Champ Kelly Interview Today (6/3)

[JetsFanatic]

Watching "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network.  According to Peter Schrager,  Champ Kelly had dinner with the Jets last night and his interview is today.  Kelly has worked with Gase for a total of 7 years, longer than any other candidate.  Schrager, who I think has great insight on the Jets, stressed that Kelly has a real shot for the job. We shouldn't assume it's a slam dunk for Douglas.

[Patriot Killa]

I won’t lie, I’ll probably be disappointed if the hire isn’t Joe Douglas. I been intrigued with his resume since we all started digging into these guys’s backgrounds for our new GM spot. Kelly and Douglas sounds great though.

[Mavericknyc1980]

Im good with either one.

[Sarge4Tide]

I'd be happy with Kelly.  Looking at his Bio, he played college football at Kentucky and played in an indoor pro league for awhile - so he's a football player 1st and foremost, which I like.  But he also has a Master's Degree in Business and worked at IBM for awhile.  Also, he's worked in college scouting, pro scouting, and personnel in the NFL. So he seems like a bright, well-rounded guy. 

[kdels62]

I love the rumor that the Jets and Joe Douglas want Champ Kelly as the number 2 guy. Champ Kelly has an impressive resume but he’s apparently a step or two away from being groomed for the GM position. Douglas as GM and Kelly as VP of Player Personnel would be a well respected tandem.

[Mavericknyc1980]

13 minutes ago, kdels62 said:

I love the rumor that the Jets and Joe Douglas want Champ Kelly as the number 2 guy. Champ Kelly has an impressive resume but he’s apparently a step or two away from being groomed for the GM position. Douglas as GM and Kelly as VP of Player Personnel would be a well respected tandem.

Would be an ideal tandem

[Jets Voice of Reason]

12 minutes ago, Sarge4Tide said:

I'd be happy with Kelly.  Looking at his Bio, he played college football at Kentucky and played in an indoor pro league for awhile - so he's a football player 1st and foremost, which I like.  But he also has a Master's Degree in Business and worked at IBM for awhile.  Also, he's worked in college scouting, pro scouting, and personnel in the NFL. So he seems like a bright, well-rounded guy. 

That also caught my eye. There's a lot to like just on paper. History as a player (both corner and WR), he coached WRs/GMed for United Indoor football are also interesting.

He's got the football playing background, the coaching background (briefly), business background, presumably analytical (computer science degree and was a software engineer at IBM), scouting background, and managing scouts. Once he got into the NFL, he got seriously fast tracked too from scout to eventually assistant director of player personnel.

 

[New York Mick]

Has Kelly ever been the 2nd guy? I don’t know anything about any of these guy other then stuff I’m hearing. According to the radio he’s the assistant of an assistant. 

[Warfish]

As I said elsewhere, I won't be disappointed one way or the other to start, because I do not scout Front Office staff, nor do I (as a fan) have any idea what supporting front office staff have or haven't done in their jobs to-date.

Frankly, I doubt any fan knows which guy is best, or the specifics of what they've done, beyond what is reported in the media.

So there is really nothing to be disappointed about until whomever is hired starts and starts making decisions and moves.

My only criteria, is the guy a legit guy with legit experience or not.  Seems all the reported candidates are.

I'm just looking forward to the hire being done, and getting back to business of making this team better.

[section314]

3 minutes ago, New York Mick said:

Has Kelly ever been the 2nd guy? I don’t know anything about any of these guy other then stuff I’m hearing. According to the radio he’s the assistant of an assistant. 

Like Dwight K. Schrute on The Office tv show??

[JetFreak89]

7 minutes ago, Warfish said:

As I said elsewhere, I won't be disappointed one way or the other to start, because I do not scout Front Office staff, nor do I (as a fan) have any idea what supporting front office staff have or haven't done in their jobs to-date.

Frankly, I doubt any fan knows which guy is best, or the specifics of what they've done, beyond what is reported in the media.

So there is really nothing to be disappointed about until whomever is hired starts and starts making decisions and moves.

My only criteria, is the guy a legit guy with legit experience or not.  Seems all the reported candidates are.

I'm just looking forward to the hire being done, and getting back to business of making this team better.

Between this post and the one about the offense taking the next step.....someone took their optimism pills this morning!

