Link: Tannenbaum Coming Into His Own
Mike Tannenbaum starting off his tenure as a GM for the Jets with a bang when he traded John Abraham for a first round pick, and since then, he’s made some other tough but interesting moves. Tim Graham of ESPN writes about Mike Tannenbaum and his willingness to make some bold moves to get to his desired end point.
“I applaud him,” former Green Bay Packers vice president Ron Wolf said, “because he’s at least willing to put his nuts on the line.”
Wolf knows Tannenbaum through mutual friend Bill Parcells. Tannenbaum considers both mentors and has invited Wolf to visit with the Jets’ scouting department at the team facility in Florham Park, N.J.
“Everybody there’s got to be proud of what he’s doing,” Wolf said. “They’re a viable team.”
A substantial reason for the Jets’ outlook is Tannenbaum’s maverick approach to building the team.
Any time is a fine time to make a trade in Tannenbaum’s world.
He’ll do it at the draft, trading up to snag cornerback Darrelle Revis, linebacker David Harris, tight end Dustin Keller quarterback Mark Sanchez and running back Shonn Greene.
He’ll do it after training camp starts, bringing Brett Favre aboard in August. He’ll do it during the season, adding Braylon Edwards in October. He’ll do it as a component of free agency, taking gambles on cornerback Antonio Cromartie and receiver Santonio Holmes in the spring.
Makes no difference to Tannenbaum.
While some decry him as too much of a “bean counter” and that he’s stuffing the office with like-minded people, I would hesitate to say that he’s doing it at the expense of the talent evaulators, at least writ large.
Terry Bradway’s biggest problem was that he could identify talent, but had a very limited grasp of how to synch talent with actual value. For instance, Doug Jolley was never worth giving up a first round pick (even if we got back a second), drafting a kicker in the second round is insane, Dewayne Robertson was a collossal backfire from where he was picked in the draft, and drafting Bryan Thomas when the team already had Shaun Ellis and John Abraham was a head-scratching move. It’s not that those guys weren’t talented, or didn’t add value to the team … they did, it just wasn’t commensurate with where Bradway imposed the value of that player.
More than anything, I think that Tannenbaum’s mind allows him to evaluate talent (or take suggestions) and synch it up with value, and in the case of some guys, risk.
If you look at the list of players that Tannenbaum has traded away, and traded for, the “for” list at this point I would imagine outweighs the other list … because the value at the position these days is minimal. That a starting QB (even a bad one) like Jason Campbell can go for a fourth rounder, or that Donovan McNabb can go for the equivalent of a second and fourthish pick just proves how devalued players are to picks these days.
Now maybe guys like Florio will stop talking about how he’s perpetually on the hot seat.
34 Responses to Link: Tannenbaum Coming Into His Own
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Dylan says:
Bradway was a TERRIBLE GM. That Doug Jolley trade was embarrassing. Didn’t we trade him for like a 6th rounder after he couldn’t beat out Chris Baker? The McCareins trade was a joke too. He had some of the worst hands i’ve ever seen. Drafting Nugent in the 2nd was awful as well. It was a panic move after what happened against the Steelers.
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Green Goblin says:
Tannenbaum should sign Adalius Thomas and Sharper…If Harris or Scott get injured who is in line to replace them? That’s why Tanny should sign AD…AD can play inside, outside and even DE…
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vbsiena says:
Biggest mancrush I have is on this guy. I want to work for him and learn the ways. I stood behind his guy every step of the way esp in 07 when people were calling for his head because I liked the direction he was taking this team and still do.
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I like Tanny as a GM but why all the love??Tannenbaum’s record after four seasons as GM: 32-32, with no division titles, two wild-card berths and one appearance in the AFC title game. So he hasn’t one a Superbowl or Conference or even a friggin division!!! Terry Bradway was GM for only an extra year and at least he had a division title (Bradway also has an extra playoff appearance). Bradway’s record was 39-41..This is almost identical to Tannenbaum’s!!! How come Bradway was fired and is ridiculed by Jets fans while Tannenbaum is considered a hero and a genius that can do no wrong?? Also, Bradway was only allowed to hire one head coach (Herm Edwards) while Tannenbaum has already chosen two head coaches (Mangini and Rex). So sorry to all you Tannenbaum lovers if I don’t trust every move this guy makes..I like Tannenbaum but the jury is definitely still out on this guy as a GM and this season is make or break in my mind….
