2014 Jets: Report -- Rex & Idzik both to be let go

[Ralphwiggum]

well, this is 3 claims, really:
 
1: blowhard -- I don't think even his firmest defenders deny that the guy is a blabbermouth with a big ego. Beyond blowhard, the real problem with him is what a spinner/politician he is, constantly undermining those working with him. That takes blowhard in a very destructive direction.
 
2: outsize rep -- he's under .500 for his career and yet he still avoids criticism. There's only "firejohnidzik.com" even though Rex has been associated with this regime for much, much longer. This popular rep flows out of his popularity with the media, which has consistently ignored his role in the Jets' decline. One can parse forever how much credit a guy gets for the good (2 flukey playoff runs) and bad (a terrible run after he lost some key players), but bottom line no way his record is other than, at best, journeyman.
 
3: gifted on defensive side of ball: I guess tims4wins would agree with your claim some say he isn't gifted, but generally I think that's a bit of a strawman. My own call is that he does come up with some innovative defensive plans and can, at times, clearly a great motivator. So that = gifted to me. He has plenty of faults, though, even on the defensive side, so if by "gifted" you mean he deserves his defensive genius label, then no. He has gifts, but too many flaws, too.
 
The rubber hits the road in two ways:
 
1: should he replace MP as Pats' DC if he is fired? I say no way -- would be a disaster, and I think this points that he's "gifted but flawed, not "so gifted you must hire him." The same goes triple for being hired as the Pats' #2, as was suggested above -- that's pure insanity.
 
2: should he be hired elsewhere? As a HC only really as a PR move for a bad team. If I was Jacksonville and needed to get fannies in the seats I might hire him...but if I ever had players good enough to compete there I'd immediately fire him, too. As a DC, I could see more situations where he's as skilled or more than others so in the abstract he deserves those jobs....and is certainly qualified for them. That said, if I'm a HC or GM, do I really want him in house knowing what chaos he sows and how he can undermine those around him? Nope, but I could see a meddling owner -- in Oakland or Cleveland or D.C. -- overlooking that and wanting to bring in his outsized rep.

Agreed with this completely. Winning one playoff game in New England makes Rex a good coach? Talk about putting too much weight on one game. Rex isn't the worst coach ever but he's horribly mediocre (at best) as a head coach. And I think he's a bad fit personality wise here as a DC.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

The Rex spin machine in full swing?

"Idzik has alienated staff, coaches"

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/11992642/new-york-jets-gm-john-idzik-alienates-staff-coaches

 
The only real defense of Rex is that Idzik should have shitcanned the whole coaching staff before this year.
 
No other coach with Rex' record gets this written about their club. Only Rex gets the soft hand massages like this. It's gotten disgusting at this point. He's the bad HC of a terrible team. People should stop making excuses for his numerous failures.

 

[Bellhorn]

 
The only real defense of Rex is that Idzik should have shitcanned the whole coaching staff before this year.
 
No other coach with Rex' record gets this written about their club. Only Rex gets the soft hand massages like this. It's gotten disgusting at this point. He's the bad HC of a terrible team. People should stop making excuses for his numerous failures.

Wes Welker would like a word with you.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Make it happen Woody.  This would be the best beginning to the post-Rex era that I could possibly imagine.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

The Jets really hosed themselves with that win over TEN. They're a game back and are going to lose the SOS tiebreaker to everybody except OAK, who probably won't win again.

There's a good chance that they finish 3-13, typically good for the #2 or #3 pick, and still end up at 6. Jetstown!

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

At this point, even I am stupefied at how Jets are handling everything. I really don't know WTF is going on:
 
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/24886697/jets-gm-john-idzik-involved-in-early-stages-coaching-search
 

Beleaguered Jets general manager John Idzik, who has been at the center of fan and media scorn in just his second season on the job, has been helping craft the preparations for the franchise's ensuing coaching search along with owner Woody Johnson, league sources said, at a time when many have wondered if the GM would be back himself.
 
Some sources cautioned that Johnson could still perhaps opt to hire a new general manager as well, especially should he pursue an A-List coach who might want his own personnel executive, but it surprised some around the league to learn that Idzik has been involved in the pre-vetting stages of the search. It's widely known that Jets coach Rex Ryan will not be back in 2015 -- he could well end up choosing broadcasting over a return to coaching next season, sources said -- and, with a the competition for coaching candidates expected to be heavy, Johnson and Idzik are preparing lists and sniffing around on certain potential candidates.

