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Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi has issued a challenge to Jets consultants Rick Spielman and Mike Tannenbaum.
“Are they going to tell Woody the truth, that is what I want to know,” Lombardi said on VSIN. “Are they going to tell him the truth of what he wants to hear because what good is a consulting firm if you are not willing to tell the truth. What good is a consulting firm if you are going to just shake your head and say ‘yes.’
“If you can’t do that, [Speilman and Tannenbaum] are just going to be collecting a paycheck and in three years, [the Jets] will be hiring somebody else.
“If Tannenbaum and Speilman are really doing their job, they gotta tell Woody – we could put 1,000 names on this list, unless you change what you do, unless you let them run a program. I don’t give a bleep who you hire, it ain’t gonna work.
“If you want to earn a paycheck for this, they have to be loyal to Woody, not devoted because they are earning a paycheck. Devoted people tell you what you want to hear, loyal people tell you what you need to hear. They need to go in there and say Woody here is your problem with your organization, you have a horrible structure, you are too corporate, and you need to hire someone to come in and give you an identity.”
A lot of Jets fans dismiss anything Lombardi says about the Jets because they claim he’s a Jets hater. Las Vegas Raiders fans do the same thing when he criticizes that team.
But perhaps that is a short-sighted way to look at it.
Fixing the Jets isn’t as simple as replacing the GM and coach. They have done that myriad times. Lather, rinse, repeat.
If they finally want to reach the brass ring, some other things need to change as well.
Best approach – hire a GM and head coach, give them a budget (don’t micromanage every money decision) and let them do their jobs sans interference from accountants, lawyers and relatives . . .
It’s well-documented that Jets offensive line coach Keith Carter (pictured above on the left) was sent to sensitivity training last off-season because he was yelling at players too much.
Some might not agree with sending an offensive line coach to sensitivity training because you need to push the big guys up front – 300-pounders often need tough coaching to push themselves beyond their means. So you often see hard-driving line coaches.
During the spring and summer you saw a kinder/gentler Carter.
But watching him this week, and I could be wrong, he seemed back to his old style. He was getting after some guys over some mistakes.
Perhaps with the old head coach and GM gone, and the whole staff on thin ice, he figures he’s just going to be himself now . . .
Jets right tackle Morgan Moses is the consummate professional.
With the team at 3-8, and Moses playing on a bad knee, he could shut it down, but he keeps pushing forward.
You watch him on the practice field and he runs with a limp, but he will be out there on Sunday . . .
Saw this big guy working out of the rehab field, but he had no jersey on and a hoodie covering his head, so it was hard to see his face.
I asked who it was, and was told it was center Wes Schweitzer.
A little surprised he’s still here. Was on injured reserve twice last year, and was put on injured reserve before the opener this year.
Some would argue they should have kept Chris Glaser, a young, healthier, more mobile player as a backup interior lineman this year and moved on.
Glaser is with the Chicago Bears now. Maybe Schweitzer’s salary and cap hit, of around $2 million this year, is why he’s still here . . .
ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that Woody Johnson called for the benching of safety Tony Adams after the Jets’ 31-6 loss to Arizona.
So this begs the question – if an owner benches a player, can the coach eventually put him back in the lineup, without the owner’s approval?
JC asked Jeff Ulbrich if he can put Adams back in the lineup.
“Tony’s (Adams) a guy that obviously from a culture standpoint we absolutely love,” Ulbrich said. “He didn’t play as much as I would’ve liked last week for whatever the reason, and this week he’s going to play a little bit more. He’s going to get reintegrated into our defense.”
November 29, 2024
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