[slats]

1 hour ago, Patriot Killa said:

I won’t lie, I’ll probably be disappointed if the hire isn’t Joe Douglas. I been intrigued with his resume since we all started digging into these guys’s backgrounds for our new GM spot. Kelly and Douglas sounds great though.

As another person who hadn't heard of Joe Douglas a month ago, I tend to agree. Douglas seems a little further up the chain and more prepared for the big chair. Giving Kelly a nice promotion from assistant to Director of Player Personnel seems like a good move for him and, potentially, a great move for the Jets. 

As @Sarge4Tide said, too, I was pretty happy with Mac as a guy who finally came from the football side of things. All four of the guys the Jets are interviewing this time seem to be much more involved organizationally than Mac had ever been. Similar to Idzik, who did the mechanics of the job well but had no skills as a talent evaluator at all. It's optimistic season, but -better late than never- I feel like the team might be on the verge of getting this thing right. 

[New York Mick]

10 minutes ago, section314 said:

Like Dwight K. Schrute on The Office tv show??

No idea what you’re talking about

[Patriot Killa]

4 minutes ago, slats said:

As another person who hadn't heard of Joe Douglas a month ago, I tend to agree. Douglas seems a little further up the chain and more prepared for the big chair. Giving Kelly a nice promotion from assistant to Director of Player Personnel seems like a good move for him and, potentially, a great move for the Jets. 

As @Sarge4Tide said, too, I was pretty happy with Mac as a guy who finally came from the football side of things. All four of the guys the Jets are interviewing this time seem to be much more involved organizationally than Mac had ever been. Similar to Idzik, who did the mechanics of the job well but had no skills as a talent evaluator at all. It's optimistic season, but -better late than never- I feel like the team might be on the verge of getting this thing right. 

+1 

really couldn’t of said it any better than you did. Kelly seems just a bit under Douglas on that scale of readiness for a GM spot but still is an exceptional talent evaluator and what a win this would be, especially considering all the time the sports media took to drag us thru the mud the last two weeks. Firing Maccagnan and hiring Douglas and Kelly would be the move of the century if it works out as it should.

[GREENBEAN]

8 minutes ago, slats said:

As another person who hadn't heard of Joe Douglas a month ago, I tend to agree. Douglas seems a little further up the chain and more prepared for the big chair. Giving Kelly a nice promotion from assistant to Director of Player Personnel seems like a good move for him and, potentially, a great move for the Jets. 

As @Sarge4Tide said, too, I was pretty happy with Mac as a guy who finally came from the football side of things. All four of the guys the Jets are interviewing this time seem to be much more involved organizationally than Mac had ever been. Similar to Idzik, who did the mechanics of the job well but had no skills as a talent evaluator at all. It's optimistic season, but -better late than never- I feel like the team might be on the verge of getting this thing right. 

"Getting this thing right"  Wouldn't that be delightful?  I am thinking about how many times we've gotten it wrong and wondering just when it could happen for us. It just may be a lunatic we're looking for. After all of the BS the past few years with the the arranged marriages and forcing staff on guys, going with who Gase feels most comfortable with is key. I would love the idea of Douglas and Kelly together. I'd also love to see Phil Savage brought on as well. 3 guys who could very well qualify to be GM's in their own right all working with Crazy pants McGee and his insanity staff to force the universe to change it's tune on the NY Jets. 

Could this really be our time?  

[GREENBEAN]

7 minutes ago, New York Mick said:

No idea what you’re talking about

Assistant TO the regional mgr....

Wait... did I miss another joke?   

[New York Mick]

8 minutes ago, GREENBEAN said:

Assistant TO the regional mgr....

Wait... did I miss another joke?   

No. I’ve never watched that show. 

[GREENBEAN]

1 minute ago, New York Mick said:

No. I’ve never watched that show. 

It's a good one.  There was a running joke the first few seasons with a guy (Dwight K. Schrute) who would introduce himself as the asst. Regional Mgr and the Mgr would follow with Asst. TO the regional mgr.  Big difference there.  

[Patriot Killa]

39 minutes ago, Warfish said:

As I said elsewhere, I won't be disappointed one way or the other to start, because I do not scout Front Office staff, nor do I (as a fan) have any idea what supporting front office staff have or haven't done in their jobs to-date.

Frankly, I doubt any fan knows which guy is best, or the specifics of what they've done, beyond what is reported in the media.

So there is really nothing to be disappointed about until whomever is hired starts and starts making decisions and moves.

