A look at the hirings of John and Marty

New Jersey – The Jets made two very important additions today in John Idzik and Marty Mornhinweg. Let’s take a closer look at these moves.

You can never go wrong by surrounding yourself with really smart people.

I have no idea if the hirings of John Idzik and Marty Mornhinweg will work out, but the Jets are definitely going to error on the side of intelligence.

I’m not questioning the intelligence of the previous people in the jobs. They are both obviously bright.

But both of these guys are super bright.

And I think Rex can be successful, again, but he needs stability in these two spots.

Because we know Rex is an outstanding defense coach with excellent schemes.

We also know players like him and generally respond to him. The Jets have never quit on this guy (except maybe the offensive line against the San Diego Chargers this season and Santonio Holmes in Miami last season).

But while he’s really good at defense, and getting players to play hard, he’s not great a player personnel and offense.

If these two areas are shored up, I truly believe Rex can be successful.

And I think the Jets just did that.

I honestly think Woody did the right thing keeping Rex, and also did the right thing fixing these two areas.

It’s time to stop calling Idzik just a cap guy.

He knows football.

First of all, if you working in personnel departments for the last 22 years in the NFL, how could you not continue to grow as an evaluator, at the very least, by osmosis.

This idea he was sitting in a room with a calculator for 22 years is foolish.

And let’s not forget, Idzik grew up around football, with a coach for a father, who was a lifer, with stops at University of Tennessee, University of Maryland, Tulane University, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and the Ottawa Rough Riders.

Okay, he grew up with a football coach as a dad, he played at Dartmouth, and has been in NFL personnel departments the last 22 years, and he’s just a cap guy?

That is just stupid.

We live in a world of labels.

Yes, Idnik is excellent at negotiating contracts and dealing with the cap, but he hasn’t been living in a vacuum – he is also a personnel guy.

As for Mornhinweg, this is just the kind of guy the Jets need at offensive coordinator.

When I heard about candidates like Pep Hamilton and Joe Lombardi, with all due respect to those men, I thought they were the wrong guys at the wrong time.

After taking a chance on Tony Sparano (who only was an OC for one year prior to coming to the Jets) that didn’t work out well, the Jets needed a slam dunk OC.

Mornhinweg was the offensive coordinator/assistant head coach for the last seven years in Philadelphia. Marty and Andy did a heck job with that offense, perhaps up until this past season. How often did that team drive right down the field on that first scripted drive of the game? Very often. That is always the sign of a really good coordinator.

Aside from working with Andy on the Philadelphia offense for seven years, he was also the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator, under Steve Mariucci, for four seasons.

Marty knows what he is doing – he knows how to call a game – he understands how to play the chess match.

So in a nutshell, I like the brainpower the Jets added today.

Will it work out?

That remains to be seen.

But these two moves seem like two well thought-out, intelligent decisions.

January 18, 2013

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