Smart to not raise playoff bar on Gang
The road to redemption requires ear muffs, ear plugs and any other noise-canceling device to block out the impetuous babble around these parts. Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson navigated through the cacophony and made the smart decision not to institute a playoff mandate next season for Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles. Such an ultimatum during this critical juncture of the organization’s rebuild would only serve to undermine the ultimate goal. It would be reckless and counterproductive. It would threaten to screw everything up. It would be the same old Jets. Instead, the Johnson brothers have committed to seeing this through the right way. It’s not for the faint of heart. It requires critical thinking and common sense.
“It’s always going to be about progress,” Johnson said this week about how he’ll evaluate the 2018 season. “We can’t get there fast enough. I want to get to the playoffs. I want to get to the Super Bowl. I was serious about that desire to get to the Super Bowl before my brother gets back here. I would love to have that happen. But, there are no mandates. I think the fans are going to be happy with the way we move forward here. I just can’t put down a mandate for these guys.”
Johnson, you see, is smart. He knows that setting a postseason-or-else directive is counterproductive. Nothing good, frankly, can come from it.
The Jets must continue heading in the right direction regardless of whether they make the postseason in 2018. If Bowles leads the team to a second 10-win campaign, but misses the playoffs, should he be fired? Of course not.
If the Jets, coming off back-to-back fivewin seasons, improve their win total by 80% and finish 9-7, should Gang Green can the general manager and head coach and start from scratch. Uh, no.
If the Jets miss the playoffs after spending big-time loot on free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, should that prompt a pink slip for Bowles and Maccagnan? Nope.
What if Cousins suffers an injury? Moral of the story: Mandates with contingencies are silly too. Progress should be the measuring stick. Are the Jets getting better? Will this revamped roster —and make no mistake, there WILL be a personnel facelift — show enough encouraging signs that translate to more victories? That’s what actually matters.
The Jets are obviously in a better place now than when Maccagnan and Bowles inherited a hollow roster (after about six years of poor drafts from two prior regimes). There are some quality young pieces in place, but much more work needs to be done.
“(Todd) and Mike came into a really difficult situation,” Johnson said. “I think you’re going to see that change going forward. I think that the fans are going to be happy with our movement as we go into the next year.”
The brain trust must hit on players entering their prime (as opposed to geezers looking for one more pay day) in free agency and future difference makers in the upcoming draft. The Jets absolutely need to pick up the pace, but it would be foolish to demand a playoff appearance next season.
Yes, the Jets haven’t made the playoffs in seven years or hoisted a Lombardi Trophy in a half-century. Yes, the fans care deeply and deserve a winner. Yes, it sucks, it hurts and it’s annoying.
But get a grip, people. Tune out the folks who love the sound of their own voice more than logic.
The Jets have been lost in the wilderness for too long. They’re finally trying to chart a strategic course out of the woods. It’s the best path to sustainable success.
“When you look at where we are this year (and) look at where we’re going to potentially be next year, our goal is to put as competitive of a team on the field as we can,” Maccagnan said. “Our goal is to build a team that can consistently compete for the playoffs every year. I think we’re moving towards that goal…. We have our vision of what we want this team to be and we’re trying to expedite it.” here’s this laughably off-base notion from a loud minority that the Jets have accepted mediocrity. Those folks evidently cannot comprehend the value of stability at the top of the football operations. The reality, of course, is that these Jets want exactly the same thing as the suffering diehards.
“I know that we have given them a lot more pain than glory recently,” Johnson said. “It’s been a long time since we have had proper glory, and I think that they understand that I’m trying to set this team up for glory and I think we’ll get there. I really do.”
A playoff mandate for 2018 never made sense.
T@MMehtaNYDN JETS general manager Mike Maccagnan and owner Christopher Johnson both said Tuesday that they plan to be “active” in free agency this offseason. The approach is predictable. The organization enters the new year with close to $80 million in cap space, and that number should increase to around $100 million once Maccagnan cuts some costly veterans, starting with defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.