At the start of the offseason, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson knew there were things he could do to be a better leader of the franchise moving forward.
Even with a scathing review from the annual NFLPA survey, Johnson has seemingly carried on with that promise.
Two months during the offseason won’t simply allow Jets fans to forgive the recent run of failure from the franchise. At the very least, the things Johnson continues to say (the latest of which at league meetings in Palm Beach, Fl.) are a sign that the team’s culture may finally be turning a positive corner.
Johnson’s Fair Explanation of Failings
While hindsight is always 20/20 with moves that don’t work out each season, having an ownership group be forthcoming about their decisions is always a positive thing for any fanbase.
It allows people to receive a transparent review of how the team operates.
Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, Johnson issued a fair reaction to exactly that process. From the failings of the last 14 years to the struggles with former four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, Johnson’s comments showed a Jets team that is still doing everything in its power to improve.
“Both Aaron (Glenn) and the general manager made the decision it was time to move on,” Johnson said to Rich Cimini in his preff conference about the decision to move on from Rodgers. “The experiment was a good experiment, to bring him in, but it just didn’t work out, as you can see. I have a lot of respect for Aaron Rodgers. He is a great player… I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but we made a choice. I think we made the right choice. They made the right choice.”
Johnson did not have to speak about Rodgers anymore. The fact that he did shows he’s willing to explain the thought process behind certain moves and move on from mistakes made in the past.
He is also completely correct. New York had a young roster that they felt was just a quarterback away. Instead of overpaying for a mediocre free agent, they acquired the biggest fish in the pond that offseason.
The move simply didn’t work out. And that doesn’t make it Johnson’s fault that he is left explaining it. If anything, there should be further appreciation of the basic understanding that the team is still willing to do everything in its power to end a decade-long losing streak.
Changing The Tides
New York currently holds the longest active playoff drought in North American sports at 14 straight years without a postseason appearance. They have had nine straight losing seasons.
There are plenty of reasons for the struggles. Poor player selection/development and bad in-game coaching are just the tip of the iceberg. Every time the Jets appear to try something new, the moves end up blowing up in their face.
Johnson knows he has a part to play in these failings.
And he’s made it clear that he is willing to do whatever is needed to make those changes happen to put his organization in a better position.
“If (the players) are getting bored with the food or bored with the way the place looks, let me know,” Johnson said. “I can’t do anything if they don’t tell me, so I think we’re going to have a lot better communication with the players in terms of what they’re looking at every day. Because if I was looking at the same thing every day, I might get bored with it, too.”
Many owners around the league always seem to be focused on other things more than winning football games. That can’t be something used to describe the Johnson family – especially over the last few months with his hand-picked regime.
And if there’s one thing that has been made abundantly clear about the Jets, it is this: Some of the moves may not work out, but the Jets have an owner who is willing to do whatever is necessary to put a winning team together. In its basic form, that’s all the fanbase should be asking for in an owner.
Now, the rest of the organization has to go out and win.
