Content available exclusively for subscribers
It’s time for all of us to move on. Those who think the man didn’t do a great, and those who did respect some of his work . . .
I like Brian Costello, but I don’t understand why he keeps piling on John Idzik. Aren’t we past the rubicon when it comes to Idzik? Enough already.
Today, Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News tweeted, “Pegula may need a football czar to heal rifts with Bills.”
Costello replied, “Maybe Idzik is interested.”
I don’t get it. Leave the man alone. He got fired. What more can you do to him? He’s not here anymore.
And he deserved to be fired in my opinion, but not for the reason most people think.
Most people will say he did a bad job of player procurement.
I disagree. I actually think he did some very good things that I will get to in a moment.
The reason I think he should have been fired was picking a suspect quarterback prospect, with a lot of red flags, and hitching his wagon to him for two years. That was beyond foolish.
He wasted two years with this plan. That is why I would have gotten rid of him.
And obviously the jury is still out on Dee Milliner and Dex McDougle, two guys who have a hard time staying healthy.
But when you look at his other moves, he actually did some pretty good things. You won’t read this from other beat writers, but I have no problem pointing it out.
Eric Decker and Breno Giacomini were good signings. The way Decker is playing this year, I’d rank it even better than good. Giacomini’s not a Pro Bowler, but he’s super tough and generally does a really good job. He stunk against J.J. Watt, but who doesn’t?
The Chris Ivory trade was outstanding. He sets a tone for the entire team with his “beast mode” running style. I can’t believe the Saints traded him. And not only was it a terrific trade, but Idzik signed him to a very reasonable contract – three years, $10 million.
I think Calvin Pryor was a good draft pick. He was rushed into action last year and struggled, but you are seeing this year he’s a big-time safety.
Quincy Enunwa was a very good sixth round draft pick. Chan Gailey feels the resurgence of the Jets’ running game, about a month ago, coincided with Enunwa’s return from suspension. It’s hard to imagine many wide receiver in the NFL block better than him.
Trevor Reilly is a nice backup OLB and also a special team’s standout.
Tommy Bohanon is a pretty good fullback.
How about the Marcus Williams signing in September of 2014? Very shrewd move.
Developing guards Brian Winters and Dakota Dozier are still around, as are two other linemen Idzik added, Wesley Johnson and Brent Qvale.
And then you have Sheldon Richardson, who has had some off-the-field issues, but his contributions on the field are obvious.
And while Idzik obviously didn’t have a very good plan for his secondary in 2014, but honestly, while this year’s spending spree improved things a little, not as much as you would think.
If the Jets don’t make the playoffs, the Oakland and Houston games will come back to bite them. The reconstructed secondary contributed a great deal to both of those unacceptable losses.
Did you know, from the Redskin game, to the second Dolphins game, no team in the NFL gave up more passing yards over that seven-game stretch?
I’m sorry, but the 2015 Jets’ secondary has been very inconsistent most of this season, and let’s not put them in Canton for playing a little better against Marcus Mariota, a lost rookie, and the two Dallas journeymen with weak arms.
But you know what, I’m tired of talking about Idzik. He’s moved on with his work with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And it’s time for the media to move on.
And for the cheap shots to stop.
December 21, 2015
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Tuesday.