 
So Idzik, who may or may not be fired, is preparing for the transition (for just the HC? for GM?) along with Woody Johnson and Jets President. 
 
I mean, if Johnson is sure of keeping Idzik this makes sense, but that's not what's been reported either: http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2014/12/owner_woody_johnson_strongly_suggests_changes_could_be_coming_to_jets_per_report.html
 
Also, Rex may be unintentionally pulling off a huge troll job against his own team by winning the last and possibly one more game before he's canned. Go Rex Go!

 

[Jettisoned]

It's not like Rex hasn't been trying to win games all season.  The surest reasonable path to a high draft pick is to let Rex continue to do his job the way he's always done it.

 

[TheYaz67]

 
Apparently Woody accidentally "favorited" this tweet the other day, according to Deadspin - too funny....

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?
 
Rex Ryan:
 

"This team is tight. Our record is the only thing that stinks."

 

[MalzoneExpress]

Rex, HOF Coach Bill Parcells said "You are what your record says you are." I agree with the Big Tuna on this one.

 

[dynomite]

Well what's he supposed to say?

"We're terrible and I'm counting the days until I'm fired. This game borders on the quixotic. My life has turned into a Zippy the Pinhead comic strip."

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

 
Apparently Woody accidentally "favorited" this tweet the other day, according to Deadspin - too funny....

 
Another in a long line of Jets-ian faux pas. Fairly convinced Jets won't win the big one as long as WJ owns the team.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Look at this fucking tripe from Ben Volin in today's Globe.
 
Allow me to summarize: It's not Rex's fault, because he was refreshing and really wants to win!
 
I mean, JFC. Yes, the Jets are a mess of an organization. Yes, Idzik hasn't done a great job. But my God, the Head Coach is not some innocent bystander to the whole mess. The way Volin writes he makes it sound like poor Rex was stabbed in the back by his own people. Who hasn't been able to develop a QB? The head coach. Who's team remains horribly undisciplined, unprepared week to week, too prone to emotional highs and lows that ruin season after season? The head coach.
 
It's Parcells Syndrome at work: the head coach is quotable and entertaining so the media gives him a pass. This fucking guy is incredibly teflon. It's infuriating to see.

 

[dcmissle]

A lot of merit to the above, SJH, but I hope never to get on your bad side -- you've had an erection warranting "immediate medical attention" when it comes to whacking Rex.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Meh, I'm all bark and no bite, honestly.
 
But the rank hypocrisy of the coverage is just maddening to me. He's been there 6 years and hasn't done jack shit over the last 4 and his teams fail in the most humiliating, amateurish ways, and yet he's going to get out of there with his reputation intact. Marty Schottenheimer was a trillion times better as a HC than this guy and yet Marty got fired after a 14-2 season as the media shat all over him. Meanwhile Rex has got Volin practically acting as his agent for his next job. Why? Jut because Rex talked some shit about the Pats 4 years ago? Are you kidding me?

 

[dcmissle]

You must be thrilled about Rob Ryan then ....
 
A couple of things are at work here.  First is the power of celebrity.  It buys you a lot.  On the player side, see Manziel and Tebow before him.  It bought Buddy Ryan a lot a generation ago, and it has only gotten much worse.
 
Relatedly, for the non-celebrities, there is no patience anymore.  Marty is one example; a more recent one is Lovie Smith in Chicago.  Not good enough to win in the playoffs.  how is that working out?
 
It is an open question whether Joe Gibbs today could survive the 0-5 start he posted in his rookie season coaching in Washington; if so, it would only be because of the force of character shown by Jack Kent Cooke.  (Marty did not survive a similar start under Snyder).  Beyond that, one wonders whether Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson could survive their starts today; they might be held to a Harbaugh standard.
 
