It’s going to take more than a 41-point bashing by the Patriots to shake Jets owner Woody Johnson’s support of his team’s leadership.
Appearing at his first in-person NFL owner’s meeting in five years — before his leave of absence to become a political ambassador and before COVID-19 temporarily turned the league into a virtually run operation — Johnson backed third-year general manager Joe Douglas and first-year head coach Robert Saleh.
“I have unwavering, steadfast confidence in Joe, Robert and the coaching staff,” Johnson said. “I’ve been around for going on 22 years — with my little absence that I had recently — and this is a good group.
“We will get it right! Last week was frustrating, but now we turn the page and we’re off to [this week’s opponent] the Bengals.”
The Patriots scored the most points by a Jets opponent since 1978 in their 54-13 win last weekend. The familiar nemesis already has swept the season series — and they added injury to insult by knocking out rookie quarterback Zach Wilson for 2-4 weeks with a PCL injury.
So, why is Johnson not ready to question the direction things are headed in a 10th straight season without the playoffs?
“Talking to the leadership, Joe and Robert, and seeing how their plans are put together, how they are deep-thinkers,” Johnson said. “They want to do things like establish a culture and get the right players in the right position.
“We’re just a very young team with a young quarterback. [Wilson] is 22 years old. So, he’s seeing things for the first time like a lot of the young quarterbacks. It’s going to take him a little bit of time, but I have a lot of confidence in Zach, too.”
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