Joe Douglas has full control of the Jets’ 53-man roster, but that does not mean he is the only one who will have a say on who suits up for New York on Sundays.
Douglas plans on working closely with head coach Adam Gase to put together Gang Green’s active roster. With a healthy collaboration, New York’s 53-man roster will feature players that both Douglas and Gase are comfortable having and fit what the Jets are trying to accomplish on offense, defense and special teams.
“Just because there’s control of the 53 doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be strong collaboration,” Douglas told reporters. “That was the model in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Chicago.”
Douglas has achieved success in Philadelphia and Baltimore working within this model, so there’s not much of a reason to stray away from it. Douglas and Gase are already close, which will make collaboration all the more effective. Working together, Douglas and Gase can bounce ideas off each other and take in new input and player evaluations from a fresh perspective.
Control of the 53-man roster was a major factor in Douglas’ decision to join the Jets. It was also important that Douglas establish a comfort level with New York’s ownership and the fact that Woody Johnson could return from the United Kingdom soon.
“I can promise you, I wouldn’t be standing here if I didn’t have a comfort level with where this franchise was in the leadership position,” Douglas said.
With Douglas comfortable with New York’s power structure and the men above him, all that’s left to do is to get to work on building a winner. Some pieces are already in place, but the Jets still have plenty of work to do. With some input from Gase and his own talent evaluating skills, Douglas is positioned well to help New York end its nearly decade-long playoff drought sooner rather than later.
