He's definitely a good owner. He listens to his coach and GM and tries to accommodate whatever it is they say they need. Isn't that what an owner is supposed to do? My only issue with him has to do with the stadium and PSL's, but then that's a lot of Jets fans' issue as well.
I get what you are trying to say, but it's not the same thing. The Explorer is a product made by Ford. Betty Crocker is the parent company of Green Giant. Meaning it is still it's own entity/company, it is just a subsidiary. In any case, you can always call it Betty Crocker: Green Giant Stadium (although I am not a fan of the extended name). My point is that the only two company names that I can think of that would do both teams justice are JetBlue and Green Giant.
Failed to bring us back to NY and still had the audacity to charge PSLs. I think the credit for the team on the field goes to Tannenbaum and Rex.
To be fair, Woody was the one who decided to dump Boobway for Tannenbaum. He was also a major factor in deciding they had enough with Mangenius and that they wanted someone like Rex. From a football perspective, I'd say he's done about as well as an owner can do.
I tend to agree with this. THe owners job is to put the right people in place to run the team, because lets face it, most people with enough money to buy an NFL team know very little about how the game of football works on the feild. Woody is a major step forward from the end of the Hess years. Has he been perfect? No, of course not. Is he learning on the job and making us a stronger organization from top to bottom? I think so.
How many billionaires mingle with their employees? How many billionaires even KNOW their employees' names? Usually they let management run their businesses and they don't get so hands-on. They detach themselves emotionally, physically and pretty much in every way - except financially. Playing armchair shrink for a minute, when I see this guy on the treadmill with his employees, vocally involved in every facet - from the field to the front office - I see a very lonely man. A billionaire who probably has never had many genuine friends in the world due to the fact that he was born insanely rich. Not his fault - but probably true. It's almost as if he needs the Jets' love as much as we crave it. That's how I see it on Hard Knocks anyway. People forget that he also lost his daughter in the past year - tragically, too. At the pinnacle moment of our run last year too. And when he dove right into the team's successes, in very deep mourning - a special, unique relationship was being formed behind the scenes, beyond the moments we DID see on camera. The Jets (management, coaches, players, etc) were actually serving as healers with the emotional/spiritual support most of us regular folk get from those around us when we grieve. Under these circumstances - I think he depends on the Jets for what many of us get every day in our friends and family. Read any F. Scott Fitzgerald story if you want a human profile on Woody Johnson. I hate to stereotype anyone, but billionaires are usually so far removed from reality that they can usually live up to the cliche. This wasn't to bash him so much as to credit him with being an owner who cares about the team on a level that doesn't just come down to dollars - which makes him a greater owner than almost any other franchise out there. The Jets are his Rosebud.
I sit all the way in the upper level because i could not afford psls and in my section their are many elders who probably couldent pay for psls either. It pisses me off how the most loyal fans got stuck with the shittest seats. Fans that have had season tickets for 30+ years are walking up flights of stairs with canes some usually cant even walk up in one shot they have to take a break in between steps. Woody has gave us a good team but he dusent give a shit about his most loyal fans and that pisses me off. I dont like him at all i dont care if its a business you should treat the fans that have stuck with you from day one with respect.
Just for arguments sake- Would you rather a Leon Hess team who cared more about the fans then the team, or Woody who is the opposite? Leon Hess was owner or part owner for nearly 40 years and only produced 1 more playoff appearance then Woody has in 10. I was pissed too, I bit the bullet and bought a PSL, but at least we aren't paying PSL's for a shitty team. All teams will eventually be doing this, so even Leon would've done so.
Would you rather Woody or the owners of the Pirates or Royals? Tickets are easy to come by and fairly cheap in comparison with the rest of the league. Except the team is fucking terrible and the owners could care less about the product on the field and are only in it to make money. I'd take Woody in a second.
playoff apps: under Woody: 5 in 10 years(50%) everyone else: 8 in 40 years(20%) playoff wins: under Woody: 4 in 10 years everyone else: 6 in 40 years I'm happy w/ Woody on the field, I am not happy w/ his fleecing of the fans but I'd rather have the team be good and charged more than the old way.
I agree and what really pissed me off was him not going after the politicians to get money for a stadium in NY. Ralph Wilson did it with the Bills and the taxpayers ponied up the money. Why not the Jets?
Amen! I've said this for a couple of years now and gotten killed for it. Woody's a tremendous owner, in fact i'd say top 5 in the nfl. He's spent money wisely yet plentifully, he's hired tremendous people to help run this organization and most importantly HE WANTS TO WIN and acts accordingly (unlike other ny sports teams...wilpons). As far as the PSL's go, it's a shame it had to go down the way it did, but like it or not, it's the new way of the NFL owners. And even with the PSL's, Woody tried more then other owners to help the fan base by leaving the upper tier of the stadium free of PSL's. I'm a big supporter of Woody and this comes from a guy who's had tickets for 29 years and paid plenty for the PSL's.
Its not like he didn't try. What difference does it make? Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington, Texas. its about 30+ miles away from Dallas. Most new stadiums have PSL. Whats the big deal? And who hired Tanny and Rex? Woody has done everything he can to keep this team relevant.
I am actually surprised at the results. I thought for sure there would be more people in the "no" category, particularly from the PSL crowd. I believe it took him a while to get all these changes in place and they are all reaching the apex for this 2010 season.
When it comes down to it, Woody wants to win. He bought the Jets to win a Super Bowl. He's not in it for the money. Granted, no owner wants (or should want) to lose money, or a return on their investment, so I'm okay with him tightening the strings once in a while. But the reality is we've drafted incredibly well the last couple years, we've signed premier free agents, and we've been competitive. That's all you can really ask for your owner.