By Joshua Z. Lavine
Alas, the glory days seem like so long ago. The New York Jets are a team in turmoil. They are stuck with incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez and his $8.25 million contract, regardless if he plays for the team in 2013 or not. Head Coach Rex Ryan is skating on thin ice after the Jets went 6–10 last season. Even superfan Fireman Ed can no longer take it.
Following the season, the Jets fired General Manager Mike Tannenbaum and replaced him with John Idzik. However, they kept Head Coach Rex Ryan and some of his infrastructure. This leaves Idzik in a tough position. Jets owner Woody Johnson had ample opportunity to fire Ryan if he wanted to. Since he did not, this implies that Johnson still believes in Ryan. This would lead one to think that Idzik does not have full control of the football operations. Usually when a new general manager comes in, they bring in a new coach with them. So with miscommunications between the players, coaches, and front office, it seems like the Jets may finally be trying their only option left: blow it all up.
In an attempt to solve their quarterback situation, the Jets drafted Geno Smith out of West Virginia University in the second round. Upon being drafted Smith declared, “We’re going to the playoffs next year.” Smith may want to check his team’s record last year, especially when your top three receivers are Santonio Holmes, who is coming off reconstructive ACL surgery, Jeremy Kerley, who led the team with 57 catches and Stephen Hill had only 21 receptions.
But the Jets defense is their saving grace, right? Well that once vaunted Jets defense got shredded last season. They let opponents score an average of 23.4 points per game against them, good for 20th in the league. Gone are Pro Bowl cornerback Darelle Revis and linebacker Bart Scott. As a way to begin revitalizing their defense, the Jets drafted University of Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner with the 9th pick and University of Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson with the 13th pick.
So the Jets are at least focusing on rebuilding, right? Well even when the Jets rebuild, they still cause controversy. Yesterday the Jets waived backup quarterback, Tim Tebow, which ESPN had a field day with. Even their decision to waive the useless Tebow was met with criticism. Many believe the Jets timed this move horribly, as NFL rosters are overstuffed due to the recent NFL Draft, which took place this past week, and Tebow may find it difficult to sign with another team. Ryan said that the Jets, “have a great deal of respect for Tebow.” The timing of this move does not sound like a respectful decision.
Though with the upcoming season, Jets’ fans have some reason for optimism. The new general manager Idzkik should bring in new methods of evaluating talent. As the Assistant General Manager for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Vice President of Football Administration for the Seattle Seahawks, Idzik has helped to build championship teams. With Tebow gone, the media will not press the Jets as much (one can hope) and the team can focus on winning football games. Even so, the Jets are currently in a rebuilding process. If the Jets want to completely rebuild, then Johnson needs to hand the keys over to Idzik so he can fly the team to improvement.
At least they can now try and move on from the “Buttfumble”.
