Jets praised by architect of their turnaround
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — General manager Mike Maccagnan praised his coach, extolled his starting quarterback, complimented his backup quarterback, hailed the New York Jets’ depth and lauded their progress. His responses at his midseason news conference Wednesday, in other words, were predictable for a first-year general manager presiding over a team that is — at 5-4 and on the periphery of the AFC wild-card chase — an improvement by any measure over last season’s fiasco.
The Jets’ proximity to a playoff spot heading into Sunday’s game at Houston — a half-game behind Pittsburgh, which is in position for the No. 5 seed, and with the same record as Buffalo, which holds the head-to-head tiebreaker — tracks with the moves Maccagnan made in the offseason, including trading for Brandon Marshall and signing Darrelle Revis as the fulcrum to the Jets’ revamped secondary. Maccagnan assembled a team built for the present while positioning it for the future.
And if this roster, with a starting lineup dominated by aging players, does not make the postseason, it will be a disappointment. Maccagnan was asked whether it would constitute a failure as well.
“We all want to build a team that can be a team that competes for the playoffs and then hope- fully, at some point in time, beyond that,” he said. “But I wouldn’t necessarily say that the playoffs or not are a benchmark.”
Unlike his predecessor, John Idzik, Maccagnan does not operate on a different timeline from his coach, Todd Bowles: They were all but hired together in January. But while Maccagnan, in the early phases of implementing his plan, must take a broader view, Bowles has more urgent needs.
“For me, yes,” Bowles said when asked if he per- ceived what would be the Jets’ fifth consecutive season without reaching the playoffs as a failure. “You want to get to the playoffs every year. You don’t want to accept not going.”
The Jets last thought the playoffs were possible two years ago, when they were 5-4 but lost four of their next five to drop out of contention. Their talent deteriorated that offseason, and Maccagnan gutted the roster a year later. Bowles has restored discipline and accountability.
“Just being around Todd, working with Todd, observing Todd,” Maccagnan said, “I think Todd’s done a very good job as a head coach.”
One of Maccagnan’s first decisions, to trade for Ryan Fitzpatrick, has stabilized the Jets at quarterback to such an extent that he could conceivably start for them next season. Beyond Fitzpatrick’s performance — 15 touchdown passes while operating the NFL’s best red-zone offense — Maccagnan said he was most impressed by his intangibles: a respected presence that united the locker room after a punch from Ikemefuna Enemkpali, now with the Bills, broke Geno Smith’s jaw.
Maccagnan said of Fitzpatrick, “I think he has a lot of good football left in him.”
How Fitzpatrick performs over the next seven games — and beyond, perhaps — could affect the likelihood of his returning, but it will have no bearing on the Jets’ search for a long-term solution at a position that has bedeviled them for decades. Mac- cagnan declined to discuss, for instance, whether he expected to prioritize quarterback in the draft. Nor did he mention how, if at all, Smith factored into the Jets’ plans, although Maccagnan did say that the Enemkpali episode did not affect his perception of Smith.
“I think the jury is still out but not necessarily in a bad way,” Maccagnan said. “We’ll just see how it unfolds going forward.”
The Jets appear to have the same strategy with the star defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, who has seven sacks and excels at stopping the run. Maccagnan dodged questions about the contract status of Wilkerson, who is in the final season of his rookie deal and is scheduled to become a free agent in March.
Discussions for an extension have been set aside until after the season, and if the negotiations are still stalled by free agency, the Jets would have the option of placing the franchise tag on him.
“I would say for the record, Mo has done a very good job, and we’re very happy with what he’s done so far,” Maccagnan said.
Had he wanted, Maccagnan could have offered a similar evaluation of his own performance. He said he was happy that the Jets have won five games so far. He said he wished they had won the other four. He sounded like a man who is pleased with his team but knows that there is much of the season left to go.