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Give Leon The Damn Ball (new name pending) says:
goblin
look at the roster and all the talent. tanny has done a far superior job acquiring talent than bradway ever did. it’s
not even close actually.if you don’t like the direction this team is going or the job tanny has done, then you’re crazy. we are loaded with young talent and
are primed to be serious contenders in both the short and long terms.in tanny I trust!
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Pete57 says:
Goblin, the big difference is that Tanny keeps making the Jets roster better. Also, Our QB situation was more settled with Bradway. Tanny has had to find our new QB of the future, which is also not easy to do. You simply can’t look at the wins and losses when we are are only talking about a handful of seasons. It is very clear Tanny has the team pointed in the right direction. We have a HC and QB that should be together for many years. Experts have us as the best team in the division, and a SB contender. That was never the case under Bradway.
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Harlan Lachman says:
Green, go over the history and compare the records of other Jet GMs then come back and share what you learned. I think you will be surprised.
To me the biggest difference between Tanny and other GMs is what would be a contradiction for any other GM: Very risk averse and lots of effort and vetting with costly transactions and a huge gambler the rest of the time.
So far, except for the failure of VG (I would love to be able to blame Eric for that one), look at who he has overpaid (in terms of trading up draft picks or players) for: Sanchez, Shaun Greene, Revis, Harris. I even think he has done well with his huge cost acquisitions such as Pace, Bart Scott, and Faneca. All home runs. All heavily vetted players whose character may even exceed their talent.
OTOH, he took flyers on Lito, Braylon, Santana, Cromartie that are high risk low cost moves.
In a strong draft, he stays pat in his top choices. In weak drafts he trades up and gets who he wants.
As a Jet fan since the Polo Grounds, all I can say is the days of Blair Thomas, Johhny Lam Jones, appear to be over.
I am actually optimistic about a season with a ridiculously tough schedule and an unproven QB. Who’d have thunk it.
harlan
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bernie says:
I’m with Green. Sure, Tanny deserves credit for drafting Revis, Mangold, Brick, Harris and a few others. But let’s not forget he also is on his second coach in 5 seasons, he missed big-time on Gholston, and he’s only drafted 17 players over the past 4 drafts (the Pats got 12 just this year). When you’re taking those kinds of chances in something that’s as much a crapshoot as the NFL draft, you had better have a hit rate around 90%. Because logic tells you the name of the game is to get as many picks as possible to minimize your risk. For example, if the Pats hit on 1/3 of their picks, the Jets have to hit 100% just to match them. That is a risky game over the long term.
Tanny’s free agent record is also spotty. Kenyon Coleman was a career backup who was brought here on a fairly large contract to start. Didn’t work out. Calvin Pace is a complementary player, yet we’re paying him like an elite pass rusher, which he’s not. The Woody signing worked out well. The trade for Jenkins worked out well, although he’s been hurt a lot and we haven’t developed quality depth behind him. Having such few draft choices will do that.
I consider Tannenbaum a middle-of-the-road GM at this point. He’s done some really nice things, and also made some bad mistakes. This idea that he’s some sort of genius is laughable. The jury is clearly still out.
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dakar says:
Dylan,
aint that the truth…
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Give Leon The Damn Ball, you sound like those Mets fans who actually bought those “In Omar We Trust” t-shirts…Your statements are based on theory not facts..Were you one of those guys who said Kerry Rhodes was a top 5 safety then a season later said he’s awful?? Or declared Gholston the next big thing but now can’t wait to get rid of him?? Were you one of those guys that just last season said that Leon Washington was our #1 RB, MVP on offense, one of best all around players on offense in the NFL, and we should pay him whatever is necessary to keep him on this team for the next decade??And even after he got injured said the injury was no big deal and that we should still sign him long term??But now that Tanny traded him, you’re running around saying thank goodness we got anything for him and he is never gonna be the same again??Even Tanny himself said just before he traded Leon that Leon would be ready but right after he traded him said he’s unsure!!!!
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Bradway inherited a very good team. The core of that team (Ellis, Abraham, and Pennington) was drafted by Parcells. Tanny took over 4-12 team with no offensive line or DBs. Look at the team now.
