Equal footing reporting to the powder puff brothers, he had no power to sack Gase, he could recommend him to be sacked, we don't know what he did behind closed doors. We also know that he now has the power to sack his coach, which may be a clue to the above conundrum. Who wanted the 38yo RB... Gase Who didn't want Robby bar 3/4 of this board... Gase.
I agree we can't be looking at new GM's every 4 years. Douglas gets a little leeway as he is getting rid of Maccagnan garbage (a little too slowly in my view) But something has to be the stabilizer either the GM or the coach. Would prefer they synch up and stay awhile but we all know New York fans. I believe not drafting Lawrence bought Douglas and Saleh some time. Now the pressure is on Wilson to develop.
Have to see what JDs plan for the off season is. Have to hope Seattle takes a bunch of losses with Russell Wilson out for a few weeks too. Jets could end up with two top 10 picks. If they end up with a top 2 pick, obviously Zach Wilson didn't do very well, but you'd have to assume trading back will be an option. If jd is able to grab another first by trading down he'd have plenty of picks to fix the glaring issues on the offense and upgrade in spots on defense. This shows me JD is willing to make improvements through the draft instead of free agency, and this team will still be on the younger end roster wise next season too. It all comes down to who they end up drafting and how lafleur adjusts throughout this year into next on offense to help Zach.
Something we are forgetting as well is that JD has the authority to fire Saleh as they are not on equal footing with the owner. JD is not going to burn for a HC that simply is not getting the job done. If Saleh doesn’t get this turned around it can be one and done for this staff or Lafleur will be fired after the season. Someone will be fired at the end of the year if Jets go 1-16. JD can be patient but the results are going to determine JDs decision making. Especially if he feels his QB is not getting the right help for his development.
Well. We hope so at least. Woody also has the authority to do anything he wants and say he doesn't want to pay two coaches anymore - likes he's done for the past decade.
I don't think 3/4 of the board didn't want Robby. Some did for sure. I think the majority of naysayers didn't want Robby at what they assumed would be a premium as the top WR on the market. They fell into the same trap that JD did in overestimating the market he would have basically. I was certainly guilty of that, and while I'd have been comfortable giving him what he got, I would not have got in to a bidding war for him and still wouldn't.
How is a 16 game sample size a fair comparison to a 5 game sample size? That makes no sense. It's also not cherry picking, I'm picking the exact same sample size in 2019 as I am in 2021. If you want to revisit this conversation at the end of the year and compare, I'd be more than happy to, but comparing 16 games to 5 is illogical IMO. Comparing the exact same 5 game sample size, where both teams finished 1-4, had a HC in Year 1 and were/are trying to implement a new offense, is as good of a comparison as we're going to find. I agree in that I don't expect this team to go on a 6-2 run down the stretch but I also didn't think the 2019 team would after starting 1-7 so who knows? I would say it's possible. We still have the Colts, Dolphins (x2), Texans, Eagles, and the Jags left on the schedule so 6-7 wins is not totally out of the realm of possibility. Not to mention Tampa and Buffalo in Week 17 & 18 who could be resting starters with their playoff seeding locked in, similar to what Buffalo did in 2019 to give us our 7th win. Sam finished the year very strongly which is another reason that it isn't fair to compare 2019 Sam to 5 games of Zach Wilson in 2021. Let's break down our QB play in those first 5 games of 2019. Game 1: Sam: 28-41, 175 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT's Game 2: Luke Falk: 20-25, 198 yards 0 TD's, 0 INT's Game 3: Luke Falk: 12-22, 98 yards, 0 TD's, 1 INT Game 4: Luke Falk: 15-26, 120 yards, 0 TD's, 2 INT's Game 5: Sam: 23-32, 338 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT I also don't see your OL/WR argument. Other than Week 1 where they looked like a train wreck, I think the OL has been much improved and is playing at a league average level, with the obvious exception of GVR who is a literal trash can. PFF has our OL ranked 14th in Pass Blocking and 8th in Run Blocking in spite of GVR's horrific play. Kelvin Beachum vs Mekhi/Fant: Edge 2021 Alex Lewis vs AVT: Edge 2021 Jonotthan Harrison vs McGovern: Edge 2021 Brian Winters vs GVR: Edge 2019 Brandon Shell vs Moses/Fant: Edge 2021 With the exception of Winters for GVR, I think we've upgraded at each position on the OL. Robby/Jamison/Demariyus/Enunwa vs Davis/Jamison/Cole/Elijah, again give me 2021. The TE's are literally the exact same except we have Kroft instead of Herndon. Slight edge to 2021 but maybe just a push. We were also trotting out Nate Hairston and Darryl Roberts as our boundary corners in 2019. Brian Poole made our CB's look a lot better than they actually were. I still give the edge to 2019 for DB's but that's mainly because of Jamal and Maye at S. Maccagnan was an awful GM and is a lot of the reason JD is still getting flack for us not having a better roster. We've upgraded at every unit other than DB IMO while being hamstrung to the tune of roughly 20-30M in dead cap hits for the likes of Trumaine Johnson, Le'Veon Bell, Quincy Enunwa, and Kelechi Osemele for the last couple of years. I'm not saying JD is the best GM of all-time but he has improved this roster in the 2+ years he's been the GM. Not only has he made this team better overall, he's also done so while accruing an extra 1st and 2nd round pick for next year's draft. Say what you will about JD, but he's certainly no Maccagnan.
How does the offensive line have four edges yet they're on pace to allow more sacks than the 2019 team and rush for 90 yards less over a sixteen game sample size? That also doesn't factor in the human mannequin that is Luke Falk played three of those games in 2019.
