Listen to some of Rex's peers when they talk about things he's done to their QB's. You don't make guys like Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady look bad without being a very smart guy.
The 2013 NFL draft had real talent on offense at OT, Tavon Austin and OG. The Jets couldn't get any of the tackles or Austin and they wisely chose not lock themselves into a long commitment to a franchise guard. The only way the Jets were going heavy early on offense last year is if they reached for a QB or WR or made an iffy commitment to a guard. Instead they got Sheldon Richardson and Dee Milliner who will likely be big parts of the Super Bowl window when it opens. That's how a professional talent acquisition scheme works. You take the best players available and avoid reaching for need.
How the hell can ANYONE say he is staying no matter what? If they lose out and finish 6-10, they will have lost 6 of their last 7 games to finish the season, 3 in a row.. coming off of 2 previous years of closing out the season with 3 straight losses as well. I'm not typically one to put a number of wins on a coaches head or make decisions based upon momentum, but Rex NEEDS to finish strong.. you would have to be kidding me to keep him on after a season where you have 1 win after Halloween and it's at home vs. the Raiders..
I believe the pairing with Marty Mornhinweg can work just fine... your explanation on the rationale is accurate, the Jets CAN'T do those things that Rex sometimes seems to think he can do (win with a small points scored for example). In order for the Rex / Marty marriage to work, I believe Idzik needs to accumulate offensive talent. If the Jets are capable of being one of the higher scoring teams in the league, Rex's D will do the job. We don't need the 85 bears. We need a defense that can hold a lead and while there have been times in the past where that hasn't happened, those instances have also been under the circumstances of grabbing the lead so late to begin with. A great offense always makes a defense look better than it is. Right now the Jets offense is SO bad that its making the Jets D look worse than it is. Anyone who thinks the D will be fine without Rex is spoiled. If we fire Rex, it is a setback to this team. No matter what, we'd have to go even further backwards before going forwards again. I don't think it is necessary.
I understand best pick available. Assuming that was the intent, then there shouldn't be a discussion on whether Rex's job was on the line because it's delusional to think a team can be a Super Bowl contender with an extremely poor offense.
It's complicated though. There's an argument to be made that Woody Johnson kept Rex on because he wanted some shot, even a small one, at the MetLife Super Bowl and he knew that if he changed head coaches that possibility would get much smaller. We also don't know what the deal with the incoming GM John Idzik was. I think it is reasonable to assume that Rex's job security has been in question several times since Woody Johnson made the decision to replace Mike Tannenbaum at GM. Where he stands right now is not clear since multiple factors play into it. I hope that Woody and Idzik are assessing Rex based on all the factors in play and not just win total or where the rebuild stands right now. That's what will give us the best chance of having a unified management structure moving forward which will in turn give us the best shot at a Super Bowl in the near future. One factor they have to be taking into account is that the Jets chances of winning in 2014 go down some if Rex is not here. It's not the same thing as this year, where the talent was likely to be so low that a newcomer was going to have a very rough start, but it's similar. A new guy coming in is going to have to have a great plan and then get lucky for the Jets to win anything next year. Rex just needs to get lucky. When a new head coach comes in the roster turns over. We're halfway through that process now but we go back to the start on a new hire.
I don't think it matters what the final record is, but I may be wrong. I think he's gone after this season. He has some very strong points as a head coach, but too many weaknesses. In particular, he seems to favor "his guys" for playing time. For example, Cromartie has been terrible all season. Ed Reed has played too much. Also, the effort is inconsistent. Finally, I think he's too much of a player's coach. I'm not inside the locker room or the training facility, so I'm clearly not an expert, but this is what my gut is telling me.
I don't agree. A solid coaching staff can do wonders for a team immediately. When Parcells took over, the Jets play improved immediately. Same goes for when Rex took over, at least for the defense. Also, there's going to be tremendous player turnover during this off-season anyway. The Jets have a lot of weaknesses and will have a lot of cap-room and draft picks, so expect BIG changes.
