Sullivan: Jets headed nowhere with John Idzik as GM
FLORHAM PARK - John Idzik was gripping a few sheets of white paper as he took his place behind a microphone Monday, glancing often at what were presumably his notes or a prepared speech. Had they been the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge, the embattled Jets general manager would have had a better chance of selling them to a public forced to sit through a rambling, 19-minute state-of-the-Jets filibuster that would have you believing nothing more than a little consistency is needed to fix this 1-7 disaster of a team.
In a rare public conversation about the franchise he took over prior to last season, Idzik did his best to summon the emotional pain of this lost season, worked hard to accept the largest percentage of blame for the team's laundry list of problems, and aimed to strike the right note of anger for a disgruntled, disappearing fan base.
'I search for words to describe how we feel, what we're going through, what we've put in and results we've achieved. It's a struggle. I don't know,' he said. 'It's gut-wrenching. It's brutal. You feel like you've been punched in the face. It's painful. It's particularly painful for our fans because we're in a biz where our actions affect so many.'
But painful enough to alter the franchise course set out by the career number-cruncher? Painful enough to put a heavier emphasis on talent evaluation so that more than three of 19 draft picks could be making an impact on the current Jets roster? Painful enough to spend down some of the inexplicable $20 million salary-cap cushion he failed to use to land even one bona fide cornerback?
Apparently not.
And that is why the sum total of those Idzik shortcomings paints a picture of ineptitude that should have owner Woody Johnson in serious evaluation mode. Even if Johnson created this mess buy forcing his GM to inherit coach Rex Ryan, setting up the odd mix of a win-now desperation coach working for a build-for-the-future GM, the two of them insist they have had no trouble working together. Idzik went as far as extolling the virtues of Ryan as a coach - 'Last time I checked, all the traits that make Rex Ryan our coach and our leader are still intact,' he said - while declining to even assure Ryan's job status for the remaining eight games of the season.
No matter what they say, the roster the two of them put together has been exposed as overmatched and undermanned. In the NFL, that is a deadly combination. Still, Idzik stood by it.
'I've been a part of this plan. I've experienced this plan. I know it works,' Idzik said, selling his Seahawks East approach. 'Our plan is not only to win now, but win into the future. Easy to say, harder to do. Those are not two mutually exclusive time periods. ... I've operated with very similar plans before. I've been successful in that. And I have every bit of confidence that our plan works here in New York. It's not manifested in our win-loss column - we've seen flashes but we need to see consistency. There are signs. We don't need signs. We need to show them wins.'
He needs to show some fire, to demand change, action, better play, better coaching. He did none of that Monday. If you went into this news conference feeling bad about the Jets, you came out of it feeling even worse. You listened to a man you're supposed to trust to rebuild this franchise insult your intelligence with claims of sufficient talent, a great coach, superior support staff and an exorbitant cap cushion that allows for all sorts of roster flexibility.
Did you see any of that helping the Jets on the field as they dropped a 43-23 decision to the Bills on Sunday, a lopsided game that included a desperate quarterback change, a multitude of penalties and an empty stadium by game's end? Do you see any of that helping the Jets as they go forward, starting Sunday in Kansas City, when an aging Michael Vick will finally take over from a shattered Geno Smith? The Jets have always had this way of inflating their own opinion of players, cheerleading long led by Ryan, but when Idzik joined the chorus Monday, refusing to acknowledge an obvious talent gap, it bordered on ridiculous.
'I believe in our locker room,' Idzik said. 'I also said I believe in our players. I also said I believe in the ability of our players. I do.' Was he watching Smith on Sunday? Did he see the three interceptions on 11 offensive plays?
'Those three first-quarter interceptions were certainly a cause for concern. It's eye-opening,' Idzik said. 'And it's certainly eye-opening for Geno. ... Some of this is going to be how he reacts going forward. [Whether he plays again] that's to be determined. We don't get too far ahead of ourselves. He's still a New York Jet. We're still trying to develop Geno Smith.'
If only Smith were the lone misfire of this forgettable Idzik tenure. But the glaring hole at quarterback is only one of the many problems this Jets team faces, and the empty suit in the front office doesn't look anywhere close to being the right man to fix them.
Email: sullivan@northjersey.com
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