This is in the face of evidence showing that patience works and that you can't prosper through churning.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

The Ryan excuse making machine is pathetic, but hopefully Woody is dumb enough to buy into it.  As a Pats fan I'll sign up now for 5 more years of Rex with the Jets.  Sure, the head-to-head matchups are going to be difficult at times, but that's the nature of divisional games in general (note that with a win on Sunday and the Pats will have same regular season record (9-3) against the Jets and Dolphins since Rex's arrival in New York).  So long as Rex is there the Jets will be a non-factor for the division and generally speaking a clown-show of a franchise that will be fun to watch from year to year.

 

[tims4wins]

The Ryan excuse making machine is pathetic, but hopefully Woody is dumb enough to buy into it.  As a Pats fan I'll sign up now for 5 more years of Rex with the Jets.  Sure, the head-to-head matchups are going to be difficult at times, but that's the nature of divisional games in general (note that with a win on Sunday and the Pats will have same regular season record (9-3) against the Jets and Dolphins since Rex's arrival in New York).  So long as Rex is there the Jets will be a non-factor for the division and generally speaking a clown-show of a franchise that will be fun to watch from year to year.

 
Yeah I'm on this train as well I hope we get 10 more years of the Rex show, as infuriating as it is that he gets all the credit when things go right and little blame when things blow up.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

The only caveat I have to the above is that if the Jets are seriously considering Mike Singletary, I'll pay for Rex's bus ticket out of town.  Sign me up for some Singletary, please!

 

[tims4wins]

I like to go back and read this article from time to time
 
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/columns/story?columnist=howard_johnette&id=5078659
 

Good night, New England. It was a nice run while it lasted, right? Tom Brady likely got a Hall of Fame plaque and got Gisele Bundchen. Bill Belichick cemented his genius label and perfected the dead-fish handshake. The Patriots got a few championships. But it's over now. Done. Thanks for the memories. What the Giants started with their Super Bowl XLII upset of the Patriots' 18-0 team, another New York club -- the Jets -- is about to finish.

 

[TheoShmeo]

From the perspective of a Pats fan down here in NY/NJ, I would add that Rex was the HC of a perpetually clownish franchise that made it to consecutive AFC Championship games early in his tenure, and knocked off the hated Patriots in the playoffs only weeks after being hammered by them 45-3 in the regular season.  And he did those things with panache and bravado.
 
That alone buys him a lot of love and patience from Joe Jets Fan.  When you throw in that he's a generally likable guy whose players still swear by him from the depth of their hearts, it's understandable why he would get a pass from many in the media.  And the topper is that he has a GM who is clearly way over his skis, thereby giving Rex a built in excuse. 
 
Make no mistake, I think Rex blows.  You simply are not allowed to be a HC and at the same time say that you have no idea what's happening on the offensive side and don't have a feel for what's happening with those players, as Rex did after the Santonio Holmes debacle a few years ago.  And we have all seen that team's lack of discipline and general state of disorganization.
 
The maddening thing for me is that Rex seems to have Brady kryptonite at times, and most Pat-Jets games carry the risk of loss until the end.  So on the one hand, I wish they would keep Rex, since they will always be dysfunctional with him at the helm.  On the other hand, his teams give the Pats a tough time.

 

[tims4wins]

From the perspective of a Pats fan down here in NY/NJ, I would add that Rex was the HC of a perpetually clownish franchise that made it to consecutive AFC Championship games early in his tenure, and knocked off the hated Patriots in the playoffs only weeks after being hammered by them 45-3 in the regular season.  And he did those things with panache and bravado.
 
That alone buys him a lot of love and patience from Joe Jets Fan.  When you throw in that he's a generally likable guy whose players still swear by him from the depth of their hearts, it's understandable why he would get a pass from many in the media.  And the topper is that he has a GM who clearly way over his skis. 
 
Make no mistake, I think Rex blows.  You simply are not allowed to be a HC and at the same time say that you have no idea what's happening on the offensive side and don't have a feel for what's happening with those players, as Rex did after the Santonio Holmes debacle a few years ago.  And we have all seen that team's lack of discipline and general state of disorganization.
 
The maddening thing for me is that Rex seems to have Brady kryptonite at times, and most Pat-Jets games carry the risk of loss until the end.  So on the one hand, I wish they would keep Rex, since they will always be dysfunctional with him at the helm.  On the other hand, his teams give the Pats a tough time.