My only criteria, is the guy a legit guy with legit experience or not.  Seems all the reported candidates are.

I'm just looking forward to the hire being done, and getting back to business of making this team better.

It’s still reasonably fair to have a favorite based on previous draft classes and how much input they reportedly have.

[Jetsfan80]

5 minutes ago, GREENBEAN said:

It's a good one.  There was a running joke the first few seasons with a guy (Dwight K. Schrute) who would introduce himself as the asst. Regional Mgr and the Mgr would follow with Asst. TO the regional mgr.  Big difference there.  

 

[Jetsfan80]

5 minutes ago, GREENBEAN said:

It's a good one.  There was a running joke the first few seasons with a guy (Dwight K. Schrute) who would introduce himself as the asst. Regional Mgr and the Mgr would follow with Asst. TO the regional mgr.  Big difference there.  

 

When I got married about 6 weeks ago, my sister got me as a gift a framed picture of Dwight signed by Rainn Wilson.  He signed it as my "Bestest Mensch".  Best wedding gift ever. 

[Warfish]

3 minutes ago, Patriot Killa said:

It’s still reasonably fair to have a favorite based on previous draft classes and how much input they reportedly have.

Who would I be to tell someone else what they can or can't hope for?

To each their own, but I freely admit I lack the knowledge to make an educated decision as to "the best choice".  No sense (to me) being disappointed hoping for one or another IMO in that case.

As such, I prefer to wait, be happy with whomever we hire, and to judge them on the merits of the decision they make here.

[Patriot Killa]

32 minutes ago, Warfish said:

Who would I be to tell someone else what they can or can't hope for?

To each their own, but I freely admit I lack the knowledge to make an educated decision as to "the best choice".  No sense (to me) being disappointed hoping for one or another IMO in that case.

As such, I prefer to wait, be happy with whomever we hire, and to judge them on the merits of the decision they make here.

Fair enough. I thought Maccagnan and Bowles were good hires so what do I know. but resume vs resume, at least we can say that Douglas and company seem to be more GM-ready than Macc was coming from Houston if anything else?

[Warfish]

Just now, Patriot Killa said:

Fair enough. I thought Maccagnan and Bowles were good hires so what do I know. but resume vs resume, at least we can say that Douglas seems to be more GM-ready than Macc was coming from Houston if anything else?

I would say, from a layman's perspective, that that is a very fair statement.

[Jet Nut]

35 minutes ago, Patriot Killa said:

It’s still reasonably fair to have a favorite based on previous draft classes and how much input they reportedly have.

Except we have no way of knowing who liked which player(s) and were really part of taking the players drafted.  We have no idea how much of their input was part of the equation and was taken into account picking those players.  So the draft classes they were involved with are hard to use as guide.

We're all guessing here, we have not a clue who has the best chance to succeed so really is hard to come out and say if so and so isnt the hire I'll be disappointed.  No matter the selection we need more, like their first player signings, renegotiation and of course draft

[Bleedin Green]

While I agree with others that it seems like it would be a very good situation (from the limited information we all have about front office guys) if they could work out getting both Douglas and Kelly, who both seem to be highly regarded.  However, the one thing to remember is that if Kelly were to be offered any position other than GM, the Bears would have the ability to block the move, regardless of whether it would be considered a promotion or not.  Much in the same way there have been reports that any of the teams could block the Jets if the GM job didn't come with full roster control, as the NFL has very specific criteria that must be met in order for hires to be unblockable.

[Jets Voice of Reason]

2 minutes ago, Bleedin Green said:

While I agree with others that it seems like it would be a very good situation (from the limited information we all have about front office guys) if they could work out getting both Douglas and Kelly, who both seem to be highly regarded.  However, the one thing to remember is that if Kelly were to be offered any position other than GM, the Bears would have the ability to block the move, regardless of whether it would be considered a promotion or not.  Much in the same way there have been reports that any of the teams could block the Jets if the GM job didn't come with full roster control, as the NFL has very specific criteria that must be met in order for hires to be unblockable.

Good point. The other thing to consider is just on a personal level. While you hope that the marriage works, it's not that easy to blend two top guy personalities together when we know nothing about their methods for evaluating or thoughts about running a front office, especially if they haven't worked together before. It could easily devolve into a backstabbing situation given the fact that our ownership would presumably carry the burden of making sure operations ran smoothly.

