New York Jets: What Does Woody Johnson Do Next

Feb 1, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson speaks at the Super Bowl XLVIII handoff ceremony to the Arizona host committee at Super Bowl Boulevard on Broadway. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets are a total mess with the team standing at 3-11, its head coach on the hot seat, and its general manager under fire by the New York media and the fan base! So, the question has become: “What should Woody Johnson do in the off-season?” It’s my hope we can discuss this one, without all of the emotion that Jets fans have pent-up on this subject. It’s been a tough season for all of us; I understand the frustrations, but it’s time to put the emotions aside and look at things logically. The NFL is a business after all, and business decisions need to remove emotion from them to give them the best chance for success. Woody Johnson has some tough decisions ahead, let’s take a look!

Oct 26, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan looks on prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Rex Ryan is on the “hot seat” once again this year. Many fans including myself thought he’d be gone last year, but the Jets organization found a reason to extend his contract. Ryan is a polarizing figure among Jets fans; many want him fired, while others remain loyal to the outspoken coach of the Jets. Ryan had initial success with the Jets.

In his first two years, he took the Jets to two AFC Championship games, and the fans were truly excited about the future of the Jets with Ryan running the team. Then came the change in general manager, and a change in philosophy regarding how to improve the team. Ryan has been “saddled” with inferior QB play in the form of Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and Michael Vick. He’s been accused of not being able to develop a young signal caller by many “experts” in the media, and has been criticized widely for his coaching hires.

Like him or not, Rex is highly regarded around the league. He brings confidence to his team, the players reportedly love to play for him, and as a defensive guru he’s consistently produced top ten defenses over the years. His loyalists claim it’s not his fault, rather blaming the personnel he’s been given as the reason the team has regressed in his tenures. Still others blame the three different offensive coordinators for the team’s demise.

There are wide varying opinions on his tenure. His detractors claim he has failed to develop adequate levels of talent, they’ve criticized his perceived lack of discipline concerning players, and he has even been accused of losing control of his locker room. His detractors have grown over this past season; fans are calling for him to be fired and many of his “loyalists” have lost patience with Ryan.

The media in NY and around the NFL already have him fired, the articles pointing to his possible replacements can be found across the web. Other team sites have him listed as potential candidate for their teams as well. Woody Johnson loves Rex Ryan as the head coach of his football team. He’s gone to extraordinary lengths to keep him in that position.

On Rex’s part, he hasn’t given up, as early as this morning he’s quoted as saying “I’m not dead yet”. Will the Jets part ways with their illustrious leader this year? A case will likely be made by Ryan himself to owner Woody Johnson to be retained, whether that case is strong enough in ownership’s eyes, is anyone’s guess!! Rex Ryan remains the head coach of this football team until Woody Johnson says otherwise!

Sep 7, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager John Idzik on the sidelines during a game against the Oakland Raiders at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Raiders 19-14. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

John Idzik has become a very controversial element in the New York Jets organization! His critics are everywhere! We’ve all seen the “Fire John Idzik” campaign started by several Jets fans. There have been billboards, planes with banners, and the upcoming home game with “penalty flags”, all with the same message; “Fire John Idzik”.

The fans are disgruntled and a vast majority are calling for an end to his employment as the general manager of this team. His critics point to his lack of production in finding adequate talent in his past two drafts. More members of the fan base are upset because of his record in free agency.

There are others yet that have gone as far as accusing him of “sabotaging” Rex Ryan by providing him with less talented players to assure he can hire his own head coach! Even with all the negativity surrounding Mr. Idzik, he still has supporters in the fan base. Many of those point to his fixing of the cap situation the Jets were in when he was hired.

Many point to the fact that he’s accumulated a healthy reserve to sign his own free agents and pursue further upgrades with. There are a lots of fans that are point to the drafting of Sheldon Richardson and the trades made for Chris Ivory and Percy Harvin as reasons he should continue on as general manager .

The NY media has buried John Idzik with criticisms, many are predicting his dismissal even before Ryan’s possibly. Woody has a much bigger decision to make concerning John Idzik’s future than he does with Rex Ryan. The general manager runs much more than just the team’s personnel, so it’s critical Johnson gets this one done as fast and as efficiently as possible.

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

Another key management position has also come under fire this season. Terry Bradway is the NY Jets Senior Director of College Scouting. He was the general manager of the Jets from 2001 until he resigned the position in 2006. He has held the head scouting job ever since.

Over his years of service, Bradway has been criticized by many Jets fans for his draft picks. This year, however, he’s being blamed for a large part of the Jets’ roster situation. As the Senior Director, he’s also responsible for hiring his own staff, and many fans are placing the teams failures squarely on the shoulders of our scouting department.

He’s had his successes in the draft undoubtedly, but his critics are pointing in his direction more and more this season. Many have even proposed scrapping the entire scouting department, starting of course with Mr. Bradway. His proponents claim he has done a substantial job acquiring talent for Jets over the years, both in scouting personnel, and players.

His defenders reflect criticism simply by putting the blame on John Idzik and his final call on personnel. Johnson has a big decision to make here as well, Bradway has been a long time friend and business associate. Has Woody Johnson seen enough from Bradway?

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets general manager John Idzik (left) talks with New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan (center) and Jets owner Woody Johnson before a game against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports