Is New York Jets’ Terry Bradway as Bad as Everyone Thinks?

Terry Bradway has had some great successes in his time with the New York Jets.

In case you have missed the recent news, the Jets have made some changes in the front office. As we posted recently, Scott Cohen and Ari Nissim are not going to have their contracts renewed, and will be leaving the Jets’ front office.  No surprise here, it was only a matter of time before John Idzik started making his mark on the front office.  The new guy is going to bring in his guys.

As this happened, many were expecting Terry Bradway to be the next guy to go. But as the day went along, it was not to be, and we learned that Terry would be staying in New York. This angered many Jets fans, as I saw on the @thejetpress Twitter feed all day long. Many were calling him “Teflon Terry”, as in the guy that can’t be touched.

So that got me thinking. How good of a talent evaluator has Terry Bradway been through the years? Is he really as bad as everyone says? So I did some research, and looked at what Bradway did through the years. He was the general manager beginning with the 2001 draft, and ending with the 2005 draft.

You might be surprised as to my findings. Let’s look back:

2001: 1st round, 16th overall, WR Santana Moss2nd round, 49th overall, RB Lamont Jordan3rd round, 79th overall, T Kareem McKenzie

2002: 1st round, 22nd overall, DE Bryan Thomas

Let’s see. So far, over the first two years of the Bradway era, he drafted a speedy wide receiver that still is making an impact in the league, a running back that didn’t have a long career but was quite effective in a Jets’ uniform, a starting right tackle, and a defensive end that played a significant role for the Jets through this past season.

2004: 1st round, 12th overall, LB Jonatham Vilma3th round, 108th overall, WR Jerricho Cotchery5th round, 143rd overall, S Erik Coleman

2005: 3rd round, 88th overall, DT Sione Po’uha4th round, 123rd overall, S Kerry Rhodes

So there we have a many year starting linebacker in Vilma, a receiver that we all wish was never let go in Cotchery, and a safety in Coleman that was lesser-known, but did pick off 7 in 3 years with the Jets.

In 2005, we have a tackle that played until the current season, and a safety that had great seasons in the Green and White before he was sent away during the Rex era.

Yes, I skipped 2003, as that was the year that Bradway selected Dewayne Robertson. We all know that was a mistake, and a colossal one. But that is one.

My point here, is look at that list. It looks to me like Terry Bradway had a lot more success than failure as a talent evaluator. Is it really so bad that he is staying? After all, he wanted to choose the guy below:

January 26, 2013; Honolulu, HI, USA; NFC quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks (3) passes the football during the NFC practice on Ohana Day at the 2013 Pro Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports