FLORHAM PARK, NJ -- There is a different vibe in the Jets facility now, a very different feeling and spirit in the front office. People aren't looking over their shoulders. They aren't scared of their shadow or preoccupied with the media. There aren't factions and competing agendas.
After the demise, in two parts, of two seemingly connected regimes, there would inevitably be change with this franchise and another transition looming. First longtime general manager Mike Tannenbaum was let go after the 2012 season, and then there was the quick departure of his replacement, John Idzik, along with face-of-the-franchise coach Rex Ryan, after this season.
After spending some time around here this week for the Jets' final days of offseason work before breaking for the summer on Thursday, I can't help but be a little bullish on the future of the organization, both short and long term.
New general manager Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles have enthused this building with a bold flurry of offseason transactions. It has become clear that they aren't going to get caught up in what everyone else's perception of them is, or get bogged down with the group-think that can and does paralyze so many organizations in this league.
They have started to put together a collective that seeks scouts and evaluators willing to take a stand for a player or pending decision, and is encouraged to be bold. They are the kind of guys who are drawn to others willing to take calculated gambles while willing to look inward as well to indentify weaknesses and bring others into the fold who may have corresponding strengths.
They have core beliefs in checks and balances within their evaluating circle, and they have a process of how to stack a draft board. Their decision to take Leonard Williams, the best player on that board, with the sixth overall pick when he slipped to them -- despite defensive line already being a primary strength -- speaks to that.
New GM Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles start fresh. (USATSI)
New GM Mike Maccagnan and new coach Todd Bowles have big plans for the Jets. (USATSI)
They will be proactive, yet judicious, in addressing the primary deficiency in the franchise: the lack of a winning quarterback. But they weren't going to just immediately funnel significant assets in terms of picks and money on a group of available talent in the draft and free agency that they couldn't justly bang the table for.
To that end, they are hopeful of fostering a culture in which people are rewarded for hard work and taking opinions outside the herd mentality that can pollute scouting. They are cognizant of the inefficiencies that can plague their business, and while they certainly know they don't have all the answers, they are aware of the pitfalls that exist in a community that can be all too quick to label and pigeonhole prospects.
No strong organization can be built in a matter of months -- it requires years. And, given how toxic this building had become in recent years, with top officials consumed with finding leaks and with a broken relationship between the coaching staff and football operations, there's hard work to be done. But if given time and space, this operation just might turn things around more quickly than many would have expected.
This reinforced secondary, led by the return of Darrelle Revis, buys them a good three years on the backend of the defense, and I have no doubt this group of defenders, led by an attack-minded head coach in Bowles, will wreak havoc this season. If the offense can be functional and manage to control the clock a bit and protect the football above all else, this could be an interesting season. Regardless, Maccagnan and company won't be boring, and they won't be operating by anyone's book, and they won't let worrying about conforming get in their way.
•Obviously, anything Smith does, even in a spring practice, will be magnified with so much riding on his development. From everything I heard and gleaned, there have been no shortage of bumps along the way as he tries to get a handle on new coordinator Chan Gailey's offense.
You expect the defense to be ahead of the offense, but it's been rough. No one is worrying or panicking, and I can assure you Smith will be given ample time to show what he can do with the new weapons around him this season (Ryan Fitzpatrick has impressed as he knows this system cold, but look for Smith to get at least half a season at the helm). It might never really click for him, and he might not be an NFL starting quarterback, but he'll be given opportunity to prove it before or until this organization moves on.
Smith continues to experience growing pains and has made his share of miscues and has had some cringe-worthy moments, but he seems to be taking it all seriously.
"I'm not going to come out here and make excuses for anything," he said when asked about the continuing turnovers, acknowledging he needs "to be on point every single game."
If he is to remain the starter). Smith vowed to "be in my playbook" during the break from Thursday until the start of camp in August. It may have been an understatement when he opined that the offense "has a long way to go," and if nothing else I can assure you he'll be given plenty of time to show how much he can, or can't, do in the regular season.
•Muhammad Wilkerson won't be talking much more about his contract situation. He will do his talking on the field, and I expect that in the end he will be playing out the final year of his rookie deal for $7M. The Jets will engage in talks on an extension, but I suspect the sides are not able to bridge what I believe will be a considerable gulf between them.
