Mission To Civilize New York Jets Coverage
Stephen Russo on the best/worst of Mike Maccagnan so far during his Jets tenure
Let’s take a walk down memory lane and look at the best and worst of Maccagnan’s first four years as Jets’ General Manager.
Free agency is less than a week away and the Jets are entering with one starting caliber (loose term) cornerback on the roster in Trumaine Johnson. The Jets need help in the secondary. Let’s look at the top five options in the free agent cornerback market…
Stephen Russo ranks the top five free agent targets for the New York Jets at running back…
Let’s dive into Free Agency and look at the best options that can immediately upgrade the Jets’ talent level and assist Darnold in both the run and pass game: Running Backs. Here are my top five free agent targets at the running back position:
Stephen Russo ranks the top free agent linebacker targets for the New York Jets in free agency
The NFL is an offensive league. Plain and simple. The New York Jets have neglected the offensive side of the football for far too long, and the game has surpassed them. There is no question that the Jets should invest most of their capital (draft, free agency, trades) on offensive weapons to surround Sam Darnold with. However, this doesn’t mean that you can completely neglect the defense. Jets fans have witnessed far too many late-game situations where their defense has folded in big moments (see 2018 Browns, Titans, Texans, Packers games).
Stephen Russo with a recap of Mike Maccagnan’s first four years as GM of the New York Jets
As we quickly approach arguably the most important offseason in the organization’s history, I’d like to take a closer look at the man who will be assembling the talent around Sam Darnold and getting Jamal Adams more “dawgs”: Mike Maccagnan (will refer to him as “MM” for remainder of the article).
Stephen Russo reviews New York Jets offensive line coach Frank Pollack’s resume
Kevin Mawae. Jason Fabini. Randy Thomas. Brandon Moore. Damien Woody. D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Nick Mangold. Whether it be free agency, a high draft pick, or a hit in the mid-rounds, investments like these make teams perennial playoff contenders. As a fanbase, what gave us our “glory years” (now, by “glory years,” please realize that I am referring to a time period where the Jets had a winning record more often than not) as Jets fans from 1997-2010? I would argue that the one constant was that they had consistent offensive line play.
Stephen Russo with a longer look at Gregg Williams’ career and resume…
Allow me to start by stating the obvious: The Jets defense hasn’t been good in recent memory. Apart from one outlier year (2015) where they ranked 9th in scoring playing a soft schedule, the Jets defense has not finished higher than 19th in the league in scoring defense since 2010. For an organization that has hired defensive-minded coaches for two decades, those results are less than desirable. Thoughts on Adam Gase aside, a switch to an offensive-minded coach in today’s game was all but a necessity. Following his hire, Gase immediately stated that his focus will be solely on the offense and Sam Darnold, thus furthering the need for a quality defensive coordinator that can be the “Head Coach” of the defense. Enter Gregg Williams. The controversial and outspoken Bountygate coordinator comes to New York with a plethora of experience and attitude.
Stephen Russo with a closer look at Adam Gase’s history and resume
For a franchise that has seemed to botch everything since Joe Namath was quarterback, it appears the Jets have gotten two things right: drafting Sam Darnold and firing Todd Bowles. Now, we have moved into arguably the most important offseason in franchise history. With the Darnold entering year two, the third overall pick in the draft, and $100 million dollars in salary cap space to spend, the first task of finding the right head coach was critical. So, in a time of such emotional turmoil, I am certain that every fan had their thoughts on the eight candidates that we heard connected to the Jets.
As the days passed and other teams made their decisions, it tested our patience as we rode an emotional roller coaster that was the start to the Jets offseason. And as the clock continued to tick, it looked as if every sign pointed to Matt Rhule, and within an instant, they pivoted and hired former Dolphins Coach Adam Gase. As we either begin to rationalize the hire, hate it, love it, or chose not to care, I have attempted to take a look at Adam Gase full resume.
Stephen Russo with a closer look at Matt Rhule’s coaching career…
The New York Jets coaching search has officially reached one week. Thus far, the Jets have four interviews in the books (Bieniemy, Gase, McCarthy, Richard) and at least one more scheduled (Monken). This weekend has been quite the frenzy as news continues to break: Is McCarthy really taking 2019 off (please)? Is Green Bay all-in on Adam Gase (please!)? Will Kingsbury opt out of his contract with USC to interview with NFL teams (PLEASE!!)? All this news in only two days has Jets fans on the phones like Adam Schefter. Or maybe that’s just me.
Stephen Russo with a closer look at Kliff Kingsbury’s resume
As we close the book on a 4-12 Jets season, one that led with hope but quickly turned sour, we turn our attention toward the most exciting time of the year: The Offseason. While Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson moved quickly to fire Head Coach Todd Bowles on the last Sunday of the season, following a 38-3 trouncing in New England, Johnson chose to retain General Manager Mike Maccagnan. This leaves Maccagnan in charge of spearheading yet another Jets offseason with over $100 million in salary cap space, the third overall draft pick, and teaming up with Johnson to select the Jets new Head Coach. Yikes.
