New York Jets: Mike Maccagnan had better follow the path of the championship teams

New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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For the New York Jets, general manager Mike Maccagnan had better follow the path of the teams from Sunday. The team had best to build like they did.

For the New York Jets the spotlight has shifted.  After four years Todd Bowles is out and Adam Gase is in. With a record of 24-40 it was time to begin a new era so Bowles was shown the door.

Now the spotlight shifts. General Manager Mike Maccagnan also sports a 24-40 record. Many believed that he should have been shown the door along with Bowles.

But he wasn’t. Mike Maccagnan remains the general manager, reporting to Christopher Johnson while Adam Gase coaches the team, also reporting to Johnson.

Don’t get me started.

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With Maccagnan here, the onus is on him. We have talked at length about the deficiencies on this roster. They don’t have a starting team that can even compete.

I’m not happy about the Gase hire either but it’s him or nothing. The choice is obvious.

Maccagnan has to improve this roster and do it fast.

To do it, and to save face with everyone, he had better follow in the footsteps of the four teams that played yesterday.

It’s an offensive league now. We all know that. Teams averaged 23.3 points per game, the highest figure in league history.

If you look at the top five teams in offensive DVOA, four of them played yesterday in the title games.

Last season? Three of the four teams were in the top ten in DVOA. In 2016 all four teams were in the top ten, and the top two faced off in the Super Bowl.

But what about defense? Don’t they say that defense wins championships? Let’s look at that.

The top four teams in defensive DVOA in 2018 were the Bears, the Bills, the Ravens and the Vikings. In 2017 they were the Jaguars, the Vikings, the Ravens and the Cardinals.

What did those teams win exactly? Very little, that’s what. Some had good regular seasons but they didn’t win the big one. That’s how success is measured in this league.

dark. Next. Behind the numbers with Gase in Miami

Every Jets fan knows Maccagnan’s record when it comes to drafting offensive players. It stinks. It hasn’t been so great with defensive players either, but at least he has tried.

The spotlight is on him now. This roster is all about him. He has to infuse this team with talent and he has to do it now.

The blueprint is already out there. Four teams followed it, and they played for their conference titles yesterday. Build the offensive line and give Sam Darnold talented weapons around him.

No, it can’t all be done in one offseason. However, he has to be able to show that he understands this concept, otherwise he will be looking for a job sooner rather than later.