The New York Jets value game: The reasons Joe Douglas is no John Idzik

Penny-pinching or simply manufacturing great value? The reason New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas is no John Idzik is quite firm. How dare you. How dare you actually bring up the name John Idzik while thinking about Joe Douglas. Who do you think you are? How dare I fall for the bait, ultimately including both in the same angle, in copy, for New York Jets fandom to read. Usually, names like Idzik, Duhe and Kotite are better left unsaid. Allow the names that remind diehard Jets fans of the deepest, darkest days in organizational history to simply remain buried. Right? Not really. History is what helps us understand the future. History repeats itself while revealing incredible nuggets better served to store at the forefront, and this is one such instance. Douglas's value-driven free-agent ways have contrasted with Mike Maccagnan and compared to Idzik in the minds of many. Although the initial thought of the two can be excused, as many cannot grasp the actual value of free agency itself (which isn't that valuable at all), anything past "initial" turns unforgivable. Joe Douglas is no John Idzik for a variety of reasons. An Actual Plan This is the biggie, the thought that has you relaxed and completely comfortable with the former offensive lineman running the ship. Unlike Idzik's scattered transactions, Douglas's plan is crystal clear: build from the trenches-out. The Jets have signed four big heavies, which is an incredible number of free agents at that position in a single offseason. If the Alex Lewis re-signing (trade via Baltimore) and Ryan Kalil training camp signing are tossed into the mix, that makes six total signings for Douglas. Over the span of five offseasons, Mike Maccagnan acquired nine offensive linemen: Tom Compton in 2019, Spencer Long in 2018, Kelvin Beachum and Jonotthan Harrison in 2017, and James Carpenter, Corey Hilliard and James Brewer in 2015. When the Kelechi Osemele and Ryan Clady acquisitions are tossed in, Maccagnan's number grows to nine. The total decreases to seven when realizing both Hilliard and Brewer didn't make it to Week 1 of the following season. https://twitter.com/RobbySabo/status/1244677006551367680 Interestingly, Idzik acquired a total of five hogs over the course of his two offseasons. Unsurprisingly, only two of those guys made it to Week 1 of the following season. This is a problem considering the offensive line outlook at the time. The Idzik years are when this unit fell apart. During Idzik's first offseason, both of his starting guards escaped him. Matt Slauson signed with the Chicago Bears and Brandon Moore, who first signed with the Dallas Cowboys, eventually retired prior to the start of the regular season. Meanwhile, both D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold were one year older. It didn't matter much that the unit performed solidly in 2012 with a 4.38 adjusted line yards mark, ranking them fifth in the NFL, via Football Outsiders. The unit's 30th adjusted sack rate (8.6 percent) ranking told an obvious story: the organization's strength started to showcase holes. Something needed to be done. Idzik's focus needed to hammer that unit. Instead, veteran Willie Colon represented the only legitimate acquisition and the unit fell dramatically, all the way to 21st in the league (3.79 adjusted line yards) in 2013, and 27th in adjusted sack rate (8.4 percent). Once things became extremely dire after 2013, Idzik brought in Breno Giacomini for the 2014 season. It wasn't enough. The few who look at Douglas and Idzik in the same light by way of free-agent bargain-bin shopping are right about one thing: it's all about the draft. If Douglas drafts poorly, he won't get the job done, similarly to Idzik. At the same time, there's also no question that one guy features an obvious plan backed by a proclamation on his first day of the job: "It starts with the quarterback and both lines," a statement never uttered under either Maccagnan or Idzik. The former offensive lineman understands it's a numbers game, a competition game for these guys in August. His plan is clear: start in the trenches, while Idzik's scattered signings didn't make much sense. Of course, Idzik's depth chart featured weaknesses everywhere. They needed a quarterback, an edge rusher, a corner and a bunch of weapons (with Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley manning down the starting spots). And this is the point; Douglas's depth chart also features these holes, yet he's starting at the point all football team-builders should: upfront. In any event, what was Idzik's plan? Can anybody truly identity one? Actual Flexibility, Value, Activity The word John Idzik continued to utter during his short era was "flexibility." Fans and media pundits alike wondered, "What the hell is going on?" This man is signing nobody and very little activity exists. In fact, over two seasons, Idzik pulled off a total of three trades. Three! That's all. In under a full calendar year, Douglas has already pulled the trigger on five trades. The overall activity is night and day between the two front office bosses, which sheds a much brighter light on Douglas per how he's viewed around league circles. Additionally, while one man preached flexibility, he didn't actually preach the idea. After the 2013 season featured very little money dished out (a total of 23 years), 2014 featured a good chunk of money committed. Eric Decker graciously accepted five years and $15 million guaranteed. Giacomini raked in four years and $7 million guaranteed. The washed-up big names, Chris Johnson and Michael Vick, each collected $4 million in guarantees over two-year deals. Idzik handed out $32.465 million in guarantees under a $123 million salary cap. Douglas has dished out $41.7 million in guarantees under a 192.8 million salary cap. Though similar, Douglas's guarantees still output a lesser percentage. Idzik gave Decker five years. Giacomini signed a four-year pact. Most unforgivable is the fact Chris Johnson and Michael Vick each signed for two years. Three years is the most Douglas will travel, all on the offensive line (Connor McGovern, George Fant, Greg Van Roten). Everybody else is riding that one-year train. (If the one-year deal was a person, Douglas would no doubt quarantine with that guy.) One man turned desperate in year two; the other holds his ground in a market he truly understands. Name one Jordan Jenkins-like re-signing that occurred under Idzik. Name the guy who negotiated across the league only to return on a surprising one-year deal. Name the Brian Poole one-year stunner Idzik executed. You can't. These examples are the ones that appropriately force an eyebrow to be raised in impressed fashion, something that never happened six, seven years ago. What it comes down to is actual talent evaluation, competency. Admittedly, it's easy to hammer Idzik for two seasons of failure while riding along with something that hasn't yet showcased the product (Douglas). But when each is broken down further by way of plan, activity, actual flexibility, etc., it becomes obvious that Joe Douglas is no John Idzik. Obviously, it'll sill come down to how well the man drafts. No matter what you think about these two general managers, that remains the cold-hard truth.