Content available exclusively for subscribers
Let’s take a closer look at what he said . . .
I was going over Christopher Johnson’s comments from his Tuesday press briefing, and I have some takeaways.
I want to start with a couple of quotes that really struck me as eclectic.
He was asked – “What is your message to fans who are puzzled that Coach Bowles got an extension after a 20-28 record through three seasons?”
“I understand that, but he and Mike came into a really difficult situation and I think you’re going to see that change going forward,” Johnson said. “I think that the fans are going to be happy with our movement as we go into the next year.”
I’m a little perplexed as to the “really difficult situation” that Todd and Mike came into. Their first season they went 10-6, so how bad was that situation?
And then the following season, the team fell apart, a team they had a lot do to with assembling.
I like Christopher. He’s a good guy, but I don’t understand the “difficult situation” Todd and Mike came into.
I wasn’t at this press briefing. I had a prior commitment, and this was announced with little notice. But if I was there, I definitely would have asked him to explain “the difficult situation.”
He was also asked, “Are you mindful of the criticism that you might have invested in the wrong people with Bowles and Maccagnan?”
“I completely disagree with the idea that Mike and Todd are the wrong guys,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t have extended them if I didn’t think that they were the right guys to take this team forward. I love working with them. I have great respect for them and their roles. I think they’re really quite extraordinary.”
I think many were taken aback by the owner calling his GM/coach tandem, coming off a back-to-back 5-11 seasons, “quite extraordinary.”
Some might consider that level of praise hyperbolic.
Look, I’m not calling for anybody to get fired, but I’m not sure their work merits them to be described as “quite extraordinary.”
Now I do believe that with the right off-season moves, the Jets could take a quantum leap next year. That includes bringing McCown back for another year, getting three difference-makers with their three picks in the first two rounds, and landing two or three talented free agents with all the cap space they have.
Maybe “quite extraordinary” might apply in in 2018 if the Jets hit this off-season out of the park.
One other thing.
Johnson said one reason he added two years to Bowles and Maccagnan’s contracts is he wants stability.
“There’s an added part about wanting to have some stability on this team,” Johnson said. “You want to have the same coach working with the same players over the years. You don’t want to keep switching up systems on people.”
I agree. This is a great point. However, you just don’t want stability for just the sake of stability. You need to make sure you have the right people to keep long-term.
He thinks he has them. We will see In the next couple of years.
January 5, 2017
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Monday.