If Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan sees his Raiders counterpart, Reggie McKenzie, on the field in Oakland on Sunday, he may want to pull him aside and ask for some tips. McKenzie has pulled off what Maccagnan hopes to — rebuilding an organization from the ground level and making a moribund franchise a Super Bowl contender. The Jets are at the early stages of the process that the Raiders began in 2012. They are searching for those franchise-changing draft picks that McKenzie landed in quarterback Derek Carr and outside linebacker Khalil Mack. They are looking for the right blend of free agents and draft picks who can carry a team to the playoffs. When the Raiders hired McKenzie, they had missed the playoffs for nine straight years. “Commitment to Excellence” was nothing but a phrase painted on the wall. McKenzie, a Raiders linebacker in the ’80s, came from the Packers with a reputation as a shrewd talent evaluator. That was the same thing the Jets saw in Maccagnan in 2015. McKenzie struggled at first and fans were losing patience with him as recently as 2014 when the team started 0-10. He hired the wrong head coach and had blown the call on two quarterbacks. The Raiders looked destined to stay at the bottom of the AFC West. It could be a feeling Jets fans get familiar with this season if the Jets play as expected. The lesson from the Raiders, though, is things do not change overnight. “Patience was the key,” McKenzie told the San Francisco Chronicle in January. “From 2012 to now, it’s very good to see we have players whose contracts we’d like to extend. I’m talking about young, up-and-coming cornerstones, and now Pro Bowl players.” The major difference between what McKenzie pulled off and what Maccagnan is attempting is that McKenzie began the rebuild when he was hired. Maccagnan is now doing it in Year 3 of his time with the Jets. Still, there are lessons to be learned. Some fans are pointing to Maccagnan’s track record with quarterbacks and saying that is reason he should not be allowed to make the pick in 2018, if the Jets are taking a franchise quarterback at the top of the draft. But McKenzie made plenty of mistakes of his own before righting the Raiders. He whiffed with quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Flynn, and Dennis Allen was the wrong fit as coach. McKenzie hit the jackpot in the 2014 draft when he took Mack in the first round and Carr in the second. He added guard Gabe Jackson, a starter, in the third round. That draft changed the course of the team. McKenzie also hit in free agency with offensive linemen Rodney Hudson, Kelechi Osemele and Donald Penn, who all went to the Pro Bowl last season. Maccagnan now must prove he has the eye for talent that McKenzie has shown. After that 0-10 start in 2014, the Raiders won three of their final six games, a sign of better times ahead. Jack Del Rio was hired in 2015, they added wide receiver Amari Cooper in the draft, and it was clear they were on the rise, going 7-9 that year. Last year, they made the playoffs and would have been a Super Bowl contender if not for the broken leg Carr suffered at the end of the regular season. When the Jets and Raiders take the field Sunday in Oakland, they will be two teams in vastly different places. This will be a party for the Raiders fans witnessing the home opener with hometown hero Marshawn Lynch in silver and black. All Jets fans feel about this game is dread. Jets fans can look at the Raiders, though, and remember it was not that long ago they were at the same place the Jets are now. There is hope for the future. It wouldn’t hurt for Maccagnan to ask for a few pointers from McKenzie, though.
Personally I don't have 5 years - or even three years - of patience left after waiting for almost 50. Macc needs to produce some measurable progress on the "O" side this year or I'm done.
thats how teams stay bad for decades. the raiders started their rebuild in 2012. it took until 2016 (4 years) for them to make the playoffs. now they have a team that should be a playoff team every year for the foreseeable future. 2 years into the rebuild (2014) they started 0-10. even in 2015 they finished with a losing record (7-9) had they fired their GM after the 2014 0-10 start they wouldn't be where they are today. and that was 2 years. this is year 1 of a rebuild. haste makes waste. If we started this 2 years ago we would be much better off but we pushed for "instant sucess" that hurt us long term patience. Even if hack is a whif, as the article stated the GM whiffed on 2 QBs before landing carr. 2018 will be the best QB draft since 2004 (ben, eli, rivers) we'll be in prime position to draft one
I'm about out of patience myself after all these decades of futility and stupidity mixed in with the occasional tease of a playoff game or two. I've often stated that the Jets absolutely have to show me something in the near term. No more endless references to the future. No more phony qb competitions. No more dumbassed contracts and most of all, no more Leadership that doesn't have a real plan that can actually bear fruit. I'm done with the "trust us" bullshit. I don't mind a rebuild, but at some point it has to come to completion. Preferably before the first manned mission to Mars or even a return to the Moon. If this doesn't happen, I'll be happy to just follow from a nice safe distance and let all the newcomers suffer.
That's a little too simplistic, Carr having weapons at the WR, RB position and a good oline is what helped him develope.
there are instances where a turnaround starts with a defensive stud and not a franchise QB......ravens with lewis, bucs with sapp, broncos with miller, raiders with mack. etc etc.
not at all true. yeah the defense is average but it's not bad. and mack is a beast. it's not just carr. they improved the o-line and have one of the best in the NFL via draft and free agency. they drafted cooper but also added crabtree opposite of him. they gave him a good run game as well and even better now with lynch. Yes they need carr but he isn't carrying the whole team. he has a lot of good players around him. 3/5ths of their o-line made the probowl. cooper is a top 10 WR crabtree is a great number 2 and 3rd down guy. they have some good burners at WR too and even added patterson. a good run game etc.
McKenzie picked them up via FA, Mac has drafted 2 guys that haven't worked out, he hasn't drafted lineman. Is it really the same story?
We can fire Mac, but that doesn't mean the waiting will end. Actually, it probably guarantees we'll be waiting even longer.
Yes it is. we have money to spend in FA as well finally. It's hard to say a 4th round QB and a 2nd round project QB who hasn't played a down "haven't worked out" i agree all signs point to it and yes i complained about the drafting but again it took OAK 4 years to get to where they are. this is year 1. give him time to spend some money and for some draft picks to work out.
so your gonna say they arne't a pretty dam good team right now and look like they will be for quite a few years?
IF Carr had not gotten hurt last year a week before the playoffs they would have made some serious noise ! The Raiders are young and both lines are very good ,,,,thats how you STILL build a team from the lines back . -----> the exception being ,unless you have Belicheat and Brady
In the New York Jets Section a "good article" about the Oakland Raiders? ....btw does that good article mention the Raiders pulling up roots yet again and leaving town, this time for good ? ? fuck the Oakland Raiders .
We're too busy signing and drafting defensive backs. In three years now, Maccagnan has signed five defensive backs, and drafted two in the top two rounds (6 total). We have signed two offensive lineman (Beachum veteran stopgap) and zero in the first four rounds (2 total, 5th round). Man I wonder why we can't fix this damn offensive line.