When Jets coach Rex Ryan was talking about his desire to see the Jets quarterback competition to come to an end sooner rather than later last week, he said that he would lean on other people before making his decision.
One of the people whose voice will be heard in that process is General Manager John Idzik. His take on it doesn’t put Ryan quite as front and center when it comes to the ultimate call, however.
“I’ve got a pretty big role in that,” Idzik said, via Mike Vornukov of the Newark Star-Ledger. “I think we’re going to discuss that much like we do anything: it’s going to be a collective opinion. We’re going to hash it out. And it’s not limited to quarterbacks. I know that’s front stage and center. It’s every position.”
There’s nothing wrong with having a lot of voices weigh in with opinions about who should be the starting quarterback, but, ultimately, someone has to tell everyone thanks for sharing and then make the call. That is usually the head coach and Ryan’s been adamant about that point, but Idzik said Saturday that “it’s not one individual” and that he wants to feel like the decision is a “we decision.”
That could be a problem since Ryan, who has reason to be concerned about his job security, and Idzik, who doesnt, might not be approaching the issue with the same goal in mind. Ultimately, though, the call should go to the head coach and if the Jets didn’t want Ryan to make decisions about how to use the players on the roster, they should have made a coaching change this offseason.