LISTEN | Jets Coaching Search Update with Joe Douglas (1/6)

should I say on Tuesday? CEO Christopher Johnson spoke to the media on Monday, and you really got the sense that this full this head coaching search is about to be in full swing over the next couple of weeks. It certainly is happy New Year to all our listeners out there. Things move quickly in the National Football League. It seems like seven months ago that the Jets had a fourteen seven lead over the Patriots in Weeks seventeen in that third quarter before gone down to the Patriots

to fourteen. On Sunday night, Christopher Johnson informed Adam Gates that he would not be back in two thousand twenty one. Then Christopher Johnson spoke to the media on Monday. Joe Douglas spoke to the media on Tuesday, and Douglas already has told reporters that they put in multiple requests throughout

the National Football League to speak to some coaches. So the searches on in earnest because the National Football League right now there are six head coaching vacancies, and Christopher Johnson said that it's gonna be a deep search and broad but time will be of the essence. And as we're recording this Monday or not Monday morning, Wednesday morning, the days are kind of metching together for me right now. So that's my bad, but it's Wednesday morning. It's forgivable, man,

all thank you. I appreciate that. So the Jets have not officially interviewed any head coach. And when you look at the timeline the coaches that you know, you see the reports out there who the Jets are looking to interview so far, a lot of them are coordinators and a lot of them are going to coach this weekend in post season play. And so for the Jets that can't interview those guys until after their game this weekend,

that could be as early as Sunday. But for someone like one name, for example, Eric b Enemy, the Chief's offensive coordinator. He because he has a bye week, the Jets can interview him this week, so we'll see what happens. And you mentioned a broad search. I just wanna throw this out there that Joe Douglas said that the head coach that's to be named the twenty head coach of the Green and White does not need to have prior NFL head coaching experience. If it's a college coach that

fits the criteria, that's great. And when Joe Douglas was talking about different qualities that he's looking for, and uh, and a head coach, I mean the awards that came up, communication, leadership, vision for the team, and then the blueprint how to achieve that vision, and really the identity. And I think that he got the sentence and he said, this is not gonna be offensive, it's not gonna be defensive. You know, that would eliminate half of the pool. He said, So really,

I think they're looking for the right guy. And I thought it was interesting that he said it's not like a a power ranking of characteristics. It's a group of characteristics, almost kind of like how you'd approached the draft. Yeah, and it's interesting that Kim Jones from NFL Network asked Christopher Johnson about, Hey, are you the New York Jets organization looking for a CEO type and Chris said, I don't love that term, but yes, they want a head

coach to oversee the entire operation. And when you say why, NET, they're not going to emphasize the offensive side of the ball or the defensive side of the ball, pro or college. Joe Douglas is approaching this with an open mind. He just wants the best candidate and the best partner. And he also said, hey, we're not making major decisions as far as the rosters is concerned before we get a head coach in here, because I have to know his vision and make no mistake about it, whether the Jets

changed their structure or not. Joe Douglas is the leading man in this search. Part of the interview uh committee, of course, will be Christopher Johnson and team president himI el Hi el Hie. Christopher Johnson pointed to as far as he was a big part of the interview process before the Jets brought in Joe Douglas, and the Jets are really happy with Douglas. Christopher Johnson said that he is the GM that we have been searching for four

years now. It is imperative for us to get the head code right and then we believe we have a very good future. And uh, Joe Douglas knows that as well, and I like that he goes into this with an open mind and it feels a lot different differently than a couple of years ago. We're not naming names here. The reason why I say that is because the Jets talked about somebody helping a young quarterback developed in Sam Donald. Well. Uh, the narrative certainly has switched quite a bit in less

than two calendar years. And Joe Douglass since day one has always emphasized the culture, and I think that's what he's looking to bring someone to further that culture. And the words that Joe Douglas said was bring the Jet back basically to being a playoff contender. And obviously all the thirty two NFL teams want to compete for the Super Bowl. He wants to put the Jets back on

the map essentially. And I think after listening to Joe Douglass, I think that there is a real sense of hope and I think that the fans I could be wrong here but I really do think that the fans trust Joe Douglass even though he's been on the job for what almost two years? How long? Like almost two years? It was it was June, so it's like eighteen months. To be honest with you, it's two seasons. But he's only had one draft class. So when we look at the job he's done so far. Oh, by the way,

