New York Jets: The Black Monday Aftermath

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

Black Monday has come and gone. We all know Woody Johnson stepped up to the podium and “blew up” his organization. His firing of Rex Ryan and John Idzik extended to the assistant coaching staff as well. In one fell swoop, Woody Johnson changed the face of the New York Jets franchise. Reaction from players and fans varied across the web, but had three things that stood out quite clearly. Rex Ryan was a player favorite, and they hated to see him go! Rex Ryan still holds the hearts of many, many Jet fans. And,nobody is going to miss John Idzik.

The firings are over, so we enter the aftermath. The point is, as Jets fans we get to put it all behind us. We can bury the “Fire John Idzik” embarrassment. Rid ourselves of the bitter split over Rex Ryan. As fans we can finally turn the page on the dismal season we endured this year. Jets fans can breathe fresh air once again, after the stagnant atmosphere that surrounded our franchise this year. That is, if we choose to! I think this fan base has a golden opportunity today to start a fresh, and come together. I’d like to see that happen, and I’ll tell you why.

Dec 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) greets Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) after the play was called dead during the first half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

First off, the Jets may not be in as bleak a position as many fans are proclaiming. We still have a very good defensive front led by Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison and team MVP Sheldon Richardson to build on from that side of the football! Dee Milliner and Dexter McDougle should be healthy and ready to play right from the beginning of workouts next year. Calvin Pryor will no longer be a rookie and has the chance to prove he was worthy of the first round selection in his second year.

The defensive side of the ball is in very good shape with talented players in place and hopes that these younger guys will make it that much better going forward. As fans I think it’s time for us to start celebrating what we do have and stop lamenting on what we didn’t have. There are always two side of a coin, and in the aftermath, it’s time to start looking at the bright side!

Dec 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (87) runs for a touchdown during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

The Jets need help offensively and we all know the fans haven’t been happy with the results in the past several years, but all is not as dark as we might think. We still have Eric Decker, Jeff Cumberland, Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, and Jeremy Kerley as proven talent to build on. We also have some young guys who should help with the offensive line as well. Oday Aboushi, Dakota Dozier, and Dalton Freeman all have shown they have enough talent to compete for starting slots next season.

Jace Amaro has clearly developed as the season went along as well. Jace could become the focal point of the Jets offense next year as we had all hoped he would be when we drafted him. We can still hope Zach Sudfeld and Chris Owusu will be back and build on the flashes of talent they have shown offensively as well. The final couple of games we even got to see Geno Smith show some consistency from the QB position.

Smith will be back next year to compete and his final game may have been an indication that with proper coaching he could be a part of the offense going forward. Smith still holds potential, he gives us a piece of a QB competition moving forward. As fans let’s rally around the talent that was shown on the field and stop lamenting on what we didn’t have, or what we think we should have had.

Let’s put the struggles behind us and look at the future. The fan base has nothing to lose here, so let’s be positive and excited for the talent that we have in place going forward! We are in the aftermath, so let’s put the dark days behind us and move forward looking for the “light at the end of the tunnel”!

My hope is the fan base can rally behind these guys and hope for improvements to aid them into a much brighter future under a new coaching staff!

Dec 21, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; A fan of the New York Jets waves a towel requesting the dismissal of general manager John Idzik (not pictured) during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Jets 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The picture above speaks volumes to how the fan base thought of the New York Jets franchise heading into Black Monday! They got what they hoped for, as Woody Johnson cleaned house! Today is a new day though! Let’s put this sentiment behind us and support whomever Johnson and his “consultants” decide to hire for the many job opportunities! Let’s look forward not backwards! As fans let’s change our negative mindset! A new regime will be coming in and there will be a lot for us to get excited about again!

The new GM, whoever that may be, will have a golden opportunity to improve this team and work on building a true contender going forward! I believe that owner Woody Johnson will find the right guy to turn over 40+ million dollars of cap space to. The Jets GM job is an attractive one this time around and as such will attract quality candidates. Going ahead, with 40 million in cap space, the #6 spot in next year’s draft and a pool of quality talent at key positions, the Jets could easily turn this thing around with a short turn around. As fans we have a chance to change all the negativity that has surrounded our team for years. This should be an exciting time for the fans, not one of mourning for what we may or may not have lost on Black Monday. This is behind us, let’s come together, put a side the divisions and support our beloved Jets!

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