" “The team needs to show direction. It doesn’t have to be a winning season or a return to the playoffs,” the source said. “But there’s no doubt that Macc (Maccagnan) needs a home run draft, something he hasn’t had yet. He needs to show that a future is coming in place." Yes, I'm fine with this approach IF this is what happens. But so far there has not been any sign of a plan or direction. The first two years it was "competitive rebuild"; but if Macc was really a great judge of talent he would've seen how flawed that plan was. Now maybe he DID see, but Woody forced him in that direction, but that doesn't bode well either because Woody still owns the team. Still. I'm willing to see what happens over the next couple of months and the first part of the season, but if they show no real signs of improvement, Macc and Bowles both need to go, and hopefully Woody decides to go also.
In November 2015 noone was complaining about the "competitive rebuild." Because the team looked like it was on the rise. If the Jets dumped players after the end of 2015 the fanbase would have burned MetLife to the ground. And how would a total rebuild in 2014 have looked? Would the Jets have cut Mangold and Brick? Harris? They most certainly wouldnt have resigned Revis (now in retrospect a good thing) and they wouldnt have signed Brandon Marshall. All the people that critcize the competitive rebuild today seem to forget the Jets were sitting on a ton of cap space they HAD to spend for the 2015 season. And try as they might there was no free agent QB on the market at the time. They made a run at Kirk Cousins I remember and were active in free agency but alot of players chose to take less money to play elsewhere like they do today. What QB was traded or signed in the last few years that has gone on to light it up on his new team? I dont see him... And the Jets tried to make a go of it with a young Geno, but he self imploded. So you have a team with a core group of good guys that have been great players for the Jets, particularly Mangold, Brick and Harris, that are at the end of their careers, and you have a ton of cap space with no young QB to spend it on. What do you do? I'm not sure the Jets really had a viable alternative to the competitive rebuild. Maybe they should have focussed more on younger free agents rather than guys like Forte, but noone forseen the steep decline shown by Revis. He shouldve had another 2 years in him. But now the Jets are in teardown mode, and you can see the strategy. In free agency, take players age 26-27 that are in their prime. The Jets dont have the cap room to spend, so get guys that have shown they can play at a high level but they have question marks. The bet is some of these guys will work out. Clairborne may get on a healthy streak and give you 10 games next year. Kelvin Beachum may have recovered from his ACL surgery and can give you a few good seasons of steady LT pass protection. But it is also as likely they can flame out. 50/50 in my mind. I think the Jets wont be bringing in a QB. They will either draft a QB and have an open competition with Pettenberg or they will evaluate the 2 on roster and bring in a free agent that falls through IF they dont think both guys can run the offense.
Well in November 2015, I saw the Jets as a flawed team. certainly not SB-caliber, and with a very small window to improve on what they had. I think anyone who has made their living evaluating talent for the NFL would've seen that too. Which leads me to believe that Woody told Macc that he would do a competitive rebuild, at least I hope that's what happened because otherwise Macc isn't a very good judge of talent. And I don't think the fans would've burned MetLife Stadium to the ground. The fans are hungry for a championship, not another mediocre record, with a possibility of squeaking into the playoffs and then 1 and done. This is a make or break year for Bowles certainly, and Macc probably.
Sorry CC I call bullshit. No one at the end of the 2015 season was saying the Jets coming off a 10-6 season and just missing the playoffs should have decided to detonate and rebuild. All we heard was the DL was elite, and with a revamed LB core and a very good secondary the Defense could be top 10. On the offense, the passing game was in great shape with Marshall and Decker back and the Jets improved their running game with Forte. OL was a question with Brick leaving, but Clady could fill the spot nicely. That was the theme throughout last offseason. Hopes were high. Yes the Jets were an older team but with Brady out the first 4 games the AFC East was up for grabs and the Jets were as likely as the Fins and Bills to win it.
As an adult I saw Namath play at Shea. I can deal with loosing seasons, I've seen many. What I can't deal with is the chronic mismanagement, players who show up to camp out of shape, miss meetings and give little or no effort on the field. I'm done.
Call it whatever you want, but that was my opinion then. Did I have HOPE that they could over-achieve again? Sure, but realistically, they were old and it was a very weak schedule, and tellingly, losing that final game in Buffalo when all tehy had to do was win and get to the P.O. was what clinched it for me. And I didn't say they should've "blown it up", but certainly when they began losing during last season they should've been looking to make changes, especially at QB, and looking to sit the under performers instead of going along with the plan they had. I understand, hindsight is 20-20, but I don't think it took x-ray vision to see the holes in this team.
Have the Jets not been building through the draft the last three years? Obviously Idzik wasted so many picks, it was sick...but Maccagnan has still has 12 of 13 picks, yeah I know they are on their rookie contracts. 2 of the 13 we really don't know whether the pick was good or not (Devin Smith, injury and Christian Hackenburg didn't play) So I guess we should be aggressive in trading out of a second round pick.....3 years no production. Maccagnan appears to be able to find good role players...but only had one home run..Leonard Williams because he fell into his lap. Does this staff have the ability to build through the draft? 2014 Round 1: Calvin Pryor Round 2: Jace Amaro Gone Round 3: Dexter McDougle Round 4: Jalen Saunders Gone Round 4: Shaquelle Evans Gone Round 4: Dakota Dozier Round 5: Jeremiah George Gone Round 6: Brandon Dixon Gone Round 6: Quincy Enunwa Round 6: I.K. Enemkpali Gone Round 6: Tajh Boyd Gone Round 7: Trevor Reilly Gone 2015 Round 1: Leonard Williams Round 2: Devin Smith Bust? Round 3: Lorenzo Mauldin Round 4: Bryce Petty Round 5: Jarvis Harrison Wasted Pick no longer on team never played Round 7: Deon Simon 2016 Round 1: Darron Lee Round 2: Christian Hackenberg Who knows? Round 3: Jordan Jenkins Round 4: Juston Burris Round 5: Brandon Shell Round 7: Lachlan Edwards Round 7: Charone Peake
