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”

This photo was too good.

The Jets staff shake-up continued Wednesday afternoon when the team officially announced  that former Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano will succeed Brian Schottenheimer as the offensive coordinator in 2012. Chris Mortensen of ESPN was the first to report on the hiring late Tuesday night, shortly after Schottenheimer resigned.

Sparano is a former offensive line coach and head coach with a strong background in the running game.

He spent five years with the Dallas Cowboys (2 as assistant head coach) and he called plays for one year, in 2006, as the offensive coordinator. That year the Cowboys were ranked 5th in offense and 4th in scoring.

Sparano then spent four years as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins before being fired late this season. He was 29-32 as their head coach.

Of the Hire, Rex Ryan said, via a team statement:

“When we sat down with Tony, I knew that he was the right person at the right time for our offense. I’ve admired his work as a competitor in the division for the past three seasons. His teams were always physical, tough and hard-nosed.”

Read : Total Rex guy. Not only is Sparano regarded for his run-oriented offenses, but he is also well known for his agressive style and approach. See why Rex likey?

In other words, gear up for more Ground and Pound, people, because it is here to stay.

But wait, there’s more:

Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley is set to visit the Jets facility tomorrow. Haley is the leading candidate for the wide receivers coach. I have also heard several people suggest he could assume the assistant head coaching vacancy. Other suggest he would fill the role of “Passing game coordinator,” which would make sense given Sparano’s background with the running game. I don’t know. That was someone else’s title. I can’t take credit for it.

According to the Star Ledger, Sparano and Haley worked alongside one another in Dallas. Haley was in charge of the passing game while Sparano was in charge of the running game. Both worked together under the Parcells tree. So, there is the connection.

Haley could also help provide some assistance for Mark Sanchez, which is an obvious priority fot the entire team.

Jeff Darlington from NFL.com wrote a fantastic piece about the Rex/Sparano combo that I enjoyed. Darlington points out that the fundamental differences between these two men might actually make the perfect fit in New York.