The Jets are betting that their new general manager is no Ordinary Joe.
There were no hedges in Joe Douglas' introductory news conference Tuesday. No talk of a five-year plan. No reinventing the wheel.
There was a sense of urgency at One Jets Drive. Fresh air, indeed.
Douglas referenced his experience in Philadelphia, where he was vice president of player personnel the last three seasons. The Eagles understood their opportunity from having an entrenched franchise quarterback on a rookie contract like Carson Wentz. Philadelphia built quickly, but systematically, around its young signal-caller well enough to capture Super Bowl LII.
Now that he's in New York after agreeing to a six-year deal Friday to replace the fired Mike Maccagnan, Douglas is prepared to do the same thing. He stated his belief that quarterback Sam Darnold, though coming off an up-and-down rookie season, has the tools to succeed -- if the Jets surround him with more help.
Douglas later mentioned that with his quarterback in place, his next priority will be to make sure the club is competently stocked on the offensive and defensive lines. While Maccagnan loaded up on defensive linemen in his four-plus-year tenure, he took a more carefree approach to the men on the other side of the trench. In five drafts, he selected just three offensive linemen. Of those, starting tackle Brandon Shell, who was chosen in the fifth round in 2016, and 2019 third-rounder Chuma Edoga are still with the team.
Instead, Maccagnan typically resorted to overpaying in the free-agent market for guys graded no better than average by ProFootballFocus.com.
Since Douglas was a college offensive lineman at Richmond, Jets fans should feel confident that he'll grasp the importance of having blockers capable of keeping Darnold upright and in position to put the ball in the hands of skill players such as running back Le'Veon Bell, wide receiver Robby Anderson and tight end Chris Herndon.
"Football is a game of wills," Douglas told the media. "We're going to try to build a team that can impose their will on another team. To do that, you have to be strong up front."
The Jets, of course, have holes beyond the offensive line. Douglas didn't punt on that, either. He vowed to scour the waiver wire and cut lists to bring in better depth. As the third-worst team last season, Gang Green will have the third shot at those claims through the preseason.
Will Douglas succeed in putting the Jets on a track to consistent competitiveness when so many before him have tried and failed? That remains to be seen. He's learned at the feet of some of the finest minds in the sport, many of whom, like Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Philadelphia's Howie Roseman, he made sure to thank in his speech. However, Douglas has never held the GM title before. As much as his work in evaluating talent has been lauded by insiders, he lacks a real track record.
Though Douglas will be inundated initially with meetings to set the rest of the football operations staff, including the scouting department, he'll at least come in with the advantage of knowing the head coach with whom he'll be working, as he and Adam Gase overlapped during the 2015 season in the Bears organization. Gase may be notorious from his three seasons at the helm in Miami for having a toxic personality, but Douglas insisted the two have mutual respect and maybe even a fondness for each other.
Overall, I thought Douglas hit the right chord for Jets fans Tuesday. He's all about doing whatever it takes to win, but he didn't come across as boastful the way former coach Rex Ryan did a decade ago. Douglas didn't challenge the Patriots to pistols at dawn.
I always felt a different vibe with Maccagnan, that some notion of "progress" made losing acceptable. Like the goal was always to "get better," never mind the results. Douglas sounded like he sees losing for what it is -- failure.
If Douglas can turn this franchise into winners, that would make him extraordinary.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