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Harlan Lachman
your to much…LMAO…your hilarious…funny as ****…
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No one is perfect but I think Tanny has done a great job. Not only does he seem to be able to synch up value and talent, but he seems to be a real businessman in that he tries to get the most possible and give up the least possible. I wish that he could’ve gotten more for Kerry Rhodes and Leon (and something for Faneca) but in these times when draft picks are so ridiculously overvalued, I guess it wasn’t possible. But usually, when a trade occurred, it seems more likely that Tanny fleeced the other side than the other way around (see Thomas jones for a 2nd (picks weren’t as overvalued then) and the trades with Mangini). I love his aggressive style, which it seems like we’ve only had from our GM once before – Parcells.
I am not one to ever defend Bradway (I think he sucked as a GM) but I don’t blame him for Robertson, everyone had him ranked high that year and most people liked the move at the time.
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Pete57, Tanny inherited Pennington (who was still in his prime)..Don’t blame injury because Bradway’s worst seasons were because Pennington was injured..Bradway never got to select a QB of the future because he also inherited Pennington from Parcells…Tanny has had Pennington and has gotten to select TWO QB’s of the future!!!!!! Tanny also wasted a second round pick on his first QB of the future..Remember Kellen Clemens!!!!Tanny even traded up to get Clemens!!! Clemens was a flop and a horrible selection by Tanny…Someone even told me that Tanny said on Mike & the Mad Dog years ago that he liked Clemens so much that he almost wasted a first rounder on him because he was afraid of losing him and that’s why he traded up to get him because he was scared someone would select Clemens..Meanwhile, in reality NO TEAM would have ever selected Clemens until AT LEAST the third round!!!!!!!!!Now he gets another shot with Sanchez while Bradway never even had one chance to select a QB of the future…Just like Tanny has been allowed to choose two head coaches while Bradway only had Herm…
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bernie
i said it 2 years ago and i’ll say it again…the pats are on their way down…after they lost the SB…it has been the begining of the end…of them…now if you look around the net you’ll find articles with head liners such as…dynasty no more…thats it…their finished…their coach has been found out and his methods aren’t working anymore…its are time to shine…just my thoughts…
1 more thing…BB always has 13 or more picks in the past 5 drafts…how many of those players made a big name for themselves in the past 5 years…only 2 and their names aren’t that big…just sayin…
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Dylan, Tanny inherited a team that was pretty good …They made the playoffs the prior season at 10-6 and including the 4-12 season made the playoffs 3 out of 5 years (including division title)…How good was the team that Bradway inherited..They didn’t make the playoffs the season before he came on either…They didn’t even make it the season before that either!!!!!!!!!.He also had a first year HC in Herm Edwards…
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goblin
again, I think we’re loaded with talent. tanny has probably drafted/acquired more probowlers than any other jets gm in history. the past two seasons, the team’ s record has been held back because of poor qb play. I applaud tanny for having the stones to get rid of penny in favor of favre and then going after a kid who looks like he can be a franchise qb.
he’s doing a great job, but Joe beningo type fans just need something to harp about. unlike the Joe beningos out there I am incredibly optimistic and fired up about the season because of the obvious abundance
of talent tanny has put together. this team is going to do big things. -
Dylan – I agree with most of what you’re saying but I don’t think that Tanny inherited a bad team. We were 4-12 in ’05 because we had more injuries to starters (and then to their backups) that year then most teams have in 3 years. By the 2nd half of that year were were starting a 3rd string QB, a 3rd string RB and a backup TE, WR and half the Oline and that is just what comes to mind. I don’t think any team in history would have been much better than 4-12 that year.
That being said, I think Tanny is a really, really good GM and he seems to be getting better and better. Clearly he is learning some things from Rex.
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Goblin, in the same thought you said:
“Tanny inherited Pennington (who was still in his prime)… Bradway never got to select a QB of the future because he also inherited Pennington from Parcells”
You can’t have it both ways, was it good to have inherited Pennington or not?
When Tanny got Pennington, not only was he not in his prime, he was coming off an injury that many thought should have ended his career. Yes, he won comeback player of the year, with a whopping 17 TDs to 16 INTs. He beat one good team that year, NE in the rain.
The team that Bradway inherited was parcell’s team. While they hadn’t made the playoffs in two years (thanks to Vinny’s injury and Al Groh) they were still much better than the team Tanny inherited 5 years later.
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Green Goblin,
Rd Sel # Player Position School
2 47 Mike Nugent K Ohio State
2 57 Justin Miller CB Clemson
3 88 Sione Pouha DT Utah
4 123 Kerry Rhodes SS Louisville
5 161 Andre Maddox DB North Carolina State
6 182 Cedric Houston RB Tennessee
6 198 Joel Dreessen TE Colorado State
7 240 Harry Williams WR Tuskegee2004 – New York Jets
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 12 Jonathan Vilma MLB Miami (Fla.)
