Could a change of leadership be just what the New York Jets need to build a consistent contender? If Woody Johnson leaves, quite possibly.
It has been reported that there is a very good chance New York Jets’ owner Woody Johnson would be named an ambassador to the United Kingdom under President-Elect Donald Trump.If that comes to fruition, Woody’s younger brother, Chris Wold Johnson, could assume control of the day-to-day operations of the Jets.
Since little is known about Chris, one would need to speculate about his involvement in the football operations of the organization.
January 18, 2000, Woody Johnson purchased the New York Jets from Leon Hess for 635 million dollars. As a brand, the New York Jets have become very profitable. Forbes estimates the team’s worth at 2.75 billion dollars.
Attendance has remained in the top five in the league over the past three years. The loyal fan base has continued to show up even with the constant shifts in direction, even during a horrid campaign.
In the 17 years of ownership, there has never been a consistent winning culture. There have been short spurts of success followed by multiple years of disappointment. As an owner, the buck stops with Woody. The choices he has made over nearly two decades have shaped the history or the New York Jets. And that history has been, in a word, average.
During a “State of the Jets” address that Woody held on Thursday, he preached patience, something he has failed to show during his time as owner.
So, Here are the top five reasons why the Jets have not been a success under Johnson:
The Head Coaches
There has been five former head coaches — Al Groh, Herman Edwards, Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan— and each experienced short term success but ultimately were fired for consecutive losing seasons.
Current head coach Todd Bowles began his Jet’s coaching career with a 10-6 mark. In his second year, that win total was cut in half, costing him a number of his coaching staff.
Rex Ryan was the most successful of the five, leading the Jets to two AFC Championship games. A change of general manager, from Mike Tannenbaum to John Idzik, and a slew of personnel changes killed any momentum Ryan had created.
New York Jets Head Coach and Record:
- Al Groh: 9-7
- Herman Edwards: 39-41
- Eric Mangini: 23-25
- Rex Ryan: 46-50
- Todd Bowles: 15-17
The General Managers
Woody Johnson’s general managers have left a lot to be desired.
Other than the one year of Bill Parcells, the position has been filled with names with no prior General Manager experience at all. A trend that that was evident in head coaching hires, as well. In fact, Terry Bradway, Mike Tannenbaum and John Idzik would only receive a combined one more chance to be a general manager in the NFL (Tannenbaum with the Miami Dolphins).
Current General Manager, Mike Maccagnan, joined the New York Jets just two years ago. In his first offseason, he was able to add Brandon Marshall, Darelle Revis and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
All moves turned out to be great but a year later, the team looks to be in shambles. Oh, the life of a New York Jets GM.
A Short Leash
There has not been much longevity when it comes to positions within the Jets franchise. Whether that be head coach, general manager, or even player.
Of course, this cannot be all put on the shoulders of Johnson, but there hasn’t been that decade plus franchise quarterback during his tenure.
Vinny Testaverde, Chad Pennington, and even a small window of Mark Sanchez played well at the position, but with especially coaching philosophies changing, no stability led to their inevitable demise.
If you think the average lifespan of a running back’s career is short, around three years, being an employee of the New York Jets, isn’t too far off.
A Place to Call Home
Woody Johnson had a plan to make the Jets New York City’s team — to actually have a stadium within the confines of the island of Manhattan. It would have been a move that would have differentiated the Jets from the New York Giants, who would have remained in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The deal eventually was rejected by New York State, to publicly fund the construction on the West Side of Manhattan. This forced Woody to make a deal with the Giants franchise and cohabit a new stadium in the Meadowlands Complex.
This would become MetLife Stadium. If the West Side stadium had been funded, there is no doubt it would have propelled the popularity of the Jets and may have changed the course of Woody’s ownership tenure.
Making Headlines over Making Smart Moves
“There is no such thing as bad publicity,” they say.
The Jets have seen plenty of bad publicity. The season of “Hard Knocks” on HBO allowed for fans to see how the ugly side of Darrelle Revis‘ contract negotiations played out on reality television. As Rex Ryan gathered a search party to look for the star cornerback, Mike Tannenbaum and Woody traveled from Florida to Upstate New York to try and get a resolution. An embarrassing thing for Jets fans to watch, that the organization they root for would treat their superstar this way.
The light shines bring in New York, so when a player gets in trouble with the law, by driving under the influence, possessing a firearm, or gets involved in a domestic dispute, the incident becomes that much bigger. The responsibility of the owner becomes much more prominent. That’s why we expect more when players like Braylon Edwards, Shaun Ellis, and John Abraham, break the law, and end up in uniform just days later.
If 2016 was the year before Woody Johnson took a hiatus from the New York Jets, let’s just say, Jets fans are ready too!