You're also falling into the trap of comparing a 16 game sample size to a 5 game one which makes no logical sense. In 2019, we averaged 64 rushing yards per game through our first 5. This year we're averaging 74 rushing yards per game. Edge 2021. 2019: 4 sacks, 4 sacks, 5 sacks, 10 sacks, 2 sacks. 25 sacks total through 5 games. 2021: 6 sacks, 4 sacks, 5 sacks, 1 sack, 2 sacks. 18 sacks total through 5 games. Edge 2021. At this point, the 2021 OL is better than their 2019 counterparts. Will that trend continue throughout the whole year? I have no idea but I think that they will. Again, like I said in my previous post, I'll be more than happy to come back at season's end and compare full season statistics between the 2 teams but I'm not comparing a 16 game sample size to a 5 game one as that makes no sense IMO.
I think this is a GREAT question actually and here's what I would compare it to: Steve Keim has been the GM of the Cardinals since 2013 and worked with them since 1999! Think about all the coaches, drafts and QB's he's went through and just now they finally have an elite team. Sometimes you have to give these guys a long time to build out there vision and make some mistakes along the way. It's very hard to win a super bowl--there's 31 other teams trying to do the same thing with an equal budget and similar draft selections. In my opinion, you keep your GM if he shows competency, the ability to be a builder and can negotiate well on behalf of the club--along with identifying and retaining talent. For the most part, JD has shown all these traits. He actually reminds me a lot of Keim. Really smart trades, has done well with UDFA's and discovering talent at lower tier levels, smart free agent deals, building the lines well, has brought stability to the culture. I would like him to stay away from "boom or bust" prospects a little better: Becton, Mims, Davis, Zuniga all are exciting but had low floors But I don't blame a guy for shooting for the moon--he is trying to radically change the team and even if 2 of them hit--I get it. I say let JD continue to build this thing his way--which is the right way--if in 3 years we have a great roster like the Colts and ZW is still underperforming--let JD get another QB to insert. Maybe it's a vet at that point like Derek Carr or another talented rookie.
First, you're a great poster, so you don't need to apologize for starting a thread. It's a legit question. I don't think we'll ever have to cross that bridge, but if LaFleur doesn't learn quickly and isn't fired, he could wind up ruining Zach. I definitely think JD should get another bite at the apple. After all, if Zach fails, I think that will mostly be on LaFleur and Saleh for hiring the inexperienced (as an OC) LaFleur to work with a rookie QB. I think if Zach winds up failing that both Saleh and LaFleur should be fired. That would perhaps be a more legit reason imo for firing JD, but after the work that he has done refining the work of our Scouting Dept. the talent he has added in FA and the draft, I think it would be a mistake to fire him. Further, he has the trust of the Johnsons. If they fire him, they might not give his successor the same power, and they may revert to making decisions, which would be disastrous. In addition, if they fired JD after just 3-4 years, especially with the talent he has added to the team, I'm not certain if anyone decent would even be willing to take the Jets' job, especially if they didn't have the same power and freedom that JD has had.
Excellent post and comparison to Keim. It's crazy how everyone is so quick to point out JD's mistakes and already talking about firing him. It's like GMs have to perfect from day one. I have a news flash for those folks...there are NO perfect GMs. Never have been, and never will be. Unless they have been a GM before, they learn on the job just as a rookie HC or OC or player do. Some who are ready to can JD are willing to be patient with Saleh or LaFleur or Wilson, but why not JD? You're correct that JD has done a very good job and has handled all aspects of his job well. The only thing I disagree with is your comment about "boom or bust" prospects. I don't think that either Becton or Mims fit that designation, nor to Davis and Zuniga. Becton was thought by many to be a great prospect with HOF potential. Mims was thought to be a 1st round pick and a great prospect. JD traded down in the 2nd and got him. Mims started producing immediately as soon as he started playing last season. I'm not sure if you mean Corey Davis on Ashton Davis, but in neither case were they "boom or bust." C. Davis was just an upgrade and addition to our WR corps. A. Davis and Zuniga were 3rd round picks. Those can't be "boom or bust" by definition. Davis was an immensely talented and athletic project. Zuniga was injured, but talented. They weren't expected to be immediate contributors or stars, just talented additions to the roster to compete and hopefully develop into solid contributors.
In all honesty, he didn't do a lot to help him either but then Gase trumps everything in that regard.
You're right that Gase trumps everything in that regard. JD did what he could. He had to work with Gase, and give Gase what he wanted. As I've said before, JD can't manufacture FA OL who are willing to sign with the Jets. He tried to sign topflight OL who rejected his offers and signed elsewhere. The team had a ton of holes. While the 2020 draft had a lot of talent at WR, it wasn't nearly as good at other positions where the Jets had big needs/holes. JD couldn't help that Covid came along and there were no mini-camps, no OTAs, and no preseason. Anyone trying to claim that JD did nothing to help Sam and is to blame for ruining him either has an agenda, or totally is totally mistaken about the facts/truth of the matter or both.
Oh he absolutely crippled Darnold but purging the roster of Mac’s trash was necessary. Darnold was just a tragic casualty of that. I think the hope was that Darnold would show he is part of the solution going forward despite the roster. Unfortunately he showed he was part of the problem.
I'm not going to go all out in judging JD until their is more data. But I will say this. I still believe in the Bill Parcells school when it comes to team building. JD is almost the opposite of BP. We had way to many roster holes to draft a top 3 QB and that is just a fact of life. People saying we just need patience are full of crap. The patience we needed was at the QB position while we cashed out our gold to build a solid team that would be ready for a rookie QB. But hey, I'll have "patience" because I have no choice.
