Thoughts on the Press Conference for John Idzik

What did you think of our new general manager?

So, we met John Idzik this morning, hearing him speak for the first time during his press conference at Jets headquarters today. Here were some impressions:

• First of all, very endearing guy.  He seemed to be very engaged and excited to do his job, whether we were listening to his introduction, or hearing him answer questions.  Gone are the days of Mike Tannenbaum repeating himself over and over again,   He even seemed interested in getting to know the media members, although that will likely change.
• Excellent job by Mr. Idzik not getting into details with regards to personnel.  The media, as we know, was trying to get him to say something out of school regarding Mark Sanchez or Darrelle Revis, and to his credit he did not.  Obviously, with it basically being his first day on the job on New Jersey, it’s too soon to talk about.
• The above being said, he DID say that there will be a constant influx of competition.  That is great because one of our biggest problems has been the allegiance to guys already on this roster.  Too much loyalty was paid to players that had done well in the past.  Now, we have a guy from the outside who said that the first priority will be to do a detailed evaluation of the roster.  You can read between the lines and take that to mean that nobody is safe.  He said they will trade, use waiver claims, free agents…etc.  I took it to mean if the right move for Darrelle Revis is out there, he will make it.  It’s great to have new perspective on the roster.
• Idzik said that he found that Rex Ryan was a plus.  Could that be what he was told to say?  Maybe.  But it seemed truthful, that was the impression that he gave.  If in fact that is the case, it’s a great sign, because for this to work, these two men are going to have to be able to work together.
• Personally, my favorite comment he made was that the draft will be valuable each and ever year.  We have talked more than once on here about the importance of rebuilding through the draft.  That answer can tell you that gone are the days of trader Mike getting rid of draft picks.  Here, are the days of John Idzik, looking to stockpile draft picks, even if that means moving a prominent player.
• Finally he talked about the “power of we”.  He said that decisions made for this team will be collaborative.  He feels comfortable with everyone in the building, and will make decisions as a team.  The concept is solid, but in my opinion, he has to be careful.  He is the new guy here, so giving others the chance to speak their mind is a good idea.  He needs to get lots of opinions.  But, he is the guy to pull the trigger.  He must show the strength of his convictions, and make decisions.  If he lets them all get driven by peer pressure, it could cause him problems.

The bottom line is that he gave a good press conference.  He said many of the right things.  But, we have heard the “right things” before.  OK, John Idzik, talk is over.   Let’s see what you got.  Then we will evaluate.