[slats]

3 minutes ago, Bleedin Green said:

While I agree with others that it seems like it would be a very good situation (from the limited information we all have about front office guys) if they could work out getting both Douglas and Kelly, who both seem to be highly regarded.  However, the one thing to remember is that if Kelly were to be offered any position other than GM, the Bears would have the ability to block the move, regardless of whether it would be considered a promotion or not.  Much in the same way there have been reports that any of the teams could block the Jets if the GM job didn't come with full roster control, as the NFL has very specific criteria that must be met in order for hires to be unblockable.

This is true but, as I mentioned in another thread, would Chicago block Kelly from getting a promotion from assistant to Director of Player Personnel? It sends the signal that they're not giving their own people the chance to advance in the league and, in this case, they'd be blocking the promotion of an African-American. I think that's something the league might quietly be concerned about. Personally, I think they'd let him take the job if he expressed to them that he wanted it. 

[slats]

2 minutes ago, Jets Voice of Reason said:

While you hope that the marriage works, it's not that easy to blend two top guy personalities together when we know nothing about their methods for evaluating or thoughts about running a front office, especially if they haven't worked together before.

They worked together in Chicago at the same time Gase was the OC. One of the driving forces behind the rumor is that they're already a good personal fit. 

[Jets Voice of Reason]

4 minutes ago, slats said:

They worked together in Chicago at the same time Gase was the OC. One of the driving forces behind the rumor is that they're already a good personal fit. 

Ah didn't realize that thanks.

[Jethead]

2 hours ago, JetFreak89 said:

Between this post and the one about the offense taking the next step.....someone took their optimism pills this morning!

Eeyore's gone rogue! I'm a fan! 

Let's get this show on the road!

[Jetster]

3 hours ago, Patriot Killa said:

+1 

really couldn’t of said it any better than you did. Kelly seems just a bit under Douglas on that scale of readiness for a GM spot but still is an exceptional talent evaluator and what a win this would be, especially considering all the time the sports media took to drag us thru the mud the last two weeks. Firing Maccagnan and hiring Douglas and Kelly would be the move of the century if it works out as it should.

The media will look like the fools they are if the Jets hired both Douglas & Kelly. 

Hell, I'd take Douglas & Fontenot too! Then you'd have a Gase guy + a bit of an outsider in Fontenot but a guy whose recent success in the draft with New Orleans has been exceptional.

[dbatesman]

2 minutes ago, Jetster said:

The media will look like the fools they are if the Jets hired both Douglas & Kelly. 

Hell, I'd take Douglas & Fontenot too! Then you'd have a Gase guy + a bit of an outsider in Fontenot but a guy whose recent success in the draft with New Orleans has been exceptional.

Fontenot's entire career has been spent on the pro personnel side.

[Jetster]

29 minutes ago, Jethead said:

Eeyore's gone rogue! I'm a fan! 

Let's get this show on the road!

No better time than now to be a Jet fan....Franchise QB in place ☑️, cap money ☑️, Fire Bowles ☑️, fire Macc ☑️, Have 4 experienced guys with some level of success wanting the open GM job ☑️. 

Signed the top offensive player & top defensive player in free agency ☑️. 

Cool new uniforms that will look great in HD as they celebrate in the endzone ☑️.

[Bleedin Green]

1 hour ago, slats said:

This is true but, as I mentioned in another thread, would Chicago block Kelly from getting a promotion from assistant to Director of Player Personnel? It sends the signal that they're not giving their own people the chance to advance in the league and, in this case, they'd be blocking the promotion of an African-American. I think that's something the league might quietly be concerned about. Personally, I think they'd let him take the job if he expressed to them that he wanted it. 

That's a fair point, and I think for the most part teams have been mostly open to allowing these things to happen, simply because of the perception you had mentioned, but it's not unprecedented for these kind of blocks to happen, although they are uncommon.  Recently, the Eagles had blocked multiple teams (including the Jets) who requested interviews with DeFilippo over the years, up until his contract expired.  I don't know of the Bears having any particular history of doing that, and it's an interesting point of how it could come with greater concerns in this case.

I don't think it's something to be overly worried about, but the point simply being it's something people are getting really on board with that is far from a slam dunk, for both the NFL rules related to it, as well as JVOR's point of whether they would even want this marriage, whether that be for personal or professional reasons (e.g., Douglas could have his own preferences for the job).