It Is Meet the Press day for new Jets GM John Idzik.
Woody Johnson, of course, will be gushing over Idzik the way he gushed over Mike Tannenbaum seven years ago when Terry Bradway stepped down as general manager:
“I suspect that Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick and Herm Edwards probably don’t agree on everything, but each of them recognized the depth and breadth of Mike’s talents,” Johnson said that day at Weeb Ewbank Hall. “I’ve known Mike personally for six years. In that entire time, he has been involved with every aspect of this organization and virtually every decision that’s taken place in this building.”
Tannenbaum was 36 at the time. New head coach Eric Mangini was 35.
“What will my job description be as the general manager of the New York Jets?” Tannenbaum said. “It’s one sentence: My job is to get the head coach players. We will look under every rock, every day.”
Neither Oprah nor Katie will be available today, so we’ll have to make do with our own list of questions for the successor to Tannenbaum, the man now entrusted with repairing the franchise’s image and rebuilding a laughingstock:
Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into?
Do you have any theories as to why the Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl since you were 8 years old?
Why did you find this job appealing?
Did you insist on final say on personnel?
Why is the salary cap ($19.4 million over) such a mess and how much will it impair you?
Most incoming GMs want to pick the head coach, why was this arrangement with Rex in place satisfactory to you?
What are your early impressions of Rex?
What is your assessment of the quarterback position? Will you be actively seeking a quarterback of the future? Is Mark Sanchez salvageable? Were you in favor of signing Matt Flynn in Seattle? Drafting Russell Wilson?
Could you believe that Buttfumble!?! Tell the truth, were you doubled over with laughter?
What is your draft philosophy? What kind of players do you like?
How aggressive will you be in free agency? Or do you prefer to build via the draft?
Do you think it’s misleading to label you a salary-cap guy?
What would you say are your strengths as an executive that will enable you to be a successful general manager?
Will you bring in a right hand man to help you in the area of personnel?
How big an influence in football was your father?
What do you remember about Captain Kangaroo at Jets training camp?
What did you learn working with Tony Dungy? Jon Gruden? Pete Carroll and John Schneider?
What are your thoughts about taking on this job in the media capital of the world? Will you seek out advice from your Dartmouth pal Dave Howard over at the Mets?
Will Cortland continue to be the Jets’ training camp site?
Are there any plans to reach out to Fireman Ed?
Do you have any tattoos we might want to know about? What do you think of Rex’s tattoo?
The perception is that Rex is a lame-duck coach. How do you balance the long-term vision of a GM with the short-term vision of a head coach who has missed the playoffs two years in a row?
Is there added pressure knowing that next year’s Super Bowl will be held in the stadium that your owner shares with the Giants?
Tebow hasn’t been forced on you too, has he?
Just curious, how do you feel about the Wildcat?
When might you sit down with the agents for Darrelle Revis?
Your mother has called you a man who is private, so should we assume that you would not be in favor of “Hard Knocks”? Since you played wide receiver at Dartmouth, is it safe to assume that you won’t fall on your butt (there’s that word again, let’s make it fanny) the way Tanny did when he backpedaled to catch a punt? Did you laugh when Rex said, “Let’s go eat a goddamn snack?”
Is your skin thick enough to repel darts from Broadway Joe?
You wouldn’t care to guarantee a Super Bowl, would you?
Did you read Rex’s book? Did you watch him in “That’s My Boy”? Have you ever flipped the bird to a Dolphins fan?
How do you feel about the fact Dave Caldwell was the Jets’ first choice?
Just curious, if someone for some reason showed up on site with Brett Favre’s cell phone, would you confiscate it? If Favre changed his mind about retirement, you wouldn’t be interested, would you?
What would your message be to long-suffering Jets fans?
And last but not least, since your son Bryant is captain of the Formula SAE racing team at Western Washington University, will you urge Rex to take driving lessons from him?