New York Jets General Manager Candidate: Brian Gaine

A favorite of multiple mainstream writers early in the search, the Jets officially asked for and got permission to speak with Miami Dolphins assistant general manager Brian Gaine today.

Gaine has Jets ties. He was a member of the practice squad during the Parcells years. His first front office job with with the Jets as a scout from 1999 to 2004. Parcells brought him into the fold with the Jets, and Gaine followed Parcells to Dallas where he worked as Assistant Director of Pro Scouting and with Jeff Ireland for the first time. He followed Ireland and Parcells to Miami in 2008 as Assistant Director of Player Personnel before being promoted to Director of Player Personnel and eventually Assistant General Manager.

Unsuccessful franchises like the Jets should seek to model themselves after successful ones. They should find talent from those teams. The Miami Dolphins are not an example of a franchise to emulate. In fact, the Dolphins have been run worse than the Jets over the past five years. They have one winning season and zero Playoff wins. How involved was Gaine? According to this article, he has been Jeff Ireland's "right-hand man." If you like how the Dolphins have been run, a franchise that blows Draft picks, doesn't find impact players, makes dumb trades, and puts out mediocrity, Gaine is your man.

Beyond this, Gaine represents no break from the Bradway/Tannenbaum crew that has run this franchise in the recent past. He worked under Bradway with the Jets. This front office is broken. You can blame the top guy if you want, but the front office works like a coaching staff. The general manager is there to delegate tasks. If he hasn't done a good job, you can bet his assistants have done a poor job as well. Since Gaine would know some of the key players, you can bet he would keep them in place and bring along some friends who have helped do nothing with the Dolphins. It will be one big AFC East mediocrity party in Florham Park.

I don't really care that Gaine is "highly regarded" by some and called a "rising star." Who is calling him these things? Parcells? He also thinks Tony Sparano and Mike Tannenbaum are great? Some writers who know him? Former teammates who are his friends? I care less about words than his record. His record isn't good. He has been one of the key players in a front office that has not done its job well.

Gaine could work out in the general sense that anything is possible. The best track, though, is to find proven winners with good resumes, not people who maybe, possibly, might be better than their track record looks. Gaine frankly looks no better than Scott Cohen. He wouldn't represent a departure from the recent failures much more than Cohen would. I would be extremely unhappy if the Jets hired him.