that's one of the enticing parts of this job. I think if you're a head coaching candidate out there, is that the Jets have great draft capital and they have a man who is so well respected in the NFL circles, who seems like he got a lot of things right in his first draft class, most notably his first pick overall McKay beck. Then he could be the best tackle

out of that two thousand uh twenty class. And then Denzel Mims we saw him flash in the second round, and there are other pieces in that class as well. The Jets are very excited about. So if you're a head coach, my thing is what Joe Douglas and Christopher Johnson and him al Hi are going to have to look at his who is a developer of talent Because Christopher Johnson was right when he said the Jets are a young team, but Ethan they're about to get younger. Yeah,

they are. And the draft capital is huge. Two first round picks this year to first round picks next year, to third round picks this year to fifth round picks this year. There's a lot of capital and the Jets can really continue to build the core that they've already established. I mean it even goes back, it pre dates Joe Douglas with Quinnin Williams, and then you think about his first draft class and these reasons and the things that I'm saying, I think are reasons why I think the

fans trust Joe Douglas. I mean, we knew that he came from a winning culture with the Baltimore Ravens and Ozzie Newsom and then of course on a Super Bowl with the Eagles in two thousands seventeen, and you just kind of get the sense that Joe is very calm. He now, his first draft, by the way, as general manager in the NFL, was a virtual draft, which no other generalman manager has dealt with before, and I think

he handled it very well. And you think about the draft, the draft, Dame moves like trading back in the second round and still getting mims, and then you traded back again in the end of the third round, then you had the three fourth round picks. I mean, there's a lot that we can get into as we'll get into it and review it between now in April Straft. But in terms of the head coach, I thought it was

really interesting. Joe Douglas said that the last time he was involved in a coaching search was two thousand and eight, and he was on the outside because he was a scout with the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens hired John Harbaugh, who's still the coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe said that he called a couple of people he said, you know, what did you do well in your process that you liked? What are some things that you wish

you could do over? And then he said, I'm gonna attack this like the only way I know how, which is like the draft, where you develop your criteria and then you just go about it that way. And if his history proves right, it seems like he's gonna make the right higher. And I think that a lot of fans I know I've said this again, but I'm reiterating it because I'm curious your take. Do you think fans trust Joe Douglas could because I get the sense that

they really do. Yeah, listen, and Joe is the first one to admit that, Hey, every decision he has made hasn't hit, so to speak. And he looked at himself. I think that appeals to people where he took some ownership for what happened this year too. He said, I have to supply better talent to whoever is the head coach ultimately, but he's one of the most well respected guys in the National Football League. He's been in it in twenty one years. For twenty one years, he is

three Super Bowl rings. You mentioned Baltimore. That's so interesting because we go back who did they hire? Who did azi knew? Some higher a special teams coordinator, So we talked about offense defense. Well, let's include special teams in that. But this the learning point there was a lot of guys can come out of No. Eric doesn't have to necessarily be the hot name. It has to be the right guy for you in the entire organization. And I do agree with Joe. The other thing he said, is

we have a lot of good people here. Not only do we have the draft capital on, the financial flexibility and some young players who on both sides of the ball, who we think can be part of our core moving forward. But the Rex Hogan's of the world, the Phil Savages, the Chad Alexander's, the Greg Nasmas, the list goes on and on. So the Jets like their structure in place.

And I think when a lot of people get there and they have an opportunity to sit down not only well virtually like we are right now, but have that opportunity to talk to Joe, himI el Hi and Christopher Johnson, they're gonna come away very impressed. And uh, you know, we go back to it. Christopher said, he and Woody are guys who are going to provide the resources people need to do their jobs. Yeah. I think that this is an exciting time if you're a Jets fan, because

Joe is Joe Douglas. I think, like we said, I think fans believe in him. I do think he's gonna get the head coaching higher right and when in terms of this search, I don't think that we've seen maybe half the names, if not more that have yet to be reported in terms of who the Jets will interview. I mean, the names that you've seen on Twitter and on social media that have been reported are Eric Banamy,

the Chief's offensive coordinator. It was Patrick ram the Giants defensive coordinator until he signed a multi year extension with the Giants what was Tuesday night, and so he will not be looking for any head coaching gig Then their names like Brian day Ball, Arthur Smith, Matt eber Flews the Colts defensive coordinator, and Brandon Staley. But I don't think that those names, I mean, I think what I'm trying to say is I think there are a lot

