I don't think it's any coincidence that we've hired two of the worst coaches in franchise history in consecutive searches. I expect the next hire will be even worse. It also doesn't help that the person responsible for hiring Saleh will most likely be leading the search again (Douglas).
Frankly, I despair of this team ever getting it right. Certainly as long as Woody has any major input in decisions. At this point I don't even know how to judge Douglass. If you look at his record, he's had some major successes, but also some major failures. Is that just the record of a mediocre GM learning on the job? Or has he had to deal with major interference from Woody/Chris that forced his hand resulting in many of those failures? He seems to know talent, but his failures almost seem like someone else told him who to pick. IDK...maybe he's just not very good. I have no problem if he were fired except that the same guy who keeps hiring failures will again choose his replacement, so maybe we'd be better off just having him stay on and hoping he improves with experience. It's just so maddening to watch teams like the Steelers, Packers, 49'ers, Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys be able to rebuild and get back to winning with very little interruption, while the Jets just never get it right. The difference is competent ownership, and we're stuck with an incompetent.
Pretty stark difference having ownership that understands football (or in some cases has the self awareness to not get involved), vs a trust fund weenie that wants to pretend...
I really don't want to go digging but, as far as I know, Bob Saleh was WOODY's pick. To the best of my knowledge the only thing that was asked of Douglas was a rubber stamp. Then again, what do I know. My memory gets worse year by year but I "think" I'm right on this. Then again, what does it matter, Wood-RUFF meddles in damn near everything coaching related so why would it stop now. Personally, I think they should do WHATEVER it takes to get Kingsbury in here. WHATEVER!! He has previous head coaching experience and he's proven, twice now, that he can work with QB's which is something this team has never had!! I am tired of giving ex coordinators only a "shot" and want someone PROVEN! I don't want the next supposed up and coming O-Coordinator. I want EXPERIENCE! I want the experience and the full hands off guarantee, from Wood-RUFF, that he'll pay the damn paycheck and keep his ass anywhere but meddling in coaching matters. Period. Hey, it's my wish no matter how "fantasy land" it is.
It's a moot point on Douglas because he will be back in 2025. Woody's statement about firing Saleh made that pretty clear without actually stating it.
Might as well look to the 2026 season if Joe Douglas is back next year. He is a laughingstock and yet Woody's even worse. Sad franchise.
Douglas is the GM. He hired Saleh as the HC in 2021. That's the GM's job. Woody was in England at the time sucking off the future King.
I think this is spot on. I am on the fence about firing him now, though I really wanted that to be done last off-season based on previous failures. If he does get fired, I am good with that too, but there is a case to be made that JD has gotten better as a GM finally. I mean last offseason JD looked incompetent to put it plainly. From playing a role in hiring Hack, to then being raped by GB in Rodgers trade, not assembling OL, poor WR room, poor back-up QBs, fucking up Huff extension, etc... But this year he looks like a changed man. He did bring a lot of talent to the roster without mortgaging the future, even though he still fuck up Huff/JFM/Riddick situation. Still overall I consider this offseason a good one. Does that deserve another chance? He did miss on coaching regime and #2 overall QB pick. And last year he should have been gone. But does his work this off-season give him another shot? I think it will depend on how the team performs. If we can make play-offs, maybe win division or a play-off game (or even lose a tough one), perhaps Woody will run it back with JD and Brick.
It doesn't. In that time he gifted the Eagles a third round pick for absolutely nothing and continued to put a substandard O-line out on the field. He relies too much on aging players past their prime to cover up for his terrible drafts.
I completely agree about fucking up Huff, then being fucked by Howie for Reddick, and then compounding that by giving away JFM. That was terrible handling of a position. But I think he did put together a decent OL from talent perspective. Smith and Moses are not that old, and Olu was a solid OL pick. A lot of the OL issues I see are on coaching. I completely understand your position that he should still be gone, and I am leaning this way right now myself, but I do want to see this season play out before confirming.
We're not going to have to worry about it because he's essentially already been retained for next year. Woody's statement on Saleh might as well been subtitled: "Douglas' Contract Extended". He's not letting go of the guy who put together what is, according to Woody (he's wrong on this, by the way), the most talented roster the Jets have had in over 25 years.
If we do not make play-offs, I think it will change. Even Woody is not that dumb. I hope we do not have to find out though.
I would hope it would change, but I can't imagine that Woody wants to sit in a press conference and answer the question "Why did you fire the man who put together the roster you called one of the best in Jets' history?"
The same reason anyone else would. There's only 32 of these jobs in the world and the guy I want is the guy who believes he can prove what no other coach here has been able to for decades - he can win!
I know, it just feels like a very Woody Johnson thing to do to extend him one season and allow him to hire s new coach and then let him walk the following season. That's what I think will happen if the Jets squeak into the playoffs.
The fly in the ointment is Woody going on about how this is the most talented Jets roster ever. It’s hard to walk that comment back this coming offseason if Woody does fire JD (or not renew his contract). The media will be all over it blasting us as an organization, and rightfully so. With that said, this talented roster consists of many expensive FA’s that were brought here specifically because the players JD drafted turned out to be terrible. I made a thread about it but to summarize, JD has spent over $200m on players that were brought in to replace poor draft picks. That matters substantially.
Saleh was the first HC that ownership stepped away and claimed to have allowed JD to hire on his own and report directly to JD. That said, any Head Coach would have to get the ginal seal of approval from Woody.
I think we all can agree that there’s nothing we all enjoy as Jet fans more than mismatched coach/GM combinations.
