The State Of The Jets

As many of you know, I am a Jets fan. I go back to Super Bowl III when I saw Joe Willie & the Jets beat the Colts for their first and as I’m constantly reminded, only championship. I have followed them for years, with the exception of the Joe Walton & Rich Kotite years (I still shudder at the memory of those pathetically coached teams).

Today, I have heard a HUGE amount of disturbing news about our team. Since trying to make an intelligent point on any Talk Radio in this area is next to impossible, I am left with the best way to have my voice heard, which is my here. So in no particular order, here is my State of The Jets.

Payton Manning as quarterback. NO, as in NFW!!! He had a chance to join the Jets when we had Bill Parcells as coach. He could have come out early and been the #1 pick in the draft. Instead, he said he wanted to return to college and go for the National Championship (we all know how that turned out). So Bill traded the pick to the Rams, who chose Orlando Pace, we picked James Farrier, who was traded to the Steelers. A loss-loss for the Jets as we got nothing in return (2 rings for Farrier, 1 for Pace). So now the cry goes out, get Manning as a Free Agent. #1, he isn’t a Free Agent yet. #2, he’s had 2 neck surgeries in the past year. #3, a quarterback coming off two operations, going behind a suspect line, with a poor excuse for a running game, that’s a sure recipe for success. Personally, Sanchez was anointed too early. He needed to sit behind a good veteran and learn, like Aaron Rogers did. But now that he had 3 seasons of experience behind him, is NOT the time to replace him.

Blame the offense; no let us lay the lost season at the feet of the true culprit, the Defense. Yes, the offense stunk. Most of us sitting on the couch were calling the plays before they were executed. But if the defense makes 1 stop per game, Denver (we got Te-bowed at the end), Giants (Victor Cruz on a 3rd & 10 play), or the Miami 21-play drive (where they were 6 for 6 in 3rd down conversions on that drive), we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It was our vaunted D that let us down. That falls directly in Rex’s lap.

The rest of our offensives woes were because of the flaws in the design of the team and that falls in the lap of Mike Tannenbaum. Left Guard, Right Tackle, Running Backs, the bench, back-up Tight End, these positions needed to be addressed, either in the draft (the best case scenario, or by smart, free agent signings. And TJ Conley, what were you thinking. Yes, Schotty has to go, I agree completely. But to even think of replacing him with Tony Sparano, are you insane! Look at his body of work, Tony Romo (an over-rated, mistake prone, choke-artist, turnover waiting to happen), Chad Pennington (2 surgeries later), Chad Henne 9injury-prone), Matt Moore, none of those offensives run by that group of quarterbacks strike fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators. And Todd Haley as receivers coach, another joke. This is a guy most of his players can’t stand playing for. When he was on Arizona, Antwain Bolden & he had to be separated. The Chief players had a party when he left and they certainly played a lot harder for Romeo.

So what to do? Draft better, which means scout the players properly. For Offensive Coordinator, look at who is sitting behind the Coordinators for the Saints, Packers, 49ers. Or go the college route and hire those coordinators who led their respective teams to blow-out victories by scoring more than 40 points in the Bowl games. Or if you really want to think outside of the box, hire a great former defensive coordinator, one who had to scheme against a high powered offense. Hey, he had to study offense to learn how to beat it, which means he learned a variety of offensives and how they attack a defense successfully.

Marketing 101 : Playing Your Business Card

In the age that we are in, nothing is more valuable than information. This is what drives the generator of knowledge, growth and development. Asking the right question, having the appropriate data, enables companies to utilize a variety of resources more effectively. The more that one knows about a product, service, the competition or a person, the better the decision which is based upon it.

Relating this to job search is vital. If there is a lack of information about what skills and abilities you bring to the table in your network, the less help they are capable of giving. Unless you walk around with your resume on a sandwich board, the question is, how can you create a “buzz” about what you are marketing?

THE LIGHT BULB MOMENT
In a local election for town council, one candidate came up with a distinctive, creative, powerful way for the voters to get to know who he was and what he stood for. It was small, lightweight, ideal to distribute, and saved paper. Because instead of a campaign flyer or brochure, he gave out a business card!

Yes, just a simple, well crafted business card with the key facts that he wanted people to know about him. On the front, there was the typical contact information with something extra, his slogan. The back was where the impact lies. It listed his community service, previous offices held, and a very brief synopsis of his employment history.

For a job seeker, this lesson can translate to you. Your slogan is the one, best reason why an employer would want to hire you. Make sure that what you write s a statement of fact and has value to the career you want. It should be short and sweet, no more than 10 words, but just like a commercial, this will be the message that you want to get across about you. The back of the card will list 2 or 3 job titles and one accomplishment you had, which relates to your slogan. This is a snapshot, with talking points that you chose to highlight.

DIRECTING THE LIGHT
The advantages of this approach are many. When running around, you might not always have a clean copy of your resume handy. A business card fits easily in a pocket, purse or wallet. People save cards because they hold information in a small space. Plus, people might not take a resume, but they will always take a card. This idea shows creativity, a “think outside of the box” attitude that exhibits a pro-active problem solver in action. It helps you focus your message. And it saves paper.

Getting information into people’s hands is vital. Having a quick, easy, imaginative way to do so helps you stand out from the crowd in an uniquely positive way. This will increase the number of people you can contact and who can help you find the opportunity that you’re looking for. So the next time you say, “here’s my card”, make it an ace from your deck.