Due to personal conflicts, I have not have an opportunity to write about the two major hires for the Jets this offseason, new general manager John Idzik and new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. I apologize for the delay, but you can listen to my initial thoughts on the hire from Friday’s episode of Flight 5 and yesterday’s edition of  “The Blue and Green Review.”

As you’ve likely heard by now, the Jets have hired Seahawks executive John Idzik as the team’s new general manager. The team announced the hire on Friday afternoon and will hold a press conference introducing Idzik to the media and the fan base on Thursday (tomorrow).

So who is John Idzik and what can we expect from his as the New York Jets general manager?

Idzik spent the last six seasons as VP of football administration with the Seattle Seahawks, where his duties included cap and contract deals and player negotiations and agent communications, among other things. So yes, he is indeed coming from a job where his primary responsibilities fell under “cap and contract” work, but Idzik was also actively involved in player evaluations in Seattle, though that may not exactly fall under his technical job description.

Prior to joining the Seahawks, Idzik spent three seasons as Senior Director of Football Operations for the Arizona Cardinals, helping to build an NFC championship team. He also spent 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay buccaneers Idzik and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2001.

Idzik coached at Duke University, the State University of New York at Buffalo and for the Aberdeen Oilers (Scotland) of the British American Football League.

He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. At Dartmouth, he also played wide receiver for the Ivy League Champion Big Green. He later earned a master’s degree from Duke University in 1992.

Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com wrote an excellent blog post about Idzik, explaining his strengths and accomplishments and also dispelling somer rumors about Idzik’s perceived limitations with personnel. I suggest you give it a read if you have concerns about the hire. » Continue reading “John Idzik And Marty Mornhinweg Hires Aim To Get Jets Back On Track”

As was first reported by New York Daily News, the Jets have hired former Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins quarterback David Lee as their new quarterback coach. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen confirmed the hire last night.

Rumors about the team’s interest in Lee have been circulating for about a week. To the best of my knowledge, no one other candidates were rumored to be in the running for the position vacated by Matt Cavanaugh. Also per the Daily News, Rex Ryan attempted to bring Lee on as quarterback’s coach last year before Cavanaugh’s contract expired, but Lee was hired by the Bills. (At the very least, explains why Cavanaugh was retained).

Lee is best known for bringing the Wildcat offense to the NFL in 2008 under then Dolphins VP of Football Operations Bill Parcells. His work with the Wildcat offense in Miami that year earned him the Sporting News “Innovator of the Year” Award.

Lee’s connection to the Wildcat has re-ignited conversation about the team’s future with Tim Tebow and also fueled speculation that other “running quarterbacks” like Michael Vick and Tavaris Jackson could find their way onto the roster. (Update: Rumors about a Vick – Mornhinweg reunion have been quited, thanks to an ESPN report). 

The popular belief is that Tim Tebow will NOT be back with the Jets next year, and this hire does not appear to be related to Tebow, but one cannot help but make a connection between Lee’s history with the Wildcat and Tebow’s supposed “purpose” on the team.

Lee also worked with the Dallas Cowboys  as an offensive assistant and offensive quality control coach and eventually, the quarterbacks coach. He has also coached extensively at the college level in various capacities, including wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

According to multiple reports, the Jets have conducted and wrapped up second interviews with several general manager candidates, narrowing down their search to a select few. Again, according to various sources, the decision appears to be between Seahawks executive John Idzik, Steelers “cap” executive Omar Khan and assistant GM Scott Cohen, though ManishMehta, among others, tweeted that the Jets plan to go with an “external candidate” and that Cohen is “on the periphery.”

Former Bears general manager Jerry Angelo – who has a second interview with the Jets and, at one point, was considered the leading candidate – and New York Giants scouting director Marc Ross – who bowed out – are out of the mix. It has been reported that former Broncos GM Ted Sudnquist had a great interview last Thursday and could very well be a “sleeper” candidate.

For what it’s worth, Brian Bassett of theJetsblog.com has sources telling him a different story. He tweeted, “While everyone zigs, I’ll zag. Hearing nothing about Khan, Idzik & Cohen for Jets GM, but (believe it or not) Gamble & Sundquist.”

If we learned anything from the Chip Kelly story today, it’s that it’s hard to really believe anything until it’s official. (Also worth noting that the fact that we don’t have a really good idea what’s going on indicates there really haven’t been many leaks..) 

On that note, the Jets are expected to hire a GM this week, perhaps as early as tomorrow.

In other good news, it appears that Cam Cameron will not be the Jets’ next offensive coordinator.

The Jets search for a new general manager continues, and if you’ve struggled to keep up with everything that’s going on, just know you’re not alone. But before we get into the latest on the GM front, there are two other interesting developments worth noting.

• Despite not having hired a new general manager, the Jets have already begun the process of targeting candidates for the offensive coordinator job. Names include Cam Cameron, Marty Mornhinweg, Hue Jackson and Pep Hamilton. According to CBS Sports, Cameron is considered the early “favorite.”
• In addition to interviewing several potential offensive coordinators, the Jets are also reportely targeting David Lee to replace the recently fired Matt Cavanaugh as quarterback’s coach. You might remember David Lee as the dude in Miami that introduced the Wildcat to the NFL. Between this development and Rex Ryan’s mention of the word “pistol” in relation to his plans for the team’s 2013 offense, one can only assume they have plans to continue with some Wildcat-option fun.

It’s curious that Woody Johnson and what remains of the Jets front office are working to target coordinators and coaches when they haven’t even hired a general manager yet, though the GM search doesn’t appear any closer to a resolution that it did a week ago. The team has interviewed at least 10 candidates for the opening, including Tom Gamble, Marc Ross, Jerry Angelo and Scott Cohen, and more candidates are being added with each passing day. » Continue reading “Jets Search for a New General Manager Continues”

Woody Johnson and Jed Hughes will have conducted 11 interviews by the end of the week as part of their search for a new general manager.

The Jets GM search, which appeared to be locked up with Tom Gamble over the weekend, has suddenly taken an interesting turn. In fact, it has been so interesting that even I had a difficult time following it today.

Falcons’ David Caldwell, considered by many to be a “dark horse” candidate based on the positive buzz surrounding Gamble, completed his second interview with the Jets yesterday afternoon. The Jaguars announced that he would be their new general manager later that day.

With their first round of interviews completed and no GM emerging as a favorite, the Jets begin to add additional candidates to the mix, beginning with Colts vice president of football operations Tom Telesco, whom they requested an interview with early this morning (Wednesday). Telesco was named the Chargers new general manager this afternoon.

The Caldwell and Telesco developments must have scared the Jets a bit, because they have now added a long list of candidates throughout the course of the day.

• Dolphins Assistant General Manager Brian Gaine, a Bill Parcells disciple who once worked for the Jets, will be interviewed for the GM job later the week (several reports have the interview happening tomorrow).
• Omar Khan, Steelers Director of Football & Business Administration will be interviewed tomorrow. Khan is considered to be a cap-and-contracts-specialist (that is, specializing in contract negotiations and managing the team’s cap), not a football scout or a “football guy,” as they say. If Khan was to be hired, it’s highly likely he would need assistance from someone with more scouting experience, perhaps someone from the Steelers or even – ugh – Bradaway.
• Former Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo will also be interviewed tomorrow. You may recall Angelo was recently fired in Chicago after 11 years as their general manager. Some positives on Angelo: He has some experience with personnel form his days in Tampa Bay and he is also known for being cheap.
• Seahawks VP of Football Administration John Idzik will interview for Jets GM job on Friday, according to Jason LaCanfora. Idzik has played a huge part in restructuring the Seahawks cap situation in the past few years so, yep, you guessed it, he’s another “cap guy.”
• Jim Popp, GM of Montreal Alouettes in CFL, is believed to be on Jets GM radar as well, according to Manish Mehta. No interview has been scheduled, but many around the league believe him to be an excellent candidate. He was the runner up for the Colts job last year and he is a top candidate for the Panthers opening.
• As a side note, Albert Breer reported that  the Jets requested and received permission to interview San Diego Chargers Director of Player Personnel Jimmy Raye for the position. Raye has since been taken out of the mix. According to Cimini, “(the) interview never (never) scheduled.”

» Continue reading “Jets Add Several New Names to the GM Mix”

Multiple reports had offensive coordinator Tony Sparano being fired weeks ago, but it looks like the firing is now official, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

Brian Costello of the New York Post has confirmed the report.

Also out is quarterback’s coach Matt Cavanaugh, who was fired yesterday. Given the regression of Sanchez – which I’ll admit is on both Sanchez in addition to Cavanaugh  -this was a no brainer. Most would argue Cavanaugh should have been fired at the end of last season.

With so many vacant coaching positions, the Jets new general manager – lets’s call him “he who has not been named” – will have a lot of work to do. Reports indicate the Jets have already targeted  Norv Turner and Cam Cameron as possible replacements for Sparano, with Turner being at the top of the list.

