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John Idzik was a busy man last week, with his first draft as Jets GM, and also making a trade for tailback Chris Ivory. Here are some of this thoughts on some of the hot issues.
Q)Your thoughts on the first round?
Idzik: The two players we drafted Dee (Milliner) and Sheldon (Richardson), they were two of our highest rated players on our board by far. I think they’re going to make an immediate impact.
Q)In the first round, did you were stick to your value board?
Idzik: Yes, we said from the beginning that our draft philosophy is going to be a talent-based operation. That’s precisely what we did.
We’re going to take the best players. We’re going to assemble the best team of players and let them compete.
Q)Were you tempted to draft an offensive player?
Idzik: You’re tempted, but you’re not going to going to succumb to temptation. You’re going to stick to what you believe in, and that’s if you have players on your board you highly value, then you’re going to stick to the talent base. That’s exactly what we did.
We selected two of our top four players on our board, period and we’re extremely thrilled to have that. We were in a very unique position that way.
Q)Did the Milliner pick have anything to do with CB Darrelle Revis’ departure?
Idzik: That is wrong. That had nothing to do with this. It’s purely based on the player. It may be perceived that way, but the reality is Dee was one of our highest ranked players, regardless of position on our board. So we took him.
I think it’s unfair to Dee. We drafted Dee because of his talent. We drafted Dee because we felt he was the best player on our board at the time. It was not position specific. He was one of the best players on our board period, so when we had the chance to get him at nine, the room was pretty excited.
Q)How close were you guys to trading down in the first round?
Idzik: We entertained a few potential scenarios, but when we saw the players on the board (we drafted), it would have to be pretty attractive for us to leave our top four. Again, in the end, it was too good for us to pass up.
Q)When do you think that Milliner (shoulder) will be ready for full activity?
Idzik: It would (likely) be sometime in June. Until we get our hands on him, we won’t know for sure. Certainly, by training camp and that would be the projection now, but it’s a little premature for us to say without having put our hands on him. This guy, again, fast healer and tough are probably understatements. If anyone is going to beat the curve, Dee will beat the curve.
Q)Did you consider Geno Smith in the first round?
Idzik: We were very happy with the two guys that we picked.
Q)When do you expect Smith to start?
Idzik: Our plan for Geno is to compete. I think that is another central theme. We’ve been pretty open and transparent about that theme and how that’s going to continue. And that’s all it is. Bringing in the best quality, highest quality competition we can at every position.
Q)What does the Smith pick mean for Mark Sanchez?
Idzik: What this means for Mark Sanchez is competition and Mark is open to that. We’ve had discussions about that. I think he buys into the fact that that helps him.
Q)What does Chris Ivory bring to the team?
Idzik: He’s a very physical, violent runner. He’s got size, he’s got speed, he runs with attitude, he plays with attitude.
May 5, 2013
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