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Mike Tannenbaum On WFAN: Jets In Middle Of 'Long-Term Plan'

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- The Jets won ugly against Miami. Even they won't dispute that.

Mark Sanchez has been up and down this season. The offensive line has been a wreck, though they were markedly better in the 24-6 win. Even the vaunted defense hasn't been the same this year under coach Rex Ryan.

So when WFAN's Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton were joined by Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum on Wednesday, they had to ask: if Gang Green is well under the cap, why did they let key pieces like Drew Coleman and James Ihedigbo walk?

"We're also in the middle of a long-term plan," Tannenbaum replied. "If we were complacent, or if we were arrogant and just rested on our laurels, we would have taken time off in the lockout and just given each other high fives.

"But we pressed the button, we're always looking for ways to get better."

Listen: Tannenbaum with Boomer & Carton

The Jets ended their three-game skid on Sunday. But the criticisms persist after New York struggled to move the ball in the first half against the hapless Dolphins.

"I know the energy and the determination we have in this building," said Tannenbaum. "We may not get them all right, but it's not for a lack of trying."

Tannenbaum said the front office has been pushing themselves to make the Jets an elite NFL team. He told of a not-so-chance encounter with an all-time coach to illustrate their approach.

"You know, it's interesting. Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls in the NFL with three different quarterbacks. Only one NFL head coach has ever gone down to Charlotte, North Carolina to meet with him," said Tannenbaum. "And that's Rex Ryan, who did that this spring. And Rex picked up five different things that we implemented from Coach Gibbs."

As for the Chargers, Tannenbaum doesn't agree with Ