Mike Maccagnan Lulling New York Jets Into Same Old Holding Pattern

From the desk of:  WALT MICHAELS REVENGE

Whose Jet Is This Anyway?

SUNDAY

Atlanta Falcons

vs.

New York Jets

FROM

TANK CITY

New York Jets: One Call From Woody Johnson Can Change Everything; He Must Be Willing To Pay A Heavy Price First.

Nothing puts matters in perspective like time.

Head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan are now in their third year together with the Jets.  Their respective contracts expire after the 2018 season.  So far, there has been no mention from Woody Johnson about extending Maccagnan, nor has there been any word from Maccagnan with regards to extending Todd Bowles.

Here's the condition ...

To date, the New York Jets are arguably no better off today, than they were on the day they fired Rex Ryan and John Idzik.  Yet, the Jets ironically are in infinitely better hands.

If I were an outside, independent auditor, though, hired to provide Woody Johnson with an organizational progress report, I'd tell him he has a really good coach on his hands, but that his general manager is blowing it.

I'm not suggesting Mike Maccagnan should be fired, a la John Idzik - far from it.  I still believe Maccagnan and Bowles are good football people who can potentially turn this organization around.  Instead, the general manager simply needs a firm directive from his higher up, then needs to execute said directive, and not deviate.

In other words, what we have here is a failure to communicate.  That is why I'm suggesting Woody Johnson wire Maccagnan from England, instructing him to cut the crap, and rebuild the team from the ground, up, post haste.

Coach Bowles is just coaching the players Mike Maccagnan gives him, and doing a good job of it. Outside of eight victories, I feel nothing regarding the Jets last 23 regular season games should reflect poorly on Todd Bowles, and that he is an innocent party to Mike Maccagnan's lack of conviction.

After two-plus years, Maccagnan is proving just as wishy-washy as the general managers which precede him.  I say that because he's made no distinction between trying to win straightaway, from trying to survive, or trying to rebuild.

Maccagnan indeed took over a team that upon his hiring went 4-12 the previous season.  By throwing a lot of money at it, and bringing in quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Jets achieved a 10-6 record in his first season at the helm.  But that same plan garnered no such results last year, as the Jets once again found themselves in last place of the AFC East after a disappointing 5-11 season.

Maccagnan entered this season cutting ties with some of the very same higher priced players he monetarily gifted back in 2015.  And so everyone thought he was going to start deconstructing, and finally rebuilding this the right way.  At least that's what everyone was led to believe during preseason.

Jets fans were going to pay special attention to college football this season so as to scout the Jets #1 overall pick in next year's draft, right?

If you're coming off a 5-11 season, then further deplete the roster entering this season, why bother bringing in Josh McCown?  I understand Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenburgh needed someone to work with.  So the better question at this point is why is Josh McCown still starting?

It appears to me that last minute touchdown taken away from the Jets against New England in Week Six isn't the only screw job befalling Gang Green this season.  Again, I contend Mike Maccagnan's lack of command directive is screwing Todd Bowles.

Let's face it, outside of that spirited effort against the Patriots, the Jets only credible achievement this season came and went with their victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  A victory over the then homeless Dolphins, and defeating the hapless Cleveland Browns, were perhaps the worse things that could have happened to the Jets, because all that did was inspire false hope.

Again, why continue starting Josh McCown?  Why not trade trade Muhammad Wilkerson and Matt Forte by the deadline?

What is Mike Maccagnan saving, this season?

He realizes the 49ers and Browns have yet to win a game, right?

Entering Week Eight, the AFC East, North, and West, are clearly defined by the Patriots, Steelers, and Chiefs.  Whichever team that does not win the South, will be in the pool of teams competing for Wild Card spots.  One must ask how many of those teams does Maccagnan think the Jets can overcome?

J.J. Watt is out for the season as the Texans try to win with a rookie quarterback; Marcus Mariota has yet to really blossom in Tennessee; Baltimore's Joe Flacco might be out for some time.  Are these conference variables that will enable the Jets to outclass the field; Miami, Buffalo, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Houston, Denver, Baltimore, or Oakland; for one of two Wild Card spots?

Say the Jets barely make the playoffs.  Then what?  This team is still losing altitude in the long run, regardless.  Shifting around the same pile of money will only get the Jets so far.  It's been demonstrated time and again.

Buck trends.  Stop this vicious cycle.  Salvage the future by just letting go.

This is precisely why Woody Johnson needs to step in, and tell his general manager exactly what he wants.  Before that can happen, though, Woody needs to take a long look at himself in the mirror as well.

He's the one who created a culture where people work simply to save their jobs.  There's no conviction, long-term commitment for a plan, no stick-to-it-iveness.  Each passing administration merely adds to the growing scrapheap of failed, short term ideas.  That's because Woody never demands a definitive course of action.  He always leaves that to the people he puts in charge.  In some respects, that's commendable.  That's why I'm not asking Woody to become meddlesome.  I'm suggesting Mr. Johnson give his general manager clear marching orders.

Nothing more.

I'm suggesting he eliminate the confusion in Maccagnan's mind, by reassuring his general manager that reconstructing the Jets requires long-term employment and front office commitment.

Losses be damned.

Fans must overlook Tom Brady and Bill Bellichick, and take a wider look at life in the NFL.  Show me a winning organization, and I'll show you a stretch of consecutive seasons when they sucked really badly.  If Woody really cares about turning around his organization, and establishing a winning culture the right way, he must first be willing to pay a similar toll.

Otherwise, he has good people in place.  That's not the problem.

They need direction.

Without it, the Jets will continue circling in this never ending holding pattern.