The Jets will use the recent highly-team friendly deal Cam Jordan signed with the Saints as a guide for their offer, but that's not going to get things close here. Especially when Marcell Dareus is going to hit a home run whenever he gets his extension done with Buffalo . I don't see Wilkerson taking anything less than the deal Robert Quinn got from the Rams a year ago -- and Wilkerson is a much more dynamic and well-rounded player than Quinn, while still able to post double-digit sack numbers. Quinn, lest you forget, got over $40M in injury guarantees and averaged over $14M a year in new money. I don't anticipate the Jets getting into that territory just yet. and I don't see Wilkerson, still just 25, taking less with potential free agency less than a year away.
• You can already tell Brandon Marshall has taken on a strong leadership position within this team despite not being here long, and he will be the voice of this offense. He'll be highly motivated and the media here will love him. He'll love being in the New York market, because he's already a media star himself, and his second career in front of the cameras awaits as soon as he retires.
Marshall did well Wednesday to try to diffuse some of the hand-wringing about the state of the offense, pointing out how natural it was for the defense to be outshining them now. He's built a fast friendship with fellow big-money receiver Eric Decker, and, above all else, I can assure you that Bowles has a great locker room supporter in the star receiver.
They were together for two years in Miami, where Bowles eventually became interim head coach, and Marshall cannot speak more highly of him.
"I love him," Marshall said. "He's a man's man. He's awesome."
Having a big-name guy have your back is big for any coach, much less a first time guy. I'm not sure Marshall will be a game-breaker at this stage of his career, but I don't believe he'll be a polarizing figure either, in what is in all likelihood the last stop for him.
• One guy who shouldn't be getting all that comfortable is young tight end Jace Amaro. His film from a year ago, and his propensity for drops, are hard to overlook, and after making silly comments about outgoing coach Rex Ryan and drawing attention for the wrong reasons, he'd do well to have himself a helluva a training camp.
He'll have to earn his throws given the beefed up supporting cast on offense now, and he needs to show he can be a reliable pass catcher to stay on the field. He got banged up during these OTAs and is someone who needs to start making a positive impression as soon as this team regroups in August.
After the demise, in two parts, of two seemingly connected regimes, there would inevitably be change with this franchise and another transition looming. First longtime general manager Mike Tannenbaum was let go after the 2012 season, and then there was the quick departure of his replacement, John Idzik, along with face-of-the-franchise coach Rex Ryan, after this season.
After spending some time around here this week for the Jets' final days of offseason work before breaking for the summer on Thursday, I can't help but be a little bullish on the future of the organization, both short and long term.
New general manager Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles have enthused this building with a bold flurry of offseason transactions. It has become clear that they aren't going to get caught up in what everyone else's perception of them is, or get bogged down with the group-think that can and does paralyze so many organizations in this league.
They have started to put together a collective that seeks scouts and evaluators willing to take a stand for a player or pending decision, and is encouraged to be bold. They are the kind of guys who are drawn to others willing to take calculated gambles while willing to look inward as well to indentify weaknesses and bring others into the fold who may have corresponding strengths.
They have core beliefs in checks and balances within their evaluating circle, and they have a process of how to stack a draft board. Their decision to take Leonard Williams, the best player on that board, with the sixth overall pick when he slipped to them -- despite defensive line already being a primary strength -- speaks to that.
New GM Mike Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles start fresh. (USATSI)
New GM Mike Maccagnan and new coach Todd Bowles have big plans for the Jets. (USATSI)
They will be proactive, yet judicious, in addressing the primary deficiency in the franchise: the lack of a winning quarterback. But they weren't going to just immediately funnel significant assets in terms of picks and money on a group of available talent in the draft and free agency that they couldn't justly bang the table for.
To that end, they are hopeful of fostering a culture in which people are rewarded for hard work and taking opinions outside the herd mentality that can pollute scouting. They are cognizant of the inefficiencies that can plague their business, and while they certainly know they don't have all the answers, they are aware of the pitfalls that exist in a community that can be all too quick to label and pigeonhole prospects.
