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How Appealing Is The Jets Head Coaching Job?

The Jets will be hiring a new head coach in around three weeks time, or at least they'll be openly searching for a replacement for the departing Rex Ryan, however how appealing is the job?

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

This morning I read an article by Darryl Slater of NJ.com regarding the soon to be vacant head coaching position of the New York Jets. He made a lot of fantastic points, and I urge everyone to head over to the site to read the article.

It really got me thinking about the question and I hope Darryl won't mind me jumping in on his article to get the opinion of the Gang Green Nation readers.

When I thought about the prospect, I mentally created a pros and cons list.

Pros

  • Coaching in New York City, even if we are based in New Jersey, the pressure and glory of coaching in New York is right there.
  • A lot of salary cap space to immediately mould the team in your image in year one.
  • A very high draft pick. If we lose on Sunday, which is likely, we are guaranteed a top 6 draft selection. Even if we can't get the QB we want, we should be able to secure a top player.
  • A great defensive line. Who wouldn't want to come to a team with Wilkerson and Richardson on the defensive line?
  • A shot at legendary status. New York fans are tough, but we're also appreciative. You bring a championship to a success starved franchise and you will be an icon in the most famous city in the world.
  • Some talent on offense. We may not have the QB, but we do have a couple of good pieces on the offensive line, Decker and Harvin (if he restructures) and the likes of Jace Amaro.

Cons

  • Uncertainty regarding the GM position, and this is a massive con. You don't want to come into a franchise where in 12 months time you could be working for a new GM. If Woody keeps Idzik, that would turn many head coaching candidates off.
  • The competency of the GM. It's not just job security, it's the job the GM does in general. No head coach wants to walk into a situation where the GM doesn't provide the players to run the coaches system. This happened this year with Idzik undervaluing the cornerback position, a position that is extremely valuable in Rex's system.
  • No Quarterback. The QB is the single most important position in all of football and the Jets haven't had a real answer to the position since Namath hung up his cleats. He will be walking into a situation where there are a lot of questions regarding the position.
  • Offensive line needs work. Jets really need to work on the offensive line, we have a couple of pieces but as a unit it needs to get better and younger. Getting the dynamic right on the line is extremely important and there is a lot of work to do for the new coach.
  • Trust in the scouting department? If the HC came on board and someone like Terry Bradway was forced on him, how would they react? Bradway has a poor record of both drafting and being in charge of the scouting department, so if he wanted to remove him from the position, would the owner pull rank and block that?
  • Secondary. It needs a complete overhaul, and in a passing league, you can't get by with poor pass defence.

Add your own pros and cons below. However the way I see it, if we clean house, including Bradway and Idzik, the only real negative is the quality currently on the roster. However that can be rectified with a couple of the positives, namely the amount of salary cap we have and the high draft choice.

It seems like a no-brainer to me. By firing John Idzik and removing Terry Bradway who has been in charge of a unit of incompetence for far too long, Woody automatically makes the Jets head coaching job far more appealing. If you're pitching the job to someone, you need to give yourself the best opportunity to land the best candidate there is.