Great column on the Jets of the 2010's

This article is garbage. The musical chairs at qb he's talking about was mostly driven by injury. I hate pretty much anything he writes. It's half informed and misleading

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It's a different season if CJ Mosley doesn't get hurt and Darnold doesn't get mono, that said the oline is the ruination of this team

 

If he was going to start an article like this with the 2010 season, the 11-5 record, and the second trip to the AFCCG in 2010, then it seems he should also have addressed why they let go of Tanny.

Tanny leaving seems to be the event that triggered the unfortunate Idzik-to-Macc-to-Douglas cascade of events.

 

This, many times over. Not to mention the other injuries they sustained. Sure, a better coach might have pulled out a few more wins and kept the team in playoff contention, but we didn’t have a better coach.

Had the injury bug not hit so hard, this team might have made the playoffs.

Think about that for a minute.

 

They let go of Tanny because the drafting wasn't good enough and the tendency to trade draft picks for veterans with minimal future value continued to set the Jets back. Idzik was a disaster but he was a predictable disaster when you consider that very few other faces changed when he came onboard. His value was going to be in the connections he had around the NFL and for whatever reason those connections produced very few good hires for the Jets. I would argue that exempting many people from replacement was a key factor in that development.

 

An excellent summary of why the Jets have continued to fail. Their complete lack of attention to the offense, while the NFL has been transitioning towards offense since the beginning of the 21st century is at the very root of their problems. But an even deeper tap root is the people in charge - the owners and the people they've hired - have persistently failed to understand this trend. These points from the article bear repeating:

• Ten starting quarterbacks in 10 years is not a recipe for success. Throw in Tim Tebow and Christian Hackenberg, a couple of all-time disappointments, and you're talking about a decade of failure at the game's most important position. The Jets probably will finish with the second-highest interception total of the decade. They have 175. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, receiving a late flurry from Jameis Winston, have 180. It's no wonder the Jets' offense finished 22nd or worse in total yards in eight of 10 seasons.
  
  The lack of value placed on securing the best player for the most important position on the team is mind-boggling. This reached it's nadir with Maccagnan ignoring one of the best QB prospects in years and picking a Safety! This, in a nutshell, demonstrates Macc's (and the Johnson's) lack of football knowledge. I do have hope still that Darnold can be the FQB they've lacked for decades, but until they actually have a FQB the odds are against them winning a championship.
  
  
• Not only did the Jets blow a lot of high draft picks in the 2010s, but they also wasted many of them on the same type of player. In five of the 10 drafts, they used a first-round pick on a 300-pound defensive lineman -- Muhammad Wilkerson, Quinton Coples, Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams and Quinnen Williams.
  
  They should have an all-time defensive line, considering how much they invested in the position, but Quinnen Williams is the only one left on the roster. Of their 11 first-round picks in the decade (they had two in 2013), 10 were on the defensive side of the ball, with Darnold the lone exception. That's inexcusable...
  
  While the rest of the league was embracing the offensive revolution, the Jets remained stuck in a defensive mindset, perhaps because they had a defensive-minded coach for nine of the 10 years. Hello, anybody home? Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. The Jets never figured that out, which explains why they were 29th in scoring for the decade. Douglas needs to address the deficiency and invest resources to make it better, especially the offensive line, which hasn't had a first-round pick since 2006.
  
  This amply supports my point that they've ignored the offense while the rest of the league has been building the offense. Their foolish belief that "defense wins championships" has doomed them to losing. Douglas needs to smash this belief system beginning with this FA and draft. If he fails to do that, the Jets will continue to be losers.
  
  
• The inability to identify and develop talent is a major reason for the Jets' current plight. Of the 71 players drafted in the decade, only two were selected to the Pro Bowl -- Wilkerson and safety Jamal Adams (twice).
  
  Of course this is another of the roots of their persistent failure. And it's maddening as a fan to watch year after year while they fail at his crucial aspect of building a winning organization. With no exaggeration, I could easily pick a dozen guys at least from this forum who could've drafted better. And it's shameful that owners like the Johnsons can sit by and watch this and apparently not have a clue of what the problem is or how to fix it. Again, I have hope that Douglas will finally be that answer, but until he proves it, its still a problem.

This decade has been maybe the worst I've experienced as a Jets fan, but the problems above reach back much farther than 10 years. This year will be the make or break year for me. If they continue this "defense wins championships" bullshit, I'm done. 58 years is long enough to play Charlie to the Jets Lucy.

 

..and yet how many times during this decade did we hear the Johnson’s say they were “optimistic” or CJ who told us the team didnt have a talent problem at the end of last season?!

False bravado.Lazyness.Cognitive dissonance a notch below Patriot fans & Boston media.

 

I'm convinced that one of us could do a better job identifying talent, prioritizing the key positions, and constructing the team than the past few FO's we've had.

 

I agree. I'm no fan of Cimini, but I think this article is fair and pretty balanced. He could have spoken about Tanny's trading away so many picks and missed picks which led to the team starting the decade with little or no depth and holes in starting positions, and a few other facts, but that's a minor quibble. He didn't state that it was a thorough and comprehensive analysis.

 

I agree.

Just as an example of that following are the players I would have picked in the last 6 drafts.

