Actually I think Chris finally "woke up". Macc was his brother's hire, and who came highly recommended by "football people", so Chris might well have been trusting Macc more than he should have. But by this past season, and then seeing how FA and the draft unfolded, it became clear to Chris that Macc had no vision, no cohesive plan. So he finally rolled up his sleeves and took a first-hand look at things. Apparently it was eye-opening. I think this is a very good sign for the Jets.
Read that link, team fresh off a super bowl. Everything is roses, everyone is great. When was he hired? Quote me where I said he had nothing to do with that roster! I said he was hired mid May of 2016, and the majority of the roster was in place by that time. As far as the Idzik Ryan comparison, I could be wrong, especially since C Johnson has said Gase will have input on the GM hire. Now given Gase's history as a GM, that's another concern. The timing was bad. Hiring a new GM prior to the draft would have allowed Gase and the new GM to work out what they needed pre draft and free agency. The new GM would have been scouting players all year, all teams use the same pro scouting combines as a base. Hiring a GM in Dec , Jan, would have given them 4 months to scout and aquire their players instead of getting stuck with Macs selections. And wasted cap space in players that they feel are over paid. I'll continue to knock C Johnson for both the timing and his statements.
You don't know that Lee would have brought a late 3rd or 4th. The speculation prior to the draft was a 6th round draft pick. That may be all the NFL sees as his worth. I don't agree with trading Lee, but it's done.
Maybe Heimerdinger was fired because he was aligned with Mac and now Gase is running things. And cmon, if Douglas is GM do you think he would call for firing his friend Gase if the Jets suck this year or Darnold regresses? Or will he give him the benefit of the doubt because they are buds? Would you fire a friend? This stinks to high heaven.
But the talent - and coaches - they hire are based upon a blueprint that the GM and Belichick devised. That's why they succeed every year. They don't always take "BPA", they take the guys that fit their system, and the GM and Personnel guys are keys to that. Macc has never had a plan beyond BPA and Chris finally realized it.
Saying that the majority of the roster was in place is practically the same thing as saying that he really didn't have much to do with the Eagles' SB-winning roster. It's funny when the Eagles themselves and sportswriters acknowledge his contributions. With regards to the bold, I disagree. When a GM is hired in January there isn't enough time to properly evaluate the team, look at the work the scouts have put together, get settled/organized, and then be at the Sr. Bowl, Combine, and all of that. It puts the new GM at a HUGE disadvantage, and he has to use his predecessor's scouting dept. and trust them. Continue to knock CJ all you want. You're free to do so. I don't like CJ, but I'm not gonna knock him for this decision.
I have a feeling that 3 months of Gase as GM will make Mac look better. I liked the hire of Gase as a coach, hate that he is now coach and GM. The new guy cant get in the door soon enough and hopefully he is independent of Gase.
I'm looking at the personalities and histories of the men involved. CJohnson should have kept his mouth shut. Gase is well known to clash with players, Bell know to be difficult, felt unappreciated in Pitt. Surely feeling that way again. I posted long ago that I didn't think we would sign Bell because he is not a Gase type player. Was surprised we we're in the running. Can they work out their differences, sure. Will they? I'm not going to bet they will. As far as Douglas, I just hope he's not going to be Gase's yes man. They didn't fare to well the year together in Chicago but I said before, I have no idea how much input they had in the draft in Chicago.
Neither of us had mentioned Douglas firing Gase, but if it came down to losing his job along with Gase or keeping his job and firing Gase, if he's a professional, I would expect him to fire Gase if Gase does a bad job. It would be tough. Yes, I would fire a friend, because if he's not doing a good job and had been given opportunities to make corrections and was in over his head or had the wrong philosophy, in the end it would be doing him a favor, rather than letting him continue to get blasted by the media and fans, struggle and not be happy in his job. I'd want him to find a job where he could be successful, thrive and be happy.
Compensatory pick would have been a third or 4th. His value as a coverage LBr at under 2 mill was worth keeping him over a 6th round pick.
That's if we got a compensatory pick for him. In all likelihood, we wouldn't have. I said before the draft when I heard that he was being valued as a 6th round pick, that I didn't think it was worth it to trade him. I said that I thought that they should keep him, and hopefully with G. Williams teaching him and Mosley as a leader that Lee would learn and improve.
Keep back peddling First you claim I said he had nothing to do with the SB winning roster, then really nothing. The Majority of the roster was in place. That's a fact. I'm sure he had input on the 2017 draft and even the free agency period. Keep twisting it to your needs. I'm knocking for the timing and his comments. Certain things should be kept in house. You would have applauded Macs firing in Dec, or any time. I wanted Mac gone for a few seasons but think letting him spend a record amount of money, on players the coaching staff reportedly didn't want, and letting him draft players the coaching staff are reportedly unhappy with is foolish.
I'll say this about the timing...the BEST time to have fired Macc was the minute he passed on Mahomes when they needed a FQB. I've already exhaustively explained how this error had a massive ripple effect that Macc never really fixed. Sure, he was able to get Darnold but that was only due to his desperation move of trading up, AND the failure of the Browns and Giants to take him. That wasn't really due to Macc's "genius". And sure, Adams is an All Pro, but how many games has he won as a Safety? Darnold has already won more than Adams will probably ever win. So, I agree with those who say the timing is bad - it came two years too late.
I always thought he would be better as OLB, than ILB. Lee's problem is not that he can't get off blocks, he gets totally taken out of the play when blocked.