IT’S YOUR TURN,
Woody’s sibling deserves
The new Jets billionaire bossman sounded quite different than the old Jets billionaire bossman even though the resemblance is uncanny.
Christopher Johnson might be Woody’s younger brother, but make no mistake about it: This is his show for the foreseeable future.
The acting Jets owner blended optimism, realism and even a little humor in his first public remarks Wednesday, hop- ing to change perception and reality for a star-crossed franchise toiling in the NFL basement.
It’s a tall order, but he deserves a fair chance.
Johnson is fighting a history filled with frustration from a fickle fan base. He’s fighting a 136-146 record since his big brother plunked down 635 million smackaroos to buy the Jets 17 years ago. He’s fighting league-wide sentiment that an organization in the NFL margins for so long has mailed in the 2017 season for the promise of something much bigger in 2018 and beyond.
Woody Johnson’s advice to his brother amid the transition of power: “It’s your team. Don’t mess it up.” No pressure at all. The younger Johnson has a Herculean undertaking on his hands given the current state of an organization that he firmly believes isn’t tanking this season for a franchise quarterback in next year’s draft.
“It couldn’t be further from the truth,” Johnson said as his brother begins his new gig as the U.K. Ambassador for the Trump Administration. “I want to win every game. Every player in that locker room wants to win. What you’re seeing, I think, are growing pains. These are young guys…. I think you’re going to see this team get better and better and better. That’s what I’m looking for. And we are definitely not tanking.”
Sucking For Sam or being Frozen For Rosen, of course, has its privileges (MUCH more on that in the coming days, weeks and months).
Johnson certainly is aware of what’s in the big-picture best interest of the franchise, but there are immediate concerns that must be addressed such as convincing his paying customers that 2017 is not a lost season.
It’s reasonable to think that fan apathy will be the fallout of general manager Mike Maccagnan’s rebuilding plan. The playoffs, after all, are obviously not a part of the 2017 equation.
“I hope that the fans will buy into our plan,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing growth. I’m extraordinarily excited about seeing the development of our young players, especially. I think that they’re going to see this team grow before their eyes. I think that that’s exciting. I can’t say whether they’re going to stay home, but I hope they don’t. I think it’s going to be an exciting season.”
Although Johnson admitted that “I’m not a patient man,” he was realistic about the next 15 weeks.
“The biggest challenge is to earn the trust of the fans to have them know that I care about this team deeply,” Johnson said. “And that I’m going to do everything