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New Jersey – Soccer talk in Florham Park this week. And you know what, with soccer in mind, the Jets’ brass needs to take heed of what Jurgen Klinsmann said recently.
Klinsmann is a head coach of the United States soccer team. He’s a no-nonsense bottom line guy.
He made a very tough personnel decision when he cut Landon Donovan, an iconic American soccer player.
And his explanation is something the Jets’ brass, especially the fiercely loyal Rex Ryan, should take heed of.
Klinsmann watched Donovan in the MLS, and wasn’t impressed.
“I watched the games – what was I supposed to say?” That he was good? He was not good.” Klinsmann told the New York Times.
He went on to make a great point about some bad personnel decisions in American sports.
“This always happens in America,” said Klinsmann, who is from Germany. “Kobe Bryant, for example, why does he get a two-year deal for $50 million? Because of what he is going to do in the next two years of his career? No. He gets it because of what he’s done before. It makes no sense. Why do you pay for what has already happened?”
As we all know, Rex Ryan has a shortcoming when it comes to player personnel decisions. As Trevor Pryce called it – “Loyalty to the point of defiance.”
This has to stop. They talk a good game about competition, but this summer they better see that through. With 12 draft picks in town, after the team kept all seven last year, there are going to be some very tough decisions to make on the final cuts this year.
We aren’t just talking about the 19 draft picks in camp, but they signed a bunch of free agents like Eric Decker, Jacoby Ford and many others I won’t get into here. And let’s not forget guys like Jeremy Reeves, Ras-I Dowling and Johnny Patrick. This is going to be some fierce competition at a lot of positions this summer.
I saw a headline on the Jets’ website that read – “Who will start opposite Dee Milliner?”
Why should Dee Milliner be guaranteed a starting spot? I’m dead serious.
What if Dimitri Patterson and Dowling are the two best players?
You have to understand that the Klinsmann’s and Belichick’s of the world are going to keep the best players, and start the the players who deserve to start. It’s not about draft status, contract, what you’ve done in the past. It’s about playing the best players.
And this summer it’s about keeping the best 53 players. They didn’t do that last year, and honestly haven’t done it in a while.
It’s time to do it, in ernest.
Because you know what, ultimately, you are going to be judged by wins and losses, not draft record or free agent signing record.
So what good does it do to make personnel decisions for ego reasons? Not much.
It’s time for the Jets to take a Klinsmann approach.
June 10, 2014
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