of names that have yet to be reported. Yeah, they're gonna cast a wide nut, and sometimes, uh, you kind of go under the radar, especially if you're looking at college people. That remains to be seen and we'll find that out in the weeks ahead. And there are some connections there that that that's the other thing you look at. You know, Dave Ball was a guy who worked here back in the day under Eric Manginie, Rex Hogan and Eberflus obviously worked together with the Indianapolis Colts. So you

look at connections. But again, Douglas just keeps an open mind. That's his approach on everything. So they're gonna be guys here where there are no uh connections, direct connections, I should say, And they're gonna come in and uh they will be very thorough in this process. One of the most critical decisions moving forward for this organization is long term success. And Joe said it, he was open about this with the media, is that you gotta get the

head coach right. You have to get the quarterback right. So automatically the question becomes, Okay, Joe, then what are you gonna do with Sam Donald? And I thought he handled that right. If you're Joe Douglas and you're gonna be a partner with your head coach, you can't make that final conclusion on Sam Donald right now. He was clear about it. He thinks he's gonna be a very good player in the National Football League. What with that

number two overall selection. You have to sit there and have these conversations during the interview process and get people's thoughts on Sam Donald before you make a conclusion of where you're gonna go and assemble game plan moving forward. Yeah, I think Joe has said this since again day one, that no decision is gonna be made unilaterally and it's always gonna be a collaborative decision. And for someone that keeps on stressing partnership and collaboration, I think that you

get the sense. And he said it just like you said, He's not gonna make a decisi vision on the quarterback's future without the head coach being in place. That head coach will have a big say, and not only that decision, but every major decision which involves free agency, the draft, so on and so forth. And you did, I should say,

you interrupted real quick. I I liked that he came out and did say, Marcus May is one I think the Jets have like nineteen or twenty guys with exploring contracts, and one of them is team m VP Marcus May and he meant so much to the team this year. And Joe said, hey, listen, that is one of our off season priorities to get him signed. Yeah. I think that was cool and Jets fans are gonna be happy to hear that. In terms of Sam and the quarterback situation,

you can skin this cat a thousand ways. Now you

can skin in a thousand ways on draft day. But the fact of the matter is that no decision has been made, No decision will be made until the head coaches in the building in place, and that discussions and which are gonna be many discussions, whether it's about sam evaluation of the quarterback class that's going to be in the two one draft, it's gonna happen over time, but right now there's no real update because the Jets don't have a head coach, and that's the priority for the

organization is filling that spot, making sure that is the right call. You know. Actually, e A caught up with Joe Douglas one on one after Joe Douglas spoke to the media, So let's hear from Joe de Joe, you've won big in the National Football League. With that being said, how difficult was this past season? Very difficult? UM. I don't think anyone envisioned us starting the euro in thirteen

and finishing the year two and fourteen. UM. But we'll say very very proud of the way that this team stuck together, a lot of the way the locker rooms stuck together. They competed every day in practice. We're able to be two playoff teams down the stretch and win two of our last three games. But obviously we have a lot of improvement improvement to make moving forward. Joe, over the course of your career, what is set you up along your journey for this moment? Yeah, good question.

I think. I think just relationships that have been able to build over the course of twenty one years in the National Football League. UM being able not not being able to to really be a big part of a head coaching search, but UM haven't been able to tap into mentors that have been able to to to run a search and and really leaning on them for guidance UM and advice and having some great conversations. So I

feel good about our process. I feel good about the candidates, the names we've required, and you know, right now we're we're ready to start this process and and ready to learn about these guys and get to know them and and their their philosophies and and uh really really excited about it. We talked about that a lot over the years. But can you trace back and speak to those mentors us as far as what they've done. No, Actually, I'm a reward that we talked about it a lot over

the years. But you just mentioned your mentors. Um, are there lessons that you're taking from them right now as you begin the search? Yeah, there are. You know, it's UM there. There's there's a lot of a lot of good people out there that UM that I've had a chance to work with over the years, and so UM. You know, you you you try to stick to your strengths. And you know, for me, UM, twenty one years in

the in the league, in the personnel department. UM. You know, one of those strengths is is the draft process and and everything that goes into that and every every evaluation of a player, and so you think about the critical factors and the position specifics and so really correlating that,

