Who thinks this idea is a good one?
Is it the media member and ESPN NFL analyst who fans often watch on TV? Or, could it be Woody Johnson‘s coaching and general manager search advisor/independent third-party firm hired to pave the way this offseason—for the franchise’s most critical decision of its existence?
Although NFL analyst and organizational search headhunter are two starkly contrasting roles, only one man is involved: Mike Tannenbaum, a man who believes the New York Jets should trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy this offseason.
“In 2009, Rex Ryan came in, he inherited a former Green Bay Packers legend, and he moved on from Brett Favre,” Tannenbaum said during part of a “New Year’s Resolutions” segment on ESPN’s “Get Up” with Mike Greenberg. ” … In 2025, [the Jets should] move on from Aaron Rodgers; go get J.J. McCarthy. He would have been the first player picked in this year’s draft, and with six of the top 10 teams needing a quarterback, [the Jets can] get [their] quarterback of the future, J.J. McCarthy.”
Tannenbaum, of course, served as the Jets general manager from 2006-2012, but he was first introduced to the organization under the Bill Parcells regime in the late 1990s. Simultaneously, the man so many affectionately call Mikey T is also the Jets’ current headman in their head coach and general manager search, officially per his website, The 33rd Team.
Though he’s not a Jets employee, Tannenbaum assumed the lead role, with former Vikings GM Rick Spielman in tow, for the Jets’ third-party head coach and general manager search. At this point, Jets fans could not care less who or how their team finds the right leader—so long as it does happen.
Nonetheless, we sink into a sticky pile of goo when analyzing the Jets-33rd Team agreement.
When this man—Jets former GM, current ESPN employee in the media space, current owner of The 33rd Team, and current lead man for the Jets organizational GM/HC search—makes public suggestions like this, from which Tannenbaum is the opinion actually coming?
As an advisor/headhunter/candidate-gatherer, does his opinion on this matter in Woody Johnson’s eyes? Or is he simply relegated to offering up head coach and general manager candidates to the Jets?
Is it even humanly possible for all involved to compartmentalize each shelf in a neat and tidy fashion?
Perhaps I’m a mere old-fashioned simpleton, but this seems rather confusing for the average fan, and it muddies the waters in a potentially explosive fashion.
Either way, Tannenbaum’s idea here is a solid one. It’s not unique by any means, but it’s definitely worthy of its face value. Still, I think we all need to calm down.
I’m not convinced the Vikings will keep Sam Darnold.
Those who drill down on the tape understand what’s going on here. Never should Darnold fail to receive his flowers for playing well—as he most definitely should—but the number of open targets generated from this guy is simply mind-boggling.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is the best in the business, and he’s undoubtedly the true star of this offense.
Look no further than how Minnesota cemented its win over the Green Bay Packers this past weekend, as outlined in a recent article that digs deeper into the Jets organization woes.
- First and 10 (MIN 30-yard line, 2:18 remaining): Play-action slide, 12-yard C.J. Ham reception (first down, 2-minute warning).
- First and 10 (MIN 42-yard line, 2:00 remaining): Cam Akers rush attempt for -1 yards (GB timeout No. 1).
- Second and 11 (MIN 41-yard line, 1:57 remaining): Play-action boot, 9-yard Justin Jefferson reception (GB timeout No. 2).
- Third and 2 (GB 49-yard line, 1:49 remaining): Play-action slide, 6-yard Cam Akers reception (GB timeout No. 3).
In four nut-crunching plays, O’Connell allowed Darnold to throw the ball three times. All three came on play-action boots/slides, and only one of the three was even closely contested (Jefferson). Remember, Darnold threw a pretty rough-looking interception earlier in the second half.
Now, that is how you coach and call plays in the modern National Football League. Always take what the defense is giving you, no matter the concern about stopping the clock, and never rely on your defense to win the game.
That is also how you build confidence in your quarterback—something none of the Jets head coaches in recent memory were ever willing to explore in this quarterback-driven league.
The Darnold elevation is recent and easy to spot. What about Kirk Cousins and how he fell off a cliff in his post-O’Connell life? For goodness sake, ladies and gents, this man even had Josh Dobbs cooking.
Let me repeat that: Kevin O’Connell schemed his offense to an environment in which Josh Dobbs was cooking—only to never be heard from again (after KOC).
No matter the quarterback he’s provided, O’Connell will work his magic, J.J. McCarthy included. Therefore, the Vikings have a choice of spending big bucks on Darnold while trading McCarthy for assets, letting Darnold walk while rolling with McCarthy and his efficient rookie contract, or keeping both.
The Vikings-will-keep-Darnold narrative has gotten way too far ahead of its skis, and Mikey T is buying into it entirely too quickly.
The good news is that Tannenbaum is just a media member. Oh, wait; he’s also the man running the Jets’ independent head coach and general manager search.
Well, at the very least, the Jets’ officially binding agreement with The 33rd Team as a company allows for less stickiness when Mike Tannenbaum makes these sorts of proclamations on television. Right?
At least I think that’s the case. At the very least, it should be, in theory.
Also, what percentage of the Jets fanbase that watched Mikey T’s “trade for McCarthy” idea on ESPN believes that particular transaction is actually more plausible now, courtesy of his new-found connection to the organization?
I have no idea, and that’s what’s so troublesome about this entire thing. What I do know, however, is that questioning and challenging how sticky this situation could become is extremely worthwhile.
Hopefully, things will run smoothly enough for Woody Johnson and the New York Jets to find their true football leader this offseason. If advisor/headhunter Mike Tannenbaum can make that happen, despite whatever the media/analyst Mikey T version says, it’s the only damn thing that matters.
