NY Jets: How Well Does Woody Johnson Do Hiring Coaches?

Todd Bowles was the fourth head coach Woody Johnson has hired as owner of the Jets. To get an idea of Woody's success, I thought it might be worth looking back at how his hires have fared in the same year the Jets fired a new coach. Let's start with Bowles.

2015

We are only a year into these tenures so the book is very much unwritten. So far, so good for Bowles. Gary Kubiak won a Super Bowl in Denver, making the Broncos the clear winner of the group. Yes, Kubiak inherited a team that got a bye the year before, but he and Wade Phillips remade the Broncos into a team that won because of defense. John Fox also deserves some credit. A 6-10 record was better than a lot of people expected in Chicago.

2009

It is incredible that in a year where over one-third of the league hired a new coach that one of these guys did not have more success. Any good moments this group had happened early. Caldwell was in the Super Bowl his first year, but that seemed to be more a product of Peyton Manning in hindsight. Without Manning two years later, Caldwell could not prevent the team from falling to the number one overall pick. Rex Ryan had his team within a game of the Super Bowl in his first two seasons but never made the Playoffs again. Ryan's early days might make him the best hire of this underwhelming group.

2006

This one hurts. Two champion coaches were hired in 2006, while the Jets brought in Eric Mangini. Mangini was the prized pupil of Bill Belichick. He was supposed to be the next genius. It didn't pan out. Meanwhile, Payton and McCarthy are still with their respective teams a decade later.

2001

While Washington went with Marty Schottenheimer and Kansas City went with Dick Vermeil, the Jets went with Herman Edwards, a protege of both Schottenheimer and Vermeil. Schottenheimer's and Vermeil's tenures gained only modest success. Marty took Washington to a surprise 8-8 record but was pushed out after one year in a power struggle. Vermeil had a winning record and a prolific offense but only made the Playoffs once because of defensive issues. Edwards did make the Playoffs three times in five years, giving him the most successful tenure of this group.

While the Jets still haven't found a great coach, Woody Johnson's hires have not been terrible relative to his peers.