New York Jets’ Fan Base Calling For John Idzik’s Firing

The Jets are now 1-5 after a disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. With this latest loss, a once enthusiastic fan base has begun to call for John Idzik’s job! It appears on the surface to be a radical idea, as most GM’s are given more time to develop a team. The “rule of hand” is that you can’t judge a GM’s effectiveness until his initial draft plays out their rookie contracts. In fairness to Mr. Idzik, that hasn’t happened yet, his initial draft is still in its second year. I thought today, instead of rehashing the loss to the Broncos, we’d take a moment to discuss John Idzik, as he holds the future of our beloved Jets in his hands.

In 2013, the Jets hired GM John Idzik to lead the New York Jets organization into the future. John inherited a team in “Cap Hell” and was presented with seven picks going into the draft. To Idzik’s credit, he resolved the cap position and set the Jets up with a surplus for 2014. In the draft he chose Dee Milliner and Sheldon Richardson in the first round. He then moved on to draft Geno Smith in the second round. Fans were excited! His third round pick was taken to choose Brian Winters to bolster the offensive line. Idzik moved his fourth rounder to acquire none other than Chris Ivory. Idzik then chose Oday Aboushi, William Campbell and Tommy Bohanon. There were mixed reactions from the fan base, as many craved offensive talent at the skilled positions.

By season’s end the Jets fan base began to grumble. Sheldon Richardson had a superb year, playing like a beast and stopping the run while winning the Rookie Defensive Payer of The Year Award. Dee Millner on the other hand struggled with injuries, poor play, and eventually was benched several times. Geno Smith struggled mightily in his rookie season, after being thrust into the starting line up due to a season ending injury to Mark Sanchez. Chris Ivory played well for the Jets, he was hampered by injury at times, but overall his acquisition was an upgrade to the Jets backfield. Aboushi, and Campbell never suited up for a game in 2013, and Bohanon was a huge disappointment to most.

Fast forward to 2014. Campbell was cut, Aboushi remains a backup and Bohanon was released and later resigned due to injury. Sheldon Richardson continues to impress and play at a high level. Dee Millner was injured in camp. and has virtually missed his sophomore season to date with even more injuries. Smith continues to struggle and the “bust” moniker is being applied to his development.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets free safety Calvin Pryor (25) shoves Denver Broncos linebacker Lamin Barrow (57) after Barrow punched a Jet and was ejected from the game during the third quarter of their NFL football game at MetLife Stadium. The Broncos defeated the Jets 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 draft has brought even more discussion among Jets fans. Idzik surprised some by using the first round pick to upgrade the safety position by choosing Calvin Pryor. The second round brought us a promising talent in Jace Amaro. Idzik surprised most pundits in the third round by choosing Dexter McDougle. In the fourth round the Jets chose Jalen Saunders, Dakota Dozier and Shaquelle Evans. They went on to choose Jeremiah George with their fifth round pick. Sixth round they brought in Brandon Dixon, Quincy Enunwa, and Tajh Boyd and IK Enemkpali. Fianlly in the seventh round the Jets went with Trevor Reilly. Mr. Idzik chose to utilize all 12 of his picks, deciding against any moves up or down the board.

To the present. Calvin Pryor may hold the answer at safety, but there have been some grumblings about his status as a number one pick, and his lack of productivity thus far. Amaro has been booed by fans in the stadium at times, and his development to the pro game has been slow. McDougle and Evans were injured before the season, and will miss their rookie campaigns. Jalen Saunders was cut along with Tajh Boyd. Quincy Enunwa made the practice squad, while both Dozier and Enemkpali made thee 53 man roster as backups. The sentiment among many Jets fans is that many of these draft picks were wasted as they produced little talent on the field.

It is early to judge John Idzik’s drafts, as some of the remaining players may develop into something. Fans are also up in arms over his free agent acquisitions, or the lack thereof in some cases. He signed both Dimitri Patterson and Jacoby Ford, only to release them before the season’s opening day. The biggest free agent complaint being leveled against John Idzik is his failure to bolster the cornerback position. The other big contention fans have been having with him is the surplus cap space that he held on to, many fans thought he should have spent more to bring in veteran play and leadership.

Oct 12, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets owner Woody Johnson watches warmups before the game against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

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I defended John Idzik last season, I hoped that this guy had a plan to turn this franchise around. John came in promising the fan base to improve the roster, to build through the draft, and to use free agency to supplement the draft. The “Idzik Plan” was supposed to improve the roster now; the Jets organization shied away from the “rebuild” term, according to team officials a rebuild wasn’t necessary. Woody Johnson declared he was in this to win now! Personally, I’ve lost all faith in John Idzik! The Jets are currently 1-5 and the obvious holes have convinced me this team is sub par. I believe Idzik has broken his promises to the fan base. He currently is sitting on a huge amount of cap money, but is fielding a team devoid of much talent. Johnson has backed away from his win now philosophy, apparently he’s no longer tired of waiting for a championship! Woody may be willing to wait, but the disgruntled fan base is unhappy.

As I see it now, the Jets will once again need a multiple year rebuild. The holes haven’t been filled on this roster, I actually believe they are more prevalent than when Idzik took control of the organization. The team still has glaring holes at cornerback, offensive line and receiver, the same holes that were evident when Idzik got here! John has had 19 opportunities to address this teams needs via the draft, with very poor results. Sheldon Richardson is his only proven pick. Millner, Smith and Pryor continue to struggle. Winters in my opinion is a bust, and I have no faith in Aboushi to develop into anything resembling an NFL guard. Dozier and Dixon may develop into back ups, but both are pretty raw.

I’ve yet to see anything from the receivers he brought in, its pretty obvious if they couldn’t break into a very poor receiving corps’ starting rotation, that they will not become top-level talent. Our offensive line is aging, with very little depth behind the starters, it will need to be rebuilt in the near future. Our line backing corps also needs help, Pace is aging and likely done at season’s end. Harrison becomes a free agent next year, and at 30, we’ll need to find him a replacement as well. The QB position remains up in the air, with Vick signed to a one year deal, and Smith struggling.

I can see why the fan base is frustrated with John Idzik. Many want him fired! I’m with them! The Idzik Plan is a complete failure! A major Jet rebuild will be once again be needed to put this team on the right path. If the Jets are going to undertake a three year rebuild, as many “pundits”around the league believe, then I say we need to go ahead with a different GM! I believe Woody should hire a consulting firm to help in the search. The Jets need a GM that is competent in finding talent, no more contract guys! While managing the cap is important, finding talent to field a competent football team is just as important. I understand the need to save space to pay guys like Wilkerson, but as much money as the Jets have on hand currently surely some of it could have been spent! Our team lacks both starting quality players, and quality back ups at several positions.

Fire John Idzik is my message to team ownership! I’ve seen too much mediocre talent being brought in by this guy! He played the “numbers game” in this year’s draft and it hasn’t worked! He failed to sign anything worth while in free agency two years running, with the exception of Eric Decker. As a lifetime Jet fan, I’m tired of waiting for a competitive team, Idzik promised us that sort of team two years ago! He’s failed to even come close! 8-8 last season was a disappointment, but a 1-5 start this season is just pathetic! John Idzik has failed to improve this team, and has broken his promises to Jet Nation! It’ll mean drastic changes, likely it’ll mean the end of the Rex Ryan era, and a new coaching staff. Personally I believe its come to time for change! What do you guys think? Time to sound off!!

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