The New York Jets are flirting with a full-on rebuild, but their owner is seeing stars.
Woody Johnson emerged from the wilderness Tuesday to address reporters at the NFL Career Development Symposium in Philadelphia, urging Jets fans to "be patient and have trust we're doing the best thing for your team."
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Johnson insisted that a "buzz" surrounds his Jets, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reported Tuesday. Woody then told the room, on the heels of trading away cornerback Darrelle Revis, "The draft is going to work."
When one reporter asked out loud, "Look out, Patriots?," Johnson chuckled and replied, "Absolutely. You're right."
Coming off a stark 6-10 campaign, it's stunning to see any member of the Jets gabbing about the New England Patriots in early May. Where general manager John Idzik seems intent on rebuilding this team piece by piece and letting his (admittedly solid) draft speak for itself, the Jets' owner is allergic to keeping mum.
Johnson would do his team a great service by tempering expectations and allowing the men he's hired to do their jobs. Instead, he is asking fans for more patience while he thrusts the Jets into the news cycle for all the wrong reasons. Again.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.