Jets Owner Woody Johnson "jolted the Jets landscape on Black Monday" by firing coach Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik in the wake of a 4-12 season, according to Manish Mehta of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Johnson will immediately begin GM and coach searches "with the help of consultants Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf to re-shape an organization that has plunged to the AFC East cellar." Johnson will look to "upgrade from Idzik, whose roster-building missteps resulted in two lost seasons for the franchise." Ryan's departure was a "fait accompli after the Jets missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, but there was some doubt in the past month about Idzik's fate." Ryan's six years as Jets coach were "entertaining, but ultimately unfulfilling." He "grabbed headlines and injected life into the organization with a refreshing bravado and honesty." Ryan was the "master of the outrageous" and the "center of attention all the time" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 12/29). ESPN N.Y.'s Rich Cimini notes Ryan's fate "was sealed several weeks ago, as the Jets were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention before Thanksgiving." He had been telling friends recently he "expected to be fired." However, the decision to fire Idzik "was less certain, if only because he was hired just two years ago." However, news of the Jets' hiring Casserly last week was a clear sign that Johnson wanted to take the franchise in a different direction" (ESPNNY.com, 12/29).
BRIEF STAY IN THE APPLE: In N.Y., Brian Costello notes Idzik's tenure with the Jets "was extremely brief," as he was just hired in January '13. However, a "shaky draft record, failure to address holes in the roster and an embarrassing midseason news conference doomed him." He was hired to replace GM Mike Tannenbaum, and the move "seemed ill-conceived from the start because Idzik’s background was in salary cap management, similar to Tannenbaum." Idzik had "very little personnel experience, something the Jets needed in the GM chair." He inherited a "bad salary-cap situation and got it in order quickly, but he struggled with roster-building" (NYPOST.com, 12/29). The DAILY NEWS' Mehta notes Idzik's mistakes "agitated the fan base and turned him into Public Enemy No. 1." From a "sad and disjointed mid-season press conference to billboards and planes flying over practice demanding his ouster, the anger reached deafening levels." Idzik's "stubbornness fostered an unhealthy environment at the team facility" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 12/29). On Long Island, Kimberley Martin notes two years is a "short time for any GM to implement his long-term plan, but Idzik essentially became radioactive after his midseason review, in which he rambled on during a 19-minute monologue without offering any specifics about the direction of the team and his efforts to improve the roster" (NEWSDAY.com, 12/29). In N.Y., Ben Shpigel writes Johnson's decision to "boot Idzik 23 months into his tenure is commendable and at once inconceivable," as it "acknowledges a mistake." He will likely replace Idzik was someone "who has a strong background in personnel." However, having "to dismiss Idzik so soon ... reflects poorly on Johnson" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/29).
MARRIAGE DOOMED TO FAIL: NFL Network’s Kimberly Jones notes Johnson retained Ryan two years ago when he hired Idzik because Johnson "wanted very much for Rex Ryan to succeed." However, that move now "is viewed in hindsight by many as a miscalculation -- a new general manager with the former head coach still in place and perhaps at odds on motivation or on the way they would look at a franchise." Jones: "Now Woody Johnson is sending clear word. He wants football leadership” (“NFL AM,” NFL Network, 12/29). In Newark, Darryl Slater writes by keeping Ryan as coach, Johnson forced Idzik "into a marriage with the coach, and putting the two men on different timelines -- Idzik planning for the future and building through the draft, Ryan needing to win now to save his job." Now, Johnson's next GM "will get to hire his own coach, which should make the job more attractive" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 12/29).
