Jets General Manager John Idzik met the media on Monday, less than 24 hours after his team lost its seventh straight game in an ugly 43-23 loss to the Bills that saw quarterback Geno Smith benched after throwing three interceptions in a little more than 10 minutes.
Idzik, who was more emotional than we’ve seen in prior appearances, opened the presser with a lengthy prepared statement, during which he compared the team’s first eight to getting “punched in the face” and said that his performance in the job to this point has been “unsatisfactory.” Several of the areas he’s impacted as a G.M. came up during the course of the presser, with Idzik defending the team’s use of their salary cap space this offseason and lamenting the various reasons why the team lost their top three prospective cornerbacks.
He also said that while Smith’s play on Sunday was “a concern,” the team believes he’s continuing to develop as a quarterback and that he’s moving through some “rough patches” at present. Idzik wouldn’t say what that meant for the future at quarterback and he also cited company policy to wait until the end of the season for why he wouldn’t comment on coach Rex Ryan’s job status, although he offered praise for Ryan during his time behind the microphone.
There was other attempts to highlight positives in the team’s play, although some were a stretch and Idzik admitted they haven’t done anything consistently except for lose this season. Idzik said he still believes in the talent on the roster and in the team’s plan to “win now and win in the future,” which isn’t surprising since it is his plan and his roster. There wasn’t much of an answer as for why anyone else should believe in those things, which limits the value of everything else Idzik said on Monday.
Not that there was much Idzik could say that would make things better. A 1-7 start in a 16-game season says enough all by itself.
