Two weeks after the Jets season ended ignominiously (actually, it ended well, it’s just that the rest of it stunk), owner Woody Johnson still hasn’t hired a coach… and that’s a good thing. Johnson also hasn’t yet hired a GM… and that’s… well, not great, but not catastrophic either.
But let’s backtrack a bit. Just one week ago, it appeared as though Johnson was all set to hire Doug Marrone, who basically won the lottery on New Year’s Eve when he got to move out of Buffalo just before the worst of winter and got paid $4 million by Bills ownership for doing so. This will one day be recorded in history books as the most one-sided pact since the Dutch acquired Manhattan for $24 four centuries ago (although, to be fair, adjusted for inflation that’s probably a few grand, a very fair price for the most valuable real estate in the Western Hemisphere).
As I’ve said before, while Marrone’s record as a head coach is the very definition of mediocrity -- 25-25 at Syracuse, 15-17 with the Bills -- the fact is that, to his credit, he’s done significantly better at both stops than the guys who came before him. Still, the apparent rush by Johnson to hire him made absolutely no sense, both because Gang Green was then, as it is now, without a GM and because there didn’t seem to be much of a market for Marrone’s services -- despite what his agent says.
It’s been reported that Marrone’s interview with Johnson went poorly (although some say that rumor is false), and that just about everyone who’s played for or coached with the guy can’t stand him (for what it's worth, the guy that does his dry cleaning also says he's a jerk, but Marrone's mailman says he's just misunderstood). Whether either or both have cooled Gang Green’s pursuit, I’m not sure, but I do know that putting the brakes on the potential hire was the right move.
If the Jets conclude their search -- currently said to include Cardinals DC Todd Bowles, Seattle DC Dan Quinn, Chargers OC Frank Reich (all of whom have interviewed with the team already, as has Jets RB coach Anthony Lynn) and Ravens OC Gary Kubiak (who hasn’t interviewed yet) -- and decide that Marrone is the guy, so be it. Hopefully by then there’ll be a GM on hand to, at the very least, help guide Johnson in his decision. In all likelihood, Marrone will still be available -- which, in itself, should tell the Jets owner something.
The Jets haven’t done many things right over the past year. But not rushing to hire Marrone -- or anyone else currently out there -- was undoubtedly a step in the right direction. As for the GM, though, the clock is ticking…