3 76 Derrick Strait CB Oklahoma
4 108 Jerricho Cotchery WR North Carolina State
4 132 Adrian Jones T Kansas
5 143 Erik Coleman FS Washington State
6 178 Marko Cavka T Sacramento State
7 213 Darrell McClover LB Miami (Fla.)
7 234 Trevor Johnson DE Nebraska
7 235 Derrick Ward RB Ottawa (Kans.)
7 236 Rashad Washington DB Kansas State
2003 – New York JetsRd Sel # Player Position School
1 4 Dewayne Robertson DT Kentucky
2 53 Victor Hobson LB Michigan
3 85 B.J. Askew FB Michigan
5 140 Derek Pagel DB Iowa
5 150 Matt Walters DE Miami (Fla.)
6 200 Brooks Bollinger QB Wisconsin
7 237 Dave Yovanovits T Temple
2002 – New York JetsRd Sel # Player Position School
1 22 Bryan Thomas DE Alabama-Birmingham
2 57 Jon McGraw DB Kansas State
3 88 Chris Baker TE Michigan State
4 121 Alan Harper DT Fresno State
5 154 Jonathan Goodwin G Michigan
2001 – New York JetsRd Sel # Player Position School
1 16 Santana Moss WR Miami (Fla.)
2 49 LaMont Jordan RB Maryland
3 79 Kareem McKenzie T Penn State
4 101 Jamie Henderson DB Georgia
7 206 James Reed DT Iowa State
7 217 Tupe PekoSantana Moss, LaMont Jordan, Byran Thomas, Chris Baker, Jerricho Cotchery, Kerry Rhodes and Sione Pouha were Bradway’s best picks in 5 seasons. BT wasn’t even a great pick in the first round, but he has been an impact player so i’ll count him. Now lets look at Tanny’s drafts.
2009 – New York Jets
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 5 Mark Sanchez QB USC
3 65 Shonn Greene RB Iowa
6 193 Matt Slauson G Nebraska2008 – New York Jets
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 6 Vernon Gholston LB Ohio State
1 30 Dustin Keller TE Purdue
4 113 Dwight Lowery CB San Jose State
5 162 Erik Ainge QB Tennessee
6 171 Marcus Henry WR Kansas
7 211 Nate Garner T Arkansas2007 – New York Jets
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 14 Darrelle Revis CB Pittsburgh
2 47 David Harris ILB Michigan
6 177 Jacob Bender T Nicholls State
7 235 Chansi Stuckey WR Clemson2006 – New York Jets
Rd Sel # Player Position School
1 4 D’Brickashaw Ferguson T Virginia
1 29 Nick Mangold C Ohio State
2 49 Kellen Clemens QB Oregon
3 76 Anthony Schlegel LB Ohio State
3 97 Eric Smith DB Michigan State
4 103 Brad Smith WR Missouri
4 117 Leon Washington RB Florida State
5 150 Jason Pociask TE Wisconsin
6 189 Drew Coleman CB Texas Christian
7 220 Titus AdamsNow lets look at some of the impact players Tanny has drafted in 4 season. Leon Washington, Brad Smith, Eric Smith, Nick Mangold, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Darrelle Revis, David Harris, Chansi Stuckey, Dustin Keller, Dwight Lowery, Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene. Its not even close. Tanny is a WAY better GM.
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The NYC Parking Expert,
Thats fair. I think the 2005 draft really sealed his fate though. We did have a lot of holes on the team, and Bradway used our 1st two picks on a blocking TE and a kicker. Thats inexcusable. He definitely derserved to lose his job.
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Nikolas says:
People forget that Tanny became the GM after a bad season (Chad’s injury) for a team that the year before was one field goal in two tries away from the Eastern Conference finals. That team was of tremendous character and unity and had a lot of good players. So it was no coincidence that in his first season the team went 10-6.After that he had two no play-offs seasons. So the Mangini experiment was a total failure.
Now the Rex experiment started like the Mangini experiment so let’s wait and see! Because for all of you out there Tanny lovers you are blind enough not to notice that this guy self-destructs. For every good move that he makes he will nullify it in his next one!The Rex move and the current team is good enough for a SB. But it was better with Faneca on, and even better with Leo on and Feely and Jones and yes Rhodes!
