Woody Johnson, Jets Off To Good Start In 2015

Just a few weeks ago, Doug Marrone looked like the smartest guy in football, getting his old team to pay him $4 million next season not to work while he earned a second salary roaming the sidelines for another franchise. Now, Marrone doesn’t seem so swift... But, remarkably, Woody Johnson does.

Obviously, we won’t know if the Jets owner made the right calls on his new GM and coach -- Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles, respectively -- for a few years.

But we do know that: 1) Gang Green’s new dynamic duo each arrives with an impressive resume that not only attracted Johnson’s attention, but also that of other franchises around the NFL; and 2) the situation in Florham Park is a whole lot better than it was in the first few days of 2015, when it appeared as though no one wanted to be the Jets GM and Johnson seemed to fancy Marrone as the second coming of Vince Lombardi.

As a personnel executive and talent evaluator with the Texas for more than a decade, Maccagnan was a key part of a crew that amassed one of the better track records in the league in both the draft and free agency. He’s never been in the hot seat before, but he’s as well prepared for it as any other first-time GM could be.

Bowles, meanwhile, was on the very short list for a host of head-coaching opportunities after an extremely successful run as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator. So far, six of the seven head coach openings have been filled, and I would take Bowles ahead of any of the other five: fellow first-timer Jim Tomsula, who gives new meaning to the phrase “in over his head” and retreads Gary Kubiak, Jack Del Rio, John Fox (very impressive record, but so conservative that his QB starts taking a knee during the National Anthem) and, yes, Rex Ryan.

Yes, we’ve all heard endlessly about the Jets’ penchant for hiring “defensive guys,” with Bowles making it six in a row (not including HC-for-a-minute Bill Belichick). So what? Three of the four coaches before this latest run were offensive guys: Joe Walton, Bruce Coslet and the one, the only Rich Kotite. Well, you gotta say, their coaching was very offensive to all of us.

Will Maccagnan and Bowles get along? Did Bill Parcells and George Young, or Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson? Let’s hope Gang Green’s new coach and GM despise each other as much as these others -- and end up with a few rings in the process.

The Jets are likely still a long way from being a good team, and Maccagnan and Bowles may end up going the way of Tannenbaum and Mangini, Bradway and Edwards or so many others. But whatever happens, Johnson and the Jets have gotten off to a very good start in 2015.

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