2014
1 - Brandin Cooks (WR) (I really wanted the Jets to draft him)
2 - I'm not certain. I liked Jarvis Landry (WR) a lot, but may not have drafted WRs 1-2. I also liked Jeremiah Attaochu (OLB), Troy Niklas TE), Jimmy Garoppolo (QB), and CJ Fiedorowicz (TE). The one thing I do know is that I wouldn't have taken Amaro. I thought he was stiff, unathletic, and not a good prospect.
3 - Gabe Jackson (OG)
4a - Ross Cockrell (CB)
4b - Cameron Fleming (OT)
5 - 7 Don't remember liking any of the players who were left

2015
1 - I really wanted Marcus Mariota, but with his being gone, would probably have tried to trade down. If unable would have taken Todd Gurley (RB) or Andrus Peat (OT).
2 - Benardrick McKinney (LB), Ronald Darby (CB),Ali Marpet (OG), or Erick Kendricks (LB). I liked all 4. I don't remember what was the biggest need at that time.
3 - Eli Harold (OLB)
4 - Jamison Crowder (WR) or Bryce Petty (QB)
5 - Cameron Artis-Payne (RB)
6-7 I don't remember who, if anyone, I liked that low

2016
1 - Would have tried to trade down and take one of Myles Jack (LB), Jaylon Smith (LB) or Hunter Henry (TE)
2 - I liked Jason Spriggs (LT) and Nick Martin (C), but with both gone am not sure who I would have taken
3 - I liked LeRaven Clark (OT), but with him gone, would have taken Jordan Jenkins (OLB)
4 - Willie Beavers (OG)
5 - 7 Don't remember/know

2017
1 - Patrick Mahomes (QB)
2 - I wanted Ryan Ramczyk (OT) or Forrest Lamp (OG). I probably would have tried to trade up to take one of them. If unsuccessful, I probably would have taken one of Sidney Jones (CB), Alvin Kamara (RB), Adam Shaheen (TE), Curtis Samuel (WR), Taylor Moton (OG), Pat Elflein (C), Dion Dawkins (OG), or Ethan Pocic (C).
3 - I wouldn't have traded down, and would have taken Chris Godwin (WR)
4 - I would have taken George Kittle (TE)
5 - Desmond KIng (CB)
6-7 - Don't remember/care

2018
1 - I wouldn't have traded up since I had Mahomes, and probably would have taken one of Mike McGlinchey (OT), Roquan Smith (ILB) or Minkah Fitpatrick (S), or might have tried to trade down and taken one of Jaire Alexander (CB), Frank Ragnow (C) or Billy Price (C).
2a - If I hadn't taken Pat Elflein, Ethan Pocic, Frank Ragnow or Billy Price, I would have taken James Daniels (C)
2b - If I needed an OG, I would have taken Connor Williams. If I hadn't taken Gurley or Kamara, I probably would have take Derrius Guice (RB). Otherwise, I would have taken one of Kemoko Turay (OLB), Donte Jackson (CB), Duke Dawson (CB), or James Washington (WR)
3 - Orlando Brown (OT) or Martinas Rankin (OT)
4 - I liked Nyheim Hines (RB), Josey Jewell (LB), DaeSean Hamilton (WR), and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (LB). I wasn't aware of Chris Herndon. I don't know who I would have taken, but it probably would have ben Okoronkwo or Hamilton since HInes and Jewell were already gone.
5-7 Didn't have anyone I coveted, but probably would have taken Folorunso Fatukasi (DL) as I remember reading about him and liking his potential

2019
1 - No brainer. Josh Allen, (OLB)
2 - Since I wouldn't have traded up in 2018, I would have had this pick. I really liked Greg LIttle (OT), Jawaan Taylor (OT), Rock Ya Sin (CB), Deebo Samuel (WR), Cody Ford (OT), Dalton Risner (OT), and Elgton Jenkins (C/OG). It really would have depended upon need, but if I still needed an LT, it would have been Little. If I needed a RT, it would have been Risner, Taylor or Ford, if I needed a C or OG, it would have been Jenkins.
3a - I liked Darrell Henderson (RB), Germaine Pratt (LB), David Montgomery (RB), David Long (CB), and Justin Layne (CB). Who I took would have depended upon need. If I needed an OG, Michael Dieter and Nate Davis would have been considered or taken.
3b - I liked Miles Boykin (WR), Dawson Knox (TE), Hakeem Butler (WR). Again, it would have depended upon need. If I was set at WR or TE, I would have settled on someone else.
4 - I probably wouldn't have traded down. If i needed a CB, the pick would have been Isaiah Johnson or Julian Love. If I needed an OG, the pick would have been Dru Samia or Ben Powers. If I needed a power back, the pick would have been Benny Snell (RB). I also like Tony Pollard as a PR/KOR/Gadget Player. I also liked Foster Moreau (TE). If I had a need on D, I would have looked at D players, but since so much focus had been on D under Mac, I never really seriously considered D players.
5 - Hunter Renfrow (WR)
6-7 Who cares?

This is not cherry picking after the fact. The players I mentioned are ALL ones that I liked going into the draft and wanted to see the Jets draft. I I had indeed been the GM and had drafted offense instead of all the D that Mac did, then I would have been looking at D players, and probably would have mixed in some D players. One thing is for certain, we would have had a quality OL and playmakers around Mahomes on offense.

 

Wouldn't surprise me if the Jets take a pass rusher with one of the 1st 2 picks - some boards have them picking A.J. Epenesa - don't know much about him but he looks the part on film - today's game was a perfect example of why they are in dire need of one.