New York Jets Must Work Smart, Not Hard in Making Hires

Dec 29, 2014; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets chairman and chief executive officer Woody Johnson addresses the media regarding the dismissal of general manager John Idzik (not pictured) and head coach Rex Ryan (not pictured) at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

It was an Italian philosopher named George Santayana that said the following quote:

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

The Jets have certainly been guilty of this through the years. The team has made similar draft mistakes for many years. They have had trouble getting the quarterback situation right, and they have had many coaches strikingly similar as to how poorly they manage the clock in games.

To their credit, Woody Johnson and his team are working hard to fill the Jets open positions. But they also need to work smart. Let me tell you what I mean.

Jan 30, 2014; Jersey City, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn at a press conference at The Westin in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The firings were swift, and the Jets are right back at it, looking for replacements. The Jets are in Seattle, have already interviewed candidates for the general manager. They are also interviewing for head coach, with the likes of Dan Quinn and Tom Cable set to be seen while the Jets are in Seattle.

We have also heard about the Doug Marrone feelings, which we discussed earlier this morning. Whether you like the candidates or not, there is no doubt that the Jets are working hard to find good people to fill the open positions.

Woody Johnson doesn’t really know football. It has taken a while, but he seems to have finally realized that. In order to get this right, he know the Jets need football consultants to help. The Jets brought in Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf, two guys with long football resumes, to help. These are excellent steps to get the Jets moving in the right direction.

But they are still on the edge of getting this wrong.

Dec 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Cardinals 35-6. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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

The Jets are in Seattle, and are interviewing replacements for John Idzik. At the same time, however, the Jets are looking for Rex Ryan’s replacement, scheduling meetings with the likes of Tom Cable, among others.

Why are the Jets running this search concurrently? If they are going to look for both positions at the same time, it must be conceivable that they will hire a coach first, with the general manager to come after. Is that smart? I don’t think so.

We have already been there and done that with the Jets. Wehave seen the problems between Rex Ryan and John Idzik, as much as they want us to believe there were none.

What we have learned is that forced relationships between a coach and general manager don’t work. Why? Because they will not have the same philosophy. It doesn’t happen. The general manager must have a say in who the head coach is. It doesn’t work any other way.