It is tough to say that when the team has such a lack of talent. ESPN had them ranked #32 out of 32 teams to start the season. Taking that into consideration, you could say Rex has done a great coaching job. I agree, he has his flaws, BIG TIME. I wanted him fired after Sanchez's injury, but it truly is a toss up right now which direction the Jets go. I feel Woody loves Rex and the headlines Rex brings, so my guess is he stays with an 8-8 record, maybe even 7-9.
Agree, Agree on all your points but one. We do not have one of the best Ds in the NFL...not even close. Outside the front 4 we are pedestrian at best at outside LB, and our secondary with a wimpy Cro is pretty porous.
Who would you want in place of Cromartie then? Have you seen our other defensive backs? If that's one of your problems with Rex then I can't take your post serious.
good post.. one thing i'll note though, i don't think the Jets need to be one of the higher scoring offenses in the league to be effective. But they do need to be able to score, and be capable of mounting the occasional comeback rather than falling to pieces once down. I hate feeling out of games once down by 10 or more pts, as i watch the wheels completely fall off. I personally like what Seattle and SF have done, and of course Balt and Pitt in their hey days. That should continue to be our identity and goal for how the team is shaped. The change needed is better personnel on offense, while shoring up some holes to keep our D effective. Rex and Marty are good coaches for this team. I'm looking at Idzik now to get a QB plan, and a QB contingency plan, have a solid draft, and wisely stretch the FA money with mid tier players providing depth to this team (primarily on O). and of course, re-sign Wilk!
But how can you take that into consideration when ESPN was being their Jet-bashing troll selves -- even the majority who posted here called ESPN on their trolling b.s. and said it was a bullshit ranking (I mean, behind the Jags??). That said, I know the Jets blew their "small window/win now" load after 2010 but look at Seattle. They went 7-9 in 2010 yet beat the defending SB champs and have marketedly improved their roster on BOTH sides of the ball year after year. They lose their big season addition Percy Harvin (1 measly catch) yet dont miss beat and are still a dominant team and the odds on favorite to win it all (assuming they get homefield advantage up until the SB). The Jets?.....plodding along with a roster that continues to read "meh" in way too many areas and given Hill's lousy development (which sets them back draft-wise) there's just so many draft picks they can "hit" on to fill the many holes, and as a result what's to say next year isn't going to be another middle-of-the-road 8-8 year at best? The offense is awful and the defense is not close to being "elite" as was previously mentioned in another post.
Considering the 6-7 record we have is a lot better than most of us thought it would be, I'd keep him.
The Pats have been rebuilding for years and are in the hunt for a SB not the last playoff berth every year. Almost every team in the NFL is in the hunt for the playoffs and rebuilding. The question is why where the Jets at their peak in Rex's first 2 years and in decline his next three. Is this the guy you want to rebuild with or is this the guy who takes a very good team that's already in place and does well with them? Rex is a good defensive co-ordinator but have we ever had a great coaching staff around Rex on either side of the ball were you could say what this team was? Compare and contrast that to the staff Parcells put in place.
This team is still in the hunt because the AFC sucks...not because of Rex's great coaching ...two gift victories included....the fact that its still uncertain tells me anything less than 7-9 and he's gone....
I hope Rex keeps his job no matter what. Unless the team plays incredibly poorly in these final 3 games I dont think Rex is going anywhere.
So that's a reason for keeping him (he doesn't suck as much as the other sucky HCs we've had)? Come on now. Have our hopes and expectations for the Jets sunk that low? I'm all for stability, but there has to be accountability and quality leadership in order to have stability. Sorry, but Rex doesn't provide that imo. Things will never be stable with him because he himself is undisciplined and he doesn't discipline and hold his players accountable. Thus, things will always be inconsistent, spotty and up and down. No thanks. I've seen enough. I want a real shot at winning a SB, not hopes and pipe dreams, which is all Rex can offer imo.