UM in terms of acquiring a player. UM, now you're you're what are the critical factors and positions specifics that we're really looking for in a head coach in the New York chet and so UM, you know, we've had had a chance to really dive into that with him and Christopher and talk about what we need moving forward, and I feel like we have a great plan. Christopher said, it's going to be abroad and deep search, but time

will be of the essence. There's a lot of openings in the National Football League, So how do you balance being thorough while moving quickly at the same time. Yeah, that is a balancing act because there's a lot of urgency in this league and a lot of competition. So I feel like I feel like, for for our part, we're we're gonna let this process dictate our decision and

not a date on the calendar. And so we we are we are going to be thorough, um, And so I think that's that's the that's the most important thing for us, um to be thorough, but but urgent and so um. Unfortunately, there's a lot of people, a lot of good people in this organization that are that are helping us in terms of the logistics, in terms of in terms of gathering information, and uh, I feel like we're ready, We're ready to start our process. Some of

these candidates are gonna have multiple suitors. What are you gonna tell them about your vision for this organization? Yeah? I think when when I talk about vision, and of course, UM, my vision is important, but I want to know about what the head coaches vision is gonna be. Um. You know when I when I talk about vision, you know of of what the head coach and what the team's gonna look like. I feel like I've been pretty clear upfront about what I think wins in the National Football League,

and that's strong, strong offense and defensive lines. And then you have to have you have to have a great quarterback. And so um quarter like I said before, quarterbacks one

of the most important positions in all pro sports. So um, you know, just just diving in roll up sleeves, getting talking talking ball with the with a coaching candidate, feel very very excited just to to learn about, uh, their vision and their philosophy and uh, I'm sure, I'm sure we're all gonna um learn some really new new and intriguing things. Well, you talk to coaches with both offensive and defensive backgrounds and also coaches that are in the

pros and at the college ranks as well. Right, you know, we're we're gonna cast wide that I feel like we have the right criteria and what we're looking for, and if if there's a coach and in the in college that fits that criteria, we're we're looking forward to talking to them. Do you think it also is a balanced as far as finding that right coach but also finding the guy who is the right fit for the New

York Jets organization. Correct, absolutely, Eric, you know, there there has to be uh a fit and alignment fitting, the UH fitting and then the vision. Um, there needs to be alignment and the vision. And so um that's a big thing that that you touched on, um, because ultimately, you know, we're looking for the right partner to really springboard this organization for many years to come. And so you know, like I said, just can't I can't wait

to get going. Um. I feel like we we're gonna find find the right guy with the right leadership traits, right communication, ability to connect and engage with players, with staff, and so um, we're we're excited to get this process going. You've always approached this thing with humility and like you just mentioned, twenty one years on the job already, uh two years almost on the job as GM in New

York Jets. What are the some of the most significant lessons you've learned over the course of the two seasons here with the Green and White. Yeah. Um, I would say I've learned that that relationships matter. You know, it's it's important, it's important to to uh connect and engage with with everyone in the building. UM, you know, and and and deathly learned learned that, UM, you know, people

are the most important thing. And so the best organizations UM have have the best people, They have the right stability. And really that's what we're trying to to to create here a culture where UM, different ideas UH come together and we can we can create we can, but we can create one vision, one vision of the team and there there's gonna be great collaboration and UM, you know, we can we can create the right kind of culture

that can sustain success for for hopefully a decade. Do you think the foundation has already been laid here with some of your young players? Do you think there are some core pieces that you can build upon right now? Absolutely? UM. I think we're we're excited about the young players in this draft. I think we're excited about, um, the guys, the guys like Quinn and Williams who had a great year, Mackay Beckton, I'm excited about him, and benzel Mims. We're

we're excited about quite a few guys. And so UM, I think when you look about when you look around and you see you see the young guys on our team, you see the draft capital that we have moving forward. You see that we're we're in pretty good, uh financial standing moving forward. There's a lot of opportunity here and um there there are there their pieces. So, UM, you know, I think I think what we need is the right kind of leader, the right kind of person to uh

to really help build this the right way. Hola Tyson. Is that the draft capital you just mentioned. You got the number two overall selection in April's draft, you have two first round picks, you have five picks in the first three rounds, six picks in the top a hundred overall. It's exciting, Um, you know, having this kind of draft capital. Um, you know, I I feel great about about our college staff. I feel great about the work they've put in, and I know we're gonna be ready when the draft starts.