 
You make some good points - hard to argue with that you wrote - but at what point does the 2010 playoff win in Foxboro become so long ago that it doesn't buy good will? 4 seasons is forever in the NFL and Rex is now coaching his 4th straight non playoff season. "Back to back AFC Championship Games" was a great slogan but "back to back to back to back" non-playoff seasons isn't such a good slogan.

 

[dcmissle]

Just as I want Harbaugh anywhere but the AFC East, I want Rex out of NY.  Nothing will get fixed permanently with the Jets until Woody hires a competent GM and then gets out of the way.  (I don't see Harbaugh > Jets for a variety of reasons).

 

[Ralphwiggum]

From the perspective of a Pats fan down here in NY/NJ, I would add that Rex was the HC of a perpetually clownish franchise that made it to consecutive AFC Championship games early in his tenure, and knocked off the hated Patriots in the playoffs only weeks after being hammered by them 45-3 in the regular season.  And he did those things with panache and bravado.
 
That alone buys him a lot of love and patience from Joe Jets Fan.  When you throw in that he's a generally likable guy whose players still swear by him from the depth of their hearts, it's understandable why he would get a pass from many in the media.  And the topper is that he has a GM who clearly way over his skis. 
 
Make no mistake, I think Rex blows.  You simply are not allowed to be a HC and at the same time say that you have no idea what's happening on the offensive side and don't have a feel for what's happening with those players, as Rex did after the Santonio Holmes debacle a few years ago.  And we have all seen that team's lack of discipline and general state of disorganization.
 
The maddening thing for me is that Rex seems to have Brady kryptonite at times, and most Pat-Jets games carry the risk of loss until the end.  So on the one hand, I wish they would keep Rex, since they will always be dysfunctional with him at the helm.  On the other hand, his teams give the Pats a tough time.

 
I agree with all of this.  The Playoff game was one of those things.  You can't take it away from Rex or the Jets fans.  That Pats team was 14-2 and vanquished literally every other contender in the AFC that year, yet lost to a Mark Sanchez led team at home in the Divisional round.  It really is the most confounding game of the BB era.  I still don't fully understand what happened that day.
 
That said, I think playoff games play into Rex's strengths as a coach.  He can obviously devise a good game plan (at least defensively), and his motivational style is perfect to get guys playing at their peak in huge games.  I think his success in the playoffs as the HC of the NYJ shows this.  Unfortunately, as you note, his undisciplined style and lack of control over his lockerroom is not conducive to having success in the NFL week after week, so he's only even made the playoffs twice during his tenure, and one of those years the team really had no business being there.  However, I am not sure how much you can use that one game to defend Rex anymore.  It is the definition of SSS.
 
That's why I would take five more years of him in a heartbeat.  He hasn't shown that he's learned anything about how you get a team to consistently perform at its best over the course of a 16 game schedule.  Yes, he has given the Pats fits at times, but again I don't really know how much of that is Rex and how much of it is what you would normally expect out of divisional games. 

 

[TheoShmeo]

 
You make some good points - hard to argue with that you wrote - but at what point does the 2010 playoff win in Foxboro become so long ago that it doesn't buy good will? 4 seasons is forever in the NFL and Rex is now coaching his 4th straight non playoff season. "Back to back AFC Championship Games" was a great slogan but "back to back to back to back" non-playoff seasons isn't such a good slogan.

When your context as a fan is Herm Edwards, Rich Kotite and a history of Charlie Brownish events, you hold onto those wins a lot longer than a fan of teams who have won 8 titles since February, 2002.
 
And again, it's not just those accomplishments; it's the way Rex did it.  With NY bravado and a lot of laughs.
 
One of my closest friends is a Jets fan.  He thinks the worst thing they could do would be to fire Rex.  He knows it's going to happen but he hates the idea, and thinks Rex is one of their best assets.  I don't think his outlook is terribly unique, even if most fans would opt for a change by now.

 

[Leather]

Herm Edwards and Rex Ryan have, essentially, the same record as Jets coaches.  

 

[dcmissle]

Yes, but so much of it is style, as Theo notes.  when you come in saying you're not going to kiss BB's ring, then make good on it in games that mean something, esp playoff games, NYers will have your back forever.  They have lost pretty much for 45 years, with some interludes in the 80s.  might as well have fun.

