Gas2No99 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Fly this on a banner: Ex-Jets GM John Idzik on verge of championship John Idzik's time, and divorce, from the Jets was ugly, but the former Jets' general manager has found a home with the surging Jaguars. John Idzik is one game away from the Super Bowl. You remember him, don't you? He was the New York Jets' general manager in 2013 and 2014, an ill-fated tenure that can best be described this way: One promising year, one awful year and one ugly ouster. In Idzik's final weeks, the toxicity level -- fueled by fan and media unrest -- reached ridiculous proportions. Who can forget the "Fire John Idzik" banner that was flown over one of the team's practices? Three years removed from the Jets, Idzik is flying high with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will play for the AFC Championship on Sunday. He's the special assistant to the general manager, doing a little of everything -- college and pro scouting, salary-cap management, etc. John Idzik has helped the Jaguars build a team that's a game away from the Super Bowl. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Idzik certainly isn't the reason for his team's dramatic turnaround -- Tom Coughlin is the top cat in the Jaguars' kingdom -- but his fingerprints can be found in certain places. One of his former Jets draft picks, fullback Tommy Bohanon, scored Jacksonville's final touchdown in a wild 45-42 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in last weekend's divisional playoffs. This would be a great week to hear from Idzik, who hasn't granted an interview since he was fired, but a request was denied by the Jaguars, who have a tight media policy. Frankly, I think he'd like to get a few things off his chest, especially on what went down during his final season with the Jets. Idzik's supporters are bemused by the current narrative surrounding the Jets, how they're trying to build a foundation to achieve sustainable success. That philosophy, they say, was exactly what Idzik wanted to do. I'm not an Idzik apologist, but you have to admit he was put into a difficult situation. Instead of cleaning house, owner Woody Johnson made GM Mike Tannenbaum the scapegoat for the 6-10 record in 2012, opting to retain coach Rex Ryan. Johnson tried an arranged marriage, pairing Ryan and Idzik, total strangers. Predictably, it was a colossal failure. You had a volatile coach in win-now mode and a methodical GM content to rebuild at a slow pace. To say they weren't on the same page would be an understatement; they weren't even in the same book. Somehow, the Jets won eight games in 2013, culminating with that memorable locker-room celebration scene in which Idzik told the players, "This is our coach!" It came moments after Johnson had announced that Ryan would return in 2014. Talk about a false sense of accomplishment. A couple of months later, Ryan was unhappy with what he perceived as a lack of aggressiveness in free agency. Ryan wanted to re-sign Darrelle Revis, whom Idzik had traded a year earlier. Idzik refused. Ryan wanted to sign DeSean Jackson. It was vetoed. Idzik was hellbent on building through the draft, refusing to deviate from his plan. By the time the season started, Ryan was convinced he'd be fired. The environment at One Jets Drive wasn't conducive to winning, and they didn't. They finished 4-12, and everybody got canned. Since then, Ryan has been critical of his former GM, rarely passing on a chance to take a swipe at him. At the time, Ryan won the public-relations war against Idzik, who isolated himself and didn't try to fight back. As a result, he was portrayed by the media as a meek Darth Vader. The fans joined the feeding frenzy, renting planes to fly over practice and buying billboard space near MetLife Stadium to vilify Idzik. Make no mistake, he was stung by the treatment. He called it "inhumane," according to person close to him. Actually, Idzik did some good things in his two years. He drafted Sheldon Richardson, signed Eric Decker and traded for Chris Ivory, now a member of the Jaguars. His instincts on Muhammad Wilkerson, whom he refused to sign to a long-term contract, proved to be dead on. Idzik also left his successor, Mike Maccagnan, with a ton of cap space. But he didn't do enough good things, obviously. Idzik's first-round picks, Dee Milliner and Calvin Pryor, were busts. His fascination with quarterback Geno Smith was puzzling. He gambled on character risks that embarrassed the organization. Remember Mike Goodson and Dimitri Patterson? How about former draft pick IK Enemkpali, who punched out Smith in 2015? More than anything, he'll be remembered for the "Idzik 12," the 12-player 2014 draft class that has produced only one starter, Quincy Enunwa. That was supposed to be the franchise's watershed draft, but Enunwa is the only player that remains. The draft was an epic failure. In many ways, they still haven't recovered. Idzik has moved on. He loves his gig in Jacksonville, where he doesn't have to worry about planes and billboards, only football. And a championship game on Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetsfan80 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 TomShane is gonna be insufferable in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerfish Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dierking Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 2 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said: TomShane is gonna be insufferable in this thread. This thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerfish Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas2No99 Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 I forgot about Mike Goodson. He was found passed out in the middle lane of a NJ interstate at 3am. no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joewilly12 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 BREAKING NEWS: Guy has success in lower level position, sucks in higher level position, finds success again in lower level position. This is some mind-bending stuff, huh? Next thing you'll tell me there's coaches out there with great coordinator successes that sandwiched their miserable failures as head coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Goodman Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I hate John Idzik. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanatic Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 The team that should be green with envy is the Giants. Coughlin has much more to do with this than Idzik. Are there any teams that have asked the Jags permission to interview Idzik? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanatic Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 5 minutes ago, Bleedin Green said: BREAKING NEWS: Guy has success in lower level position, sucks in higher level position, finds success again in lower level position. This is some mind-bending stuff, huh? Next thing you'll tell me there's coaches out there with great coordinator successes that sandwiched their miserable failures as head coach. Jets media and SOJFs have a love for self loathing. Have you seen any Giants media or any Giants fans bring up Coughlin being one game away from the Super Bowl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerfish Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Other than drafting (a minor detail for a GM) I did not mind the majority of what Idzik did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Why is this even a thing. He shouldn’t have been fired but it is what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sourceworx Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurnleyJet Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Idzik had nothing to do with any of the Jags roster. He shuffles some papers for the GM, and bring him his coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcat Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 52 minutes ago, Gas2No99 said: I forgot about Mike Goodson. He was found passed out in the middle lane of a NJ interstate at 3am. no? Either fat asleep or unconscious in one of the middle lanes on Rte 80 in Morris County. He had vomited all over himself and there was a loaded gun in the glove compartment. I believe he was the passenger and the driver was also nodded out. Fun times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcat Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 37 minutes ago, JetsFanatic said: The team that should be green with envy is the Giants. Coughlin has much more to do with this than Idzik. Are there any teams that have asked the Jags permission to interview Idzik? But Coughlin would surely have failed if he didn't have Idzik to go get him coffee and snacks during those meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Walrus Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Love the stir. Chew on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 3 minutes ago, Dcat said: Either fat asleep or unconscious in one of the middle lanes on Rte 80 in Morris County. He had vomited all over himself and there was a loaded gun in the glove compartment. I believe he was the passenger and the driver was also nodded out. Fun times. Don't forget the drugs and hollow points! That article skipped 160 lb Jalen Saunders and his seizure/1-car accident that caused him to miss time in camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Schroy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Who cares about this guy? BTW Idzik sux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 coughlin gets the credit this is weak ass trolling special assistant to the GM lol he is there for the maths Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obrien2Toon Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Gone too soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt39 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Idzik simplified the job and screwed up on one draft. He never really had a shot considering he was forcd to work with Rex. The process he had in place was the correct one. Manage the cap, acquire picks, stay out of FA and use the athletic benchmarks you can find on the internet when drafting (this one admittedly he didnt seem to acknowledge). The only thing the common fan isnt privy to these days are the combine interviews, but even then guys like Nawrocki print that in their draft guides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philc1 Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Idzik sucked. Macc currently sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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