No strong organization can be built in a matter of months -- it requires years. And, given how toxic this building had become in recent years, with top officials consumed with finding leaks and with a broken relationship between the coaching staff and football operations, there's hard work to be done. But if given time and space, this operation just might turn things around more quickly than many would have expected.
This reinforced secondary, led by the return of Darrelle Revis, buys them a good three years on the backend of the defense, and I have no doubt this group of defenders, led by an attack-minded head coach in Bowles, will wreak havoc this season. If the offense can be functional and manage to control the clock a bit and protect the football above all else, this could be an interesting season. Regardless, Maccagnan and company won't be boring, and they won't be operating by anyone's book, and they won't let worrying about conforming get in their way.
•Obviously, anything Smith does, even in a spring practice, will be magnified with so much riding on his development. From everything I heard and gleaned, there have been no shortage of bumps along the way as he tries to get a handle on new coordinator Chan Gailey's offense.
You expect the defense to be ahead of the offense, but it's been rough. No one is worrying or panicking, and I can assure you Smith will be given ample time to show what he can do with the new weapons around him this season (Ryan Fitzpatrick has impressed as he knows this system cold, but look for Smith to get at least half a season at the helm). It might never really click for him, and he might not be an NFL starting quarterback, but he'll be given opportunity to prove it before or until this organization moves on.
Smith continues to experience growing pains and has made his share of miscues and has had some cringe-worthy moments, but he seems to be taking it all seriously.
"I'm not going to come out here and make excuses for anything," he said when asked about the continuing turnovers, acknowledging he needs "to be on point every single game."
If he is to remain the starter). Smith vowed to "be in my playbook" during the break from Thursday until the start of camp in August. It may have been an understatement when he opined that the offense "has a long way to go," and if nothing else I can assure you he'll be given plenty of time to show how much he can, or can't, do in the regular season.
•Muhammad Wilkerson won't be talking much more about his contract situation. He will do his talking on the field, and I expect that in the end he will be playing out the final year of his rookie deal for $7M. The Jets will engage in talks on an extension, but I suspect the sides are not able to bridge what I believe will be a considerable gulf between them.
The Jets will use the recent highly-team friendly deal Cam Jordan signed with the Saints as a guide for their offer, but that's not going to get things close here. Especially when Marcell Dareus is going to hit a home run whenever he gets his extension done with Buffalo . I don't see Wilkerson taking anything less than the deal Robert Quinn got from the Rams a year ago -- and Wilkerson is a much more dynamic and well-rounded player than Quinn, while still able to post double-digit sack numbers. Quinn, lest you forget, got over $40M in injury guarantees and averaged over $14M a year in new money. I don't anticipate the Jets getting into that territory just yet. and I don't see Wilkerson, still just 25, taking less with potential free agency less than a year away.
• You can already tell Brandon Marshall has taken on a strong leadership position within this team despite not being here long, and he will be the voice of this offense. He'll be highly motivated and the media here will love him. He'll love being in the New York market, because he's already a media star himself, and his second career in front of the cameras awaits as soon as he retires.
Marshall did well Wednesday to try to diffuse some of the hand-wringing about the state of the offense, pointing out how natural it was for the defense to be outshining them now. He's built a fast friendship with fellow big-money receiver Eric Decker, and, above all else, I can assure you that Bowles has a great locker room supporter in the star receiver.
They were together for two years in Miami, where Bowles eventually became interim head coach, and Marshall cannot speak more highly of him.
"I love him," Marshall said. "He's a man's man. He's awesome."
Having a big-name guy have your back is big for any coach, much less a first time guy. I'm not sure Marshall will be a game-breaker at this stage of his career, but I don't believe he'll be a polarizing figure either, in what is in all likelihood the last stop for him.
• One guy who shouldn't be getting all that comfortable is young tight end Jace Amaro. His film from a year ago, and his propensity for drops, are hard to overlook, and after making silly comments about outgoing coach Rex Ryan and drawing attention for the wrong reasons, he'd do well to have himself a helluva a training camp.
He'll have to earn his throws given the beefed up supporting cast on offense now, and he needs to show he can be a reliable pass catcher to stay on the field. He got banged up during these OTAs and is someone who needs to start making a positive impression as soon as this team regroups in August.