 

[MentalDisabldLst]

Who's team remains horribly undisciplined, unprepared week to week,

 
Hey, leave Pete Townsend out of this.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Yes, but so much of it is style, as Theo notes.  when you come in saying you're not going to kiss BB's ring, then make good on it in games that mean something, esp playoff games, NYers will have your back forever.  They have lost pretty much for 45 years, with some interludes in the 80s.  might as well have fun.

 
But of course Rex is a huge part of the problem, as others have noted above. Their blindness to that fact is baffling to me.

 

[DJnVa]

I like to go back and read this article from time to time
 
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/columns/story?columnist=howard_johnette&id=5078659
 

 

Record since that was published:
 
New England: 62-19
New York: 36-42

 

[TheoShmeo]

When your entire history (other than Namath, which happened too long ago for most Jets fans) is problematic and someone brightens things up for a while, does it with NY bluster and gets his defenses to play a hard, punishing style, you find a way to overlook or excuse the negatives.  I don't see that as baffling at all.

 

[RedOctober3829]

From my experiences, Jets fans hate Patriots fans 1000 times more than Yankee fans hate Red Sox fans.  They are vile and live a very pathetic existence.  Then you see your rival who used to be the same way take their head coach away, "luck" into one of the greatest QBs of all time, and win 3 SBs.  It's very clear why Jets fans hate Pats fans.  I've never been to a Jets-Pats game at MetLife so it should be interesting.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

When your entire history (other than Namath, which happened too long ago for most Jets fans) is problematic and someone brightens things up for a while, does it with NY bluster and gets his defenses to play a hard, punishing style, you find a way to overlook or excuse the negatives.  I don't see that as baffling at all.

 
Defensive ranks in points allowed in the Ryan era:
1, 6, 19, 20, 20, 24
 
Rank in point differential:
7, 8, 15, 26, 26, 29.
 
Rank in takeway/giveaway differential
16, 5, 19, 29, 30, 31

 

[RedOctober3829]

 
Defensive ranks in points allowed in the Ryan era:
1, 6, 19, 20, 20, 24
 
Rank in point differential:
7, 8, 15, 26, 26, 29.
 
Rank in takeway/giveaway differential
16, 5, 19, 29, 30, 31

Yeah, their defenses have not been good recently despite the good performances against the Patriots that we remember over the years.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Yeah, their defenses have not been good recently despite the good performances against the Patriots that we remember over the years.

 
Yes, and again it's selective memory combined with Ryan's incessant boasting at work here.
 
Look at the scores of the head to head matchups of the Pats and Jets while Ryan's been the coach. Some real defensive gems in there, but also many, many games where the Jets gave up an enormous number of points. Bolded numbers are the points the Pats scored.
 
9-16
31-14
14-28
45-3
21-28
30-21
37-16
29-26
49-19
13-10
27-30
27-25
 
12 games. More than 40 points allowed twice. 30-40 points allowed thrice, plus one game of 29 points. Half the time they played the Pats the Pats hung 30 on them. That's awful defensive performance by and large.

 

[Shelterdog]

Yeah, their defenses have not been good recently despite the good performances against the Patriots that we remember over the years.

 
A tough thing for Pats fans to recognize (and I fall prey to this as well) is that while the Jets have generally been good against the Pats (and also in a lot of other high profile games) they are often terrible against a lot of other teams. If you look at the last two seasons have played good tough close games against the Pats three times but have also been blown out a half dozen times including a 35 point loss to the Titans.  I looked at their DVOA VAR and it's 30th best last year, 29th in 2012, 25th in 2011, 28th in 2010 and 27th in 2009 (and 17th this year but the year's not over yet...).  Whether it's erratic game planning, the emotional style Rex plays, the high risk defensive approach, or something else Rex has consistently coached a team that plays great at times and terribly at others. 

 

[dynomite]

I like to go back and read this article from time to time
 
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/columns/story?columnist=howard_johnette&id=5078659
 

That article is just the absolute best.

1) Starts off strong, dismissing as "fun while it lasted" the fact that the Patriots won "a few championships" (that phrase itself is hilarious, especially when used as a semi derogatory).

2) Mockingly mentions Brady likely got a "Hall of Fame plaque" and married a supermodel, as if that's a consolation prize.