And these players are not in the team not because he had to bring Santonio or Cromartie , Taylor or draft Wilson and Vladimir. He let them go in an uncapped season!!!!!!! -
Dylan – agree with your last post 100%. He should have been fired the DAY AFTER trading a first round pick for Jolley and drafting Nugent in the 2nd! He liked Jolley so much he thought he was worth a first??? That’s criminal!
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Nikloas – nice first half of your post, lousy, biased, downright silly 2nd half.
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Live4Draft says:
Green Goblin,
Tanny traded up for Clemens after trading down and picking up a 2nd rounder the next year which was part of the TJ and Harris trades. He moved ahead of Minny who was thought to be taking Clemens and settled for T. Jackson once Clemens was off the board. That said Clemens is terrible!
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we all know no GM is gonna hit on all their draft picks…its just not gonna happen…with that said…when tanny hits on a pick…he hits a grand slam…i mean… how many probowlers has he picked up from the draft and FA…7 players all together…not to mention it should have been 8 but harris got snubbed last year… the guy makes moves that matter and he makes the team better when he does…just my thoughts…
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EnoughTalk says:
well he has doen pretty good – but… we will see where this ends:
PITTSBURGH — Investigators told Channel 11 News reporter Renee Kaminski that former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes had to be escorted off a plane Thursday night at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Investigators said it the incident happened shortly after 9 p.m. They said Holmes wasn’t arrested but was escorted off the plane for what investigators call being a “disruptive passenger.”
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i say rex and tanny have a method that is going to work while others are still trying to use BBs method…but others are starting to take notice of tannys method of drafting and dealings…only when you do good people will notice…and around the nfl they have taken notice of tanny and the jets…we’re coming and they know it…i cant wait for the season to start…just my thoughts…
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JetsFan65 says:
Dylan- I love how you showed all the draft picks throughout the years to compare and if the facts don’t prove you right then those guys opposing are just foolish.
Green Goblin-
Are you a Jets fan or a Jets hater? Tanny is the man! He has given us a reason to be excited by putting together a damn good team. Now it’s up to the coaches and players to live up to the expectations. -
jp losman says:
if anyone, as jets fans, cant see the difference between this team and the team from 2005, then there is no reason to try and explain it. every year, this team has improved 12-15%.
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Harlan Lachman, how are Pace, Scott and Faneca home runs?! Faneca only played two seasons with the Jets and he signed a five-year, $40 million contract, with $21 million in guarantees (which made Faneca the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history at the time)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Faneca was a bad signing..No doubt about it!!! Pace was also payed a ton of money and has not performed what was expected when he signed…And Scott was good last year but (like Pace) much more was expected from him at the price he is being paid…Hopefully, Pace and Scott pick it up but so far neither is a home run by Tanny…
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The NYC Parking Expert, I meant Bradway inherited Pennington while Tanny also did…BTW, Pennington was still in his prime (like you even said, he won CPOY award and age wise was still in his prime years) when Tanny inherited him…Bradway also had an injured Pennington which is actually the reason for Bradway’s two bad seasons as GM…So why doesn’t Bradway get a pass for Pennington’s injuries???Tanny also got to draft TWO quarterbacks of the future…Tanny also got the opportunity to sign one of the greatest QB’s of all-time who, judging by last year, is still in his prime…Favre was a flop with the Jets but Tanny should get blamed for that ridiculous signing…Of course, Tanny lovers will blame Woody and his PSL’s just like they blame Gholston on Mangini but give credit to Tanny for every good thing that happened under his term…
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Bent says: I agree there’s a Teflon element to Tannenbaum, but I’m sure there’ll be a backlash as soon as the Jets have some struggles, that’s just the way it goes. I’ve often said he gets too much credit, but as long as the team is winning I don’t really care who is responsible.
Personally, I think Scott has been worth every cent so far and Pace had a sensational second half of the season. We all knew Faneca was overpaid and regressing, but the Jets deliberately cleared cap space in order to overpay for a top flight veteran presence to build the line around. This worked out better than I expected – and the success of the Woody signing amazed me.
He’s not perfect. Trading for Favre was an awful idea for example. Those three moves though are probably among the best ones he has made.
if the jets are sucessful this year or next, and i mean lombardi trophy sucessful. who do you think will get the most credit for moving the franchise to the promised land? rex or tanny?