Terry Bradway Is The Cause Of All The New York Jets Problems

Okay, that title may have been a bit hyperbolic. But not by much. Teflon Terry Bradway, if you don't know, is a former General Manager of the New York Jets. He served from 2001 to 2006, when Mike Tannenbaum was hired. During his tenure, he's responsible for an absolutely disastrous draft history. He was responsible for Dewayne Robertson, Brooks Bollinger, Mike Nugent, and Doug Jolley.

Robertson was one of the biggest busts in team history. I would argue Nugent was the greatest overreaction in NFL history, as a kicker drafted in the SECOND ROUND solely because the previous kicker, Doug Brien, missed two field goals in a playoff game the year before. Jolley on the other hand was traded to the team, for, among other picks, a first rounder. He did essentially nothing before being traded again for, if memory serves, a sixth round pick. In short, Bradway was not a good general manager, which is why he was fired.

Soon after, Bradway was fired for Tannenbaum. But that didn't end Bradway's career. In a move that only the Jets would make, they kept Bradway as a Senior Personnel Executive. He currently serves as the team's Senior Director of College Scouting. Only the Jets would make a guy that was an utter failure at scouting in charge of scouting. But it's okay, because he apparently liked Russell Wilson (although not enough for the team to draft him in the first two rounds of the draft).

These kinds of moves are endemic of all the team's problems. The team is absolutely unable to self-scout. They're loyal to past employees and players to a point of absolute insanity. Other than 2009-2010, the Jets haven't really been successful since the 1998 season, even if they've had a few good years in the meantime. Yet they continue to stick with guys in the front office that have no business having any decision making authority, and Bradway is the perfect example.

I had hoped when John Idzik was hired that it would mean the end of Bradway. But it now seems that Bradway is HAL9000, and he literally has to die for the team to get rid of him, at which point I expect them to put him in the Ring of Honor. It's absurd to me that the team keeps these guys in charge that are proven losers. Instead of trying to learn from their mistakes, the Jets seem intent on repeating them. That's what makes them the Jets instead of a winning franchise. If the Jets are forced to clean house at the end of the season, I hope they'll actually do so in a meaningful fashion.

We've seen this same show since the team won Super Bowl III. It's time for actual change. I only hope Woody Johnson will finally be able to see what's at stake, and do what's necessary.