3) Describing the Patriots as "five long seasons removed from their last Super Bowl title" when contrasting it with a team that, as of the column, had just eclipsed 30 years their last Super Bowl title.

4) And perhaps my favorite, right in the middle after another few hilarious paragraphs, coming across Mike Reiss's face and a stub for his column that begins: "Championships aren't won in March and April."

It's almost as good as my always and forever favorite Jets video, and that's really saying something. For posterity:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=rZxNeFLuY98[/youtube]

I can never decide which is the best moment: when Rozelle begins by saying "And the New York Jets' first round selection... fullback..." and some Jets fan screams "OH NO!!!!!", or when the fat mustachioed 80s Jets fan explains taking Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino by saying "Obviously the Jets know something the people up here don't."

 

[Leather]

"The Patriots haven't won a playoff game since the Bush administration!"
 
Anyone remember that one?

 

[Saints Rest]

 
Yes, and again it's selective memory combined with Ryan's incessant boasting at work here.
 
Look at the scores of the head to head matchups of the Pats and Jets while Ryan's been the coach. Some real defensive gems in there, but also many, many games where the Jets gave up an enormous number of points. Bolded numbers are the points the Pats scored.
 
9-16
31-14
14-28
45-3
21-28
30-21
37-16
29-26
49-19
13-10
27-30
27-25
 
12 games. More than 40 points allowed twice. 30-40 points allowed thrice, plus one game of 29 points. Half the time they played the Pats the Pats hung 30 on them. That's awful defensive performance by and large.

And to add more to this, in the 12 games played btw Pats and Jets since Rex has been head coach:

• Wins:  Pats 8, Jets 4
• Avg points:  Pats 27.7, Jets 19.4
• Avg margin of victory in wins:  Pats 16.25; Jets 7.75
• Number of blowout wins (I'm defining as more than a 16 point, thus more than a two-score game):  Pats 4; Jets 0.

So over 12 games, Jets have won 4 close ones, lost 4 close ones, and lost 4 blowouts.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

That article is just the absolute best.

 
Pure gold of a punchline towards end of the article:
 

Even worse for the Patriots, they don't have the sort of shutdown corners to play with the other top teams in the NFL. But the Jets now do with Cromartie and Darrelle Revis. That's critically important because -- as the Jets clearly recognize -- the NFL's best teams all have superior passing attacks.

 

[TheoShmeo]

I stand corrected regarding the defense.  Selective memory on my part.  Though even in the wins, Brady never seems to play his best against this defense.  I could go back and check the numbers but I am pretty sure that his numbers in only a few of those games were gaudy.  (Then again, Revis was with the Jets for many of them.)  
 
I still think that two AFC Championship game appearances and victory over the Pats in NE make the affection of NY fans and sportswriters understandable.  Good moments -- even non-championships -- have a way of giving likable coaches a lot of leeway.
 
I also think that NYJ fans don't trust Woody to do much better with his next choice.  After all, Woody recently hired the estimable John Idzik.  At least Rex is the devil they know. 

 

[Stitch01]

27.7 a game against New England over the last five years actually isn't a bad defensive performance given the Pats are just north of 30 a game during Rex's tenure, but the magnitude is way overblown in the popular narrative.
 
They've turned Brady over more than most teams, but he's had big games against them.  Both games in '11 and '12 and the '10 Monday night game were all real good as was the second meeting in 2009.

 

[PBDWake]

I still think that two AFC Championship game appearances and victory over the Pats in NE make the affection of NY fans and sportswriters understandable. 

 
For fans? Absolutely. I don't agree with it, but fans are irrational. They all love who they're going to love and people outside of the fan bases don't understand it. But for ownership, management, and the press... People whose job is to dissect the game to not only give him such a pass for so long, but to excuse and cover for him, is the source of irritation.

 

[TheoShmeo]

I suppose.  He's quotable and likable, so whether or not the press SHOULD give him a free pass, I don't think it's particularly surprising that they do. 
 
Woody seems to be a bit of a jackass, so parsing his behavior seems like a waste of time.  And management is I guess Idzik...he's also on thin ice so not much to talk about there either.

