After a disastrous 2016 Jets season, going 5 -12 and not reaching the playoffs since 2010, one would think that letting go of general manager Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles would be the right thing to do?
The only thing is; they’ve been with the organization for only two years.
I know the team did fire former general manager John Idzik after only two years (2013 – 2014) while at the helm but that was because they sent Coach Rex Ryan walking at the time, too, but this was a different circumstance. Normally, if you fire the general manager, the coach needs to be relieved of his duties. The reason for their early firing was: the team started to decline after the 2010 season losing more games under Ryan. The belief was; you are what your record says you are, so they had to make a change.
Now, Johnson has a plan and he did not listen to the fans outrage but stood by what he believes was right for his football team in order to bring long-term success to the franchise. That is the name of the game. The team doesn’t want to be a one-hit wonder.
Bowles should be kept due to keeping to his belief that consistency helps to bring about success in the NFL. There are a lot of things that go into winning NFL games and the talent of the roster tops the list. You certainly need a good quarterback to win consistently, which the team hasn’t had in a while. You also do not need constant change because it doesn’t help. It just makes it more difficult.
I think Johnson has confidence in Bowles, who has a chance to improve on the team’s performance and to make them better in 2017 with a young crop of players mixed in with a few veterans in what they are terming it as a rebuild year. Both can judge performance in their own way each year, instead of embracing change.
So, it makes tons of sense for them not preaching reaching playoffs or Super Bowl this year. It just puts more pressure on the players and it distracts them, even though some may still think and believe that. With this idea in place, if the team starts out 0 – 4, there shouldn’t be no talk of firing the coach since Johnson said the team will not be judged by wins and losses but by the growth of their young players.
Maccagnan and Bowles were hired in the same year and two years is certainly not enough time to determine whether they are right for the job. Woody Johnson’s belief is that they will get it done together. We will see about that.
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