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You need everyone rowing in the same direction . . .
. . . or maybe a better way of putting it is you need everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.
Whatever cliche you want to use to emphasize the importance of everyone in an organization being on the same page, that is what I’m getting.
And if the Jets are going to become a winning program again, they need this to happen very badly.
It was not happening the last three years.
What gave me the idea to write about this today was reading a story on ESPN about the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss intends to let her front office of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka make the decision on whether to retain embattled coach Luke Walton after the season concludes, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN,” wrote Ramona Shelburne. “Buss has been one of Walton’s staunchest allies during his three seasons in L.A. However, his working relationship with Johnson and Pelinka has not been as close. It has been ‘weeks’ since Walton had a meaningful conversation with Johnson, according to team sources.”
As many of you know, from reading this website throughout last year, I was told by two sources, that there was a stretch of time where Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan were not speaking to each other.
I have had a hard time nailing the exact timeline of when this was going on, but the first source told me this at the 2018 Senior Bowl. A team executive from another team told me this unsolicited, and honestly was surprised that I didn’t know this, considering I’m around the team, and he isn’t. I didn’t and I don’t think any other beat writers did either.
So considering when the executive told me this, I’m thinking part of the time frame was during the 2017 season.
And then shortly after the Senior Bowl another league source asked me what I thought about the GM and coach not speaking to each other.
So the point here is simple – it’s hard to win with this kind of dysfunction.
It’s of the utmost importance for Jets GM Mike Maccagnan and head coach Adam Gase to work overtime trying to constantly be on the same page.
I suspect that one of the problems between Bowles and Maccagnan was regarding Christian Hackenberg, who Bowles refused to play late in the 2017 season, even after Josh McCown got hurt, the Jets were out of playoff contention, and Bryce Petty was struggling.
But whatever the reason, the Jets owner, GM and coach need to be on the same page moving forward, and not just now, but in late August (final cuts), September, October, November and December. In other words, it’s fine for everyone to say all the right things about how well they are working together in the off-season, or when they first start working together (Rex Ryan and John Idzik said all the right things this time of year), but when the rubber hits the road, the final cuts and big decisions during the season, are you on the same page then?
You better be, or you are going to have a hard time being successful.
One last cliche.
A house divided can not stand.
April 9, 2019
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