 

[bankshot1]

Idzik did a half-decent job cleaning up the cap-hell that the Jets found themselves in, and that was largely a residual mess from the Tannenbaum/Rex years. But Idzik has done a poor job over the past two years assessing talent, and re-stocking the Jets. However to believe he was solely responsible for the rebuilding effort over the past two years, and that Rex should somehow escape some blame or scrutiny for his role over six years, seems ridiculous.  Woody has to axe them both. 

 

[Buster Olney the Lonely]

That article is just the absolute best.

1) Starts off strong, dismissing as "fun while it lasted" the fact that the Patriots won "a few championships" (that phrase itself is hilarious, especially when used as a semi derogatory).

2) Mockingly mentions Brady likely got a "Hall of Fame plaque" and married a supermodel, as if that's a consolation prize.

3) Describing the Patriots as "five long seasons removed from their last Super Bowl title" when contrasting it with a team that, as of the column, had just eclipsed 30 years their last Super Bowl title.

4) And perhaps my favorite, right in the middle after another few hilarious paragraphs, coming across Mike Reiss's face and a stub for his column that begins: "Championships aren't won in March and April."

It's almost as good as my always and forever favorite Jets video, and that's really saying something. For posterity:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=rZxNeFLuY98[/youtube]

I can never decide which is the best moment: when Rozelle begins by saying "And the New York Jets' first round selection... fullback..." and some Jets fan screams "OH NO!!!!!", or when the fat mustachioed 80s Jets fan explains taking Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino by saying "Obviously the Jets know something the people up here don't."

that really never gets old. Needs to be updated. 1996 was the last draft in that collection (Kyle Brady)
 
Sanchez, Gholston, Dewayne Robertson... It's gotta be out there

 

[dynomite]

Also, bully to me, the Jets actually hadn't won the Super Bowl in over 40 years when that column was written.

 

[Tony C]

 
Defensive ranks in points allowed in the Ryan era:
1, 6, 19, 20, 20, 24
 
Rank in point differential:
7, 8, 15, 26, 26, 29.
 
Rank in takeway/giveaway differential
16, 5, 19, 29, 30, 31

 
 
 
SJH speaks for me on all things Rex/Jets -- agree with every single post he has made. The guy who deserves some love is the despicable Mangini -- he did build some talent.
 
This thread is just too much fun...love it.
 
 

That article is just the absolute best.

1) Starts off strong, dismissing as "fun while it lasted" the fact that the Patriots won "a few championships" (that phrase itself is hilarious, especially when used as a semi derogatory).

2) Mockingly mentions Brady likely got a "Hall of Fame plaque" and married a supermodel, as if that's a consolation prize.

3) Describing the Patriots as "five long seasons removed from their last Super Bowl title" when contrasting it with a team that, as of the column, had just eclipsed 30 years their last Super Bowl title.

4) And perhaps my favorite, right in the middle after another few hilarious paragraphs, coming across Mike Reiss's face and a stub for his column that begins: "Championships aren't won in March and April."

It's almost as good as my always and forever favorite Jets video, and that's really saying something. For posterity:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=rZxNeFLuY98[/youtube]

I can never decide which is the best moment: when Rozelle begins by saying "And the New York Jets' first round selection... fullback..." and some Jets fan screams "OH NO!!!!!", or when the fat mustachioed 80s Jets fan explains taking Ken O'Brien over Dan Marino by saying "Obviously the Jets know something the people up here don't."

 
and love this video the most. The best is chanting "we want Sapp" followed by the pick of Kyle Brady.

 

[luckiestman]

 
 
 
SJH speaks for me on all things Rex/Jets -- agree with every single post he has made. The guy who deserves some love is the despicable Mangini -- he did build some talent.
 
This thread is just too much fun...love it.
 
 
 
and love this video the most. The best is chanting "we want Sapp" followed by the pick of Kyle Brady.

Mangini should have never gotten fired. Team was gathering a lot of talent. He made mistakes sure, but nothing to be fired for

 

[snowmanny]

Not necessarily, Rev. If the front office was the same, the draft would've been similar. They had 4 first round picks in 2000 and one was Chad Pennington. They already had Vinny Testaverde
and Ray Lucas on the roster. Would Parcells have taken BBs advice on Brady? No one knows.
.

Since he didn't take the advice of the scout who was screaming at him to take Brady, I'm guessing no.

http://m.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/myers-untold-story-tom-brady-drafted-jets-article-1.1975792