We've got a lot of time, a lot of decisions to make before then. But um, we we feel the urgency to get get these decisions right. And so, UM, while we feel good about about last year's class, that's not gonna guarantee that we're gonna have success in this year's class. So we we just have to make sure that we go through that same process we get together. Um, we dive into every every character profile of every player and we find the right fit for us. And it's

important to do that. Uh, we're gonna we're gonna get with a new coach and a new staff, get on the same page for the blueprint. You know that that he's looking looking to build with this team and make sure that we lock arms and do this together. The draft capital is huge, there's no doubt about that. But I think you're gonna say that the development is just as big. So when you're searching for that head coach, you gotta be thinking, hey, who's going to help develop

a lot of this young core? Because Christopher said us the other day that you guys are a young team, but you're gonna get even younger, right right is that's a great point, Eric, and that that's gonna be a big part of that coach's vision and plan. Not only what what does he want the identity of this this team to look like and how what his plan is to get to that get to that identity, but what

is your plan to develop these young players? Because like you said, we we had so many young players, whether they are draft picks, undrafted free agents, We have. We have nine picks, plus the undrafted free agents that we're gonna signum after the after the h this year's draft, and then next the year after that, we have we

have uh, just as many picks. So we're we're gonna there's gonna be a big influx of young and hungry talent, and we were gonna need the right teachers, the right motivators to get them ready and turn them into good professional football players. Is it fair to say you can't buy success in the national football You talked about the cap flexibility. I don't know that you're encouraged by that,

and that's definitely an asset as you move forward. But you've constantly talked about, hey, listen, we have to draft and develop guys in house and free agency. Yes, we're gonna get pieces on the outside from time to time, but you're not gonna buy yourself into a built right I think, like I said earlier, we're we're in pretty good financial health right now in terms of cap space cap space, and the goal is to stay in in

good financial health moving forward. But um, you know, I'm I'm of the belief that you for for us to get to where we need we need to go, UM for us to excuse me, sustain the success moving forward, It's gonna be about drafting and developing players and then to use that cap space to retain those players. So I think that's a long term plan and long term

goal of what we're trying to do. And Uh, last year's draft, this, this upcoming year's draft, and then the draft after that are going to be huge for us. Where do you think Sam Donald was that after year three? And then how do you view overall the quarterback position on this team? Yeah, you know, I think Sam faced a lot of obstacles this year, um, some of some of which you can control, some of which he couldn't control.

And so I think that for him, I think not not having different offensive linemen in front of him quite often during the season, not having his top three wide receivers until week nine of the season, not being able to to build that chemistry, um that you need for for sustained success throughout a year. UM, I think I think that was that was certainly less than ideal. Um. You know, so, but I still feel that Sam is

a quality player in this league. And we're still talking about three year old, uh, young man, that's going into his third head coach Um again another lesson ideal situation, so he's faced a lot of obstacles. I do think that he has a good quarterback. I think there's many chapters left in Sam Donald's book that are left to be written, and I think that he's gonna be a good quarterback in this league. I think the overall quarterback room, you know, we're we're excited about Um, James Morgan. I

think we're excited about Mike White. Those are two young guys that we didn't get to see in the preseason because there was no preseason game games, but guys that developed. You know, Mike White we acquired uh and was a practice wild player for US last year. That's really developed over the last year and a half. And James made

made really good straight strides throughout the year. Really looking forward to getting those two guys in a in a great competition next next preseason and hopefully get him out on the field and live game games in preseason games. Finally, Joe,

you've been so gracious with your time. Is always what kind of message do you have for this fan base as you enter this critical stage where you're looking for a partner like you talked about a new head coach as the Jets uh enter this two thousand twenty one off season. Yeah, I think I think I would echo what Christopher said yesterday when you talked to the media.

You know, we're we're tired of we're tired of losing. Um. You know we um we we know we need to be better and are our most important goal right now is to find the right person and the right leader that can lead this football team to where it needs to be. And so um that that's our message, is that we know we need to be better and we are going to be better. Uh. And it starts with with this decision moving forward, and we have a lot of decisions after that that we have to get right.

But we're focused on this one break stuff from Joe Douglas has always and throughout this whole head coaching search, E and I will be bringing you all the information on each head coaching candidate that completes an interview with the Jets, and then of course whoever the Jets do in fact higher And it doesn't stop there. We go the entire offseason. We got draft coverage. Do not stop listening to the Official Jets podcast. Howered by AWS