryan Fitzpatrick has a place in the team's future plans. Geno Smith, not so much. Sheldon Richardson still hasn't regained the full trust of the organization. Muhammad Wilkerson's contract talks are on hold until the offseason. Maccagnan doesn't view this as a playoffs-or-bust season.That latter comment may strike some as a bit curious, considering the Jets (5-4) are in the wild-card chase. In my opinion this is a win-now team, considering the payroll and age of the roster. Maccagnan disagreed, saying short-term success (or failure) won't over-ride the organization's long-term goals.Asked point blank if the season would be a failure if they fail to reach the postseason, Maccagnan said: "I don't view it as a benchmark, saying, 'We have to be here at some point in time.' We want to build a team that can compete for the playoffs and then, hopefully, at some point in time, beyond that. But I wouldn't necessarily say playoffs-or-not [is] a benchmark."

The fan base has suffered through four straight non-playoff seasons. It deserves a playoff team ... right now, especially in a watered-down AFC. Especially after a 4-1 start.

Interestingly, Todd Bowles offered the opposite take, saying 2015 would be a disappointment if they come up short.

"For me, yes," he said. "You want to get to the playoffs every year. You don’t accept not going."

That the coach and GM have different viewpoints isn't unusual. Actually, it's quite common in the NFL. The coach lives Sunday to Sunday, the GM thinks about the big picture. If the relationship is sound, it sets up a checks-and-balances system.

A few other notes from Maccagnan's midseason "state of the union," which lasted roughly as long as John Idzik's infamous preamble last November:

The future at quarterback: Maccagnan said he's "very happy" with Fitzpatrick, who will be a free agent after the season. He raved about Fitzpatrick's intangibles, adding, "I think he has a lot of good football left in him." Indeed, Fitzpatrick, 32, might be their best bet for 2016. Maccagnan said he likes rookie Bryce Petty's potential, but "we're taking our time with him."What about Smith? Maccagnan noted that Smith is under contract for 2016, often a kiss-of-death comment. The GM declined to say whether he considers Smith a potential starter for the Jets, describing the third-year quarterback as an unknown because of the time he missed because of a broken jaw. For what it's worth, he commended Smith on the way he handled the IK Enemkpali incident."The jury is still out, but not in a bad way," Maccagnan said of Smith's future.I'm not buying that. This administration has been around Smith every day for seven months, so they know what he's about. His non-answer was telling.

Sidestepping the Wilkerson impasse: Maccagnan always seems uncomfortable answering questions about this subject. He offered little, saying, "I'd say for the record, Mo has done a very good job and we're very happy with what he's done so far." He said getting to know Wilkerson in the last few months has been "very positive." Remember, he wasn't around much in the offseason, skipping voluntary workouts because of his unhappiness with his contract. Maccagnan indicated the two sides won't talk about a contact until after the season. Of course, we knew that already.You can see where this is headed. Wilkerson, in the last year of his contract, will be slapped with the franchise tag.

Not forgiving and forgetting (yet): I like the way Maccagnan responded to a question about Richardson. Unlike Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Maccagnan won't turn a blind eye to players who screw up off the field. Richardson, likely facing another suspension because of his July arrest, didn't get a hug and a pat on the back from his GM."He's done some good things for us in terms of how he's handled his business, but he's done things, so it's going to take time," Maccagnan said. "As we said early on, it's up to Sheldon what he wants to do and how he wants to handle himself. We're not necessarily judging him on a day-to-day basis, but as we go forward, we'll see how he does. We're doing everything in our power to be supportive. We'll see how it unfolds over time. It's not a case of where he's doing good or he's doing bad. It's been positive and we'll go from there."

>      http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/56242/jets-gm-mike-maccagnan-success-doesnt-hinge-on-making-playoffs

[kelly]

.—Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said Wednesday that he was satisfied with his team’s 5-4 record so far and was noncommittal about the future of quarterback Geno Smith.

In his first meeting with the media since start of the regular season, Maccagnan said he was happy with the performance of a fellow rookie leader, head coach Todd Bowles, and with his team’s revamped defense, which ranks fourth in the league by allowing 318 yards a game.

“I’m happy with where we are,” Maccagnan said. “I think we’ve played well through the course of the season.”

Maccagnan said starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose 85.5 passer rating ranks 20th out of the 31 quarterbacks who have attempted at least 150 passes this season, has performed as expected. Fitzpatrick is set to become a free agent after the season, leaving the possibility that Smith, who lost his shot at the starting job during training camp after former teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw with a locker-room punch, could still throw passes for the Jets next season.

Asked about Smith’s future with the team, Maccagnan said: “Obviously, Geno’s under contract for next year. As of right now, Geno has dealt with some adversity with the incident this summer. I thought he’s handled it very well.”The general manager, in his first season with the Jets, said he couldn’t fully evaluate Smith, the Jets’ second-round pick in 2013, because he hasn’t seen him play. “The jury is still out, but not necessarily in a bad way,” Maccagnan said.

>    http://www.wsj.com/articles/jets-gm-wont-commit-to-geno-smith-1447888888