According to Brian Bassett, founder and lead editor of SNY’s thejetsblog.com, the Jets are close to a deal that would make 49ers Director of Player Personnel Tom Gamble their new general manager.

Bassett later clarified that according to his source, the deal is more in $2-3MM per year range, for those interested in the financials.

Of course, the Jets beat was bothered by Bassett’s scoop and took to Twitter to dispute it.

According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, “Source just said the Jets have not offered the job to Gamble or anyone else yet.” Rich Cimini also added, “Told at start of GM search that new GM wouldn’t be in place by Rex/Woody presser on Tuesday. Nothing has changed.”

It’s worth noting that Bassett’s report says that the team has “essentially cemented” a deal — not that a deal is done.

Here’s my take: The story on Gamble was an exclusive scoop from Bassett, not from the usual cast of characters, and with that, I can see why many are so hesitant to question the validity. I questioned Mike Florio – who also inferred the Jets and Gamble are close to a deal yesterday – mostly because I don’t care for him personally (shallow, I know). I do, however, trust Brian Bassett, a man who would not drop something like this – and risk his reputation – if his source wasn’t reliable. (For what it’s worth, Bassett writes that he is 99% certain the report is accurate).

The team also has other candidates yet to interivew, including Giants’ Marc Ross, an interview many suspect might be a Rooney Rule courtesy. Obviously the team has not made any official announcements yet and likely won’t until later in the week.

Stay tuned for more on this story.

UPDATE (Saturday 1/5, 10:30 pm): The Browns have requested presmission to interview Gamble. Gamble already turned down an interview with the Jaguars he had previously scheduled — no word on the status of a future interview with the Browns.

UPDATE (Sunday 1/6, 1:28 pm): ESPN’s Adam Schefter is now reporting that Gamble has emerged as the favorite to land the Jets GM job. Gamble turned down an interview with the Jags for the second time “so he could concentrate on landing the Jets’ position.”

49ers Director of Player Personnel Tom Gamble, widely considered the top candidate for the Jets new general manager opening, has not even been interviewed yet, and already sources around the league are speculating that he will be hired to replace Mike Tannenbaum.

According to Pro Football Talk, the Jets are “expected  to hire 49ers exec Tom Gamble,” citing ”league circles” and in typical Florio fashion, clarifying, “none of these moves are, you know, 95-percent certain. ” What does that mean, Mike? It means,”It’s simply where it all is leaning.” Okay.

Gamble is certainly the most desirable candidate and it makes sense that rumblings are pointing towards a Gamble hire, as he is at the top of the Jets’ list. Adding to the speculation is the fact that Gamble and Rex have a good relationship — good news, especially when you consider a Rotoworld report explaining that all GM candidates  will be informed they must retain Rex Ryan.

The Jets are set to begin interviewing a list of GM candidates that include Gamble, Marc Ross, David Caldwell, Green Bay Packers’ Director of Football Operations John Dorsey (added to mix last night) and current assistant GM Scott Cohen beginning today. The interviews will be conducted through the weekend.

One more development on the GM front as the interview process carries on throughout the weekend: Tom Heckert has canceled his interview with the team, per Brian Costello. While many, myself included, thought that the timing of the cancelation might indicate that recent (ahem) developments (ahem, tattoo-gate) might have scared Heckert, off, Costello has indicated the canceled interview was related to concerns over the Jets’ bloated cap, not an issue with the head coach.

It is also highly possible that Heckert is bowing out of the Jets GM mix because he plans to join Andy Reid. Reports on Friday suggested that Dorsey and Heckert might split responsibilities as part of the new staff in Kansas City.

Heckert was not on the top of everyone’s list of candidates to begin with, but there is really no sense in speaking with a GM that is unwilling to fix the cap when THAT – above all else – will be a huge priority in the next few years.

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If you missed the regular season wrap-up edition of “The Blue and Green Review” – talking Jets general manager candidates – you can watch the replay of the last episode here.

From @NYJET_Prime.

The Jets’ decision to not have owner Woody Johnson, head coach Rex Ryan, recently fired GM Mike Tannenbaum or any member of the Jets staff hold a post-season press conference –  as is customary around the league – did not sit well with the New York media.

The media fired back at the Jets yesterday, filing a grievance via the Pro Football Writers Association, a, who then filed a complaint with the NFL, citing a “violation of league policy.”

League policy dictates that the head coach must be made available within one week of the last game of the season.

Rich Cimini writes in his latest entry, “The rule clearly states the head coach and a team official must be made available within a week after the season.”

According to a statement from PFWA’s Mark Gaughan, the rule really isn’t all that clear. The PFWA has ruled in favor of the Jets and is “satisfied” with their conduct on this matter.

“The PFWA is satisfied that the New York Jets are following the spirit of the rules in making their executives available on Tuesday. There is good reason for the NFL’s rule requiring teams to make a top executive available to communicate with the fans through the media within seven days after the end of the season.  After discussing the circumstances with the Jets, we look forward to hearing from owner Woody Johnson and coach Rex Ryan on Tuesday.”

I am just speculating here, but I suspect part of the reason that the PFWA is satisfied with extending the one week rule to nine days is because the future of the Jets staff is so uncertain, including the head coach.

The Jets will hold a press conference next Tuesday, likely after a new GM is hired.

I asked the good people of Twitter to help me out with some Meme’s to celebrate this occasion. Gosh I love Twitter.

Credit @newjakecity1 on Twitter.

Photo from @Bill812.

Quick Hits:

• If you had strength and conditioning coach Bill Hughan in the “next guy to be fired” pool, you are pretty happy today, as an ESPN report indicates the team has parted ways with Hughan, who has been with the team for the past two years. While the strength and conditioning coach is not mostly responsible for the Jets’ various problems this year, the team did have an especially high number of injuries this season, particularly with the wide receiver group
• Reports continue to indicate that the Jets are very interested in adding former San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner as the offensive coordinator.
• The Jets will begin interviewing general manager candidates on Friday.
• The team has signed several players to reserve/future contracts, including long snapper Travis Tripucka. QB Matt Simms was also signed earlier in the week.

Jets owner Woody Johnson and consultant Jed Hughes have began the search for a new general manager.

The Jets have already begun the search for their new general manager.

Reports are rapidly filtering in about a variety of candidates the Jets have requested and been granted interviews with. I have compiled a list below, with a brief summary of each candidate. The list will be updated as more information becomes available.

• San Francisco Director of Player Personnel 49ers Tom Gamble: Gamble has been working in the NFL for 24 years – including a stint as the Jets quality-control defensive assistant in 1995 and 1996 under Rich Kotite - and is a Bill Polian disciple. His work with the 49ers (he is mostly charged with the responsibility of acquiring free agent talent for the Niners) and elsewhere around the league, most notably with the Eagles, has been highly regarded and as a result, he is one of the most sought after candidates for the many GM openings. According to Albert Breer, Gamble is at the top of the Jets’ list.
• New York Giants Director of College Scouting Marc Ross: Ross has spent the last five years as the Giants director of college scouting and his well documented success has made him a highly sought after candidate amongst those teams looking to fill general manager vacancies. Ross will also interview with the Carolina Panthers and San Diego Chargers, according to sources. Ross was also heavily pursued last season, interviewing for openings in Indianapolis, Seattle and Chicago.
• Atlanta Falcons Director of Player Personnel David Caldwell: After four years as the Falcons’s director of college scouting, Caldwell was promoted to personnel director last off-season and has worked closely with Falcons GM Thomas Dimitrof to upgrade the Falcons roster. Given the Falcons success in the past few seasons, Caldwell is considered to be a highly sought after candidate. He is currently linked to both the Jags and Chargers, who are also looking for new GMs.
• Former Cleveland Browns General Manager Tom Heckert: The recently fired Heckert is also being heavily pursued by another team, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Heckert firing in Cleveland has been met with mixed reactions, though he is widely considered to be a far better talent evaluator than Mike Tannenbaum. For more on the Heckert firing, check out Aerys Sports’ Browns site. For a list of Heckert’s draft history, click here.
• Jets Assistant GM Scott Cohen: Most organizations interview someone in house, Cohen appears to be the token courtesy interview, which is why I am personally not concerning myself too much with te interview. Cohen is a Tannenbaum guy and hiring him would be so “same old Jets.”

According to an LA Daily News article in 2007, Jed Hughes, the man the Jets hired to consult on potential GM candidates, will receive $200,000 per search. Nice way to make a living.

The Jets coaching staff will likely not undergo any additional changes until a new GM is hired but when the time comes, changes at a offensive coordinator, quarterback’s coach and offensive line coach are high on my list. In fact, I would be fine with all of the offensive coaching staff being let go, save for Anthony Lynn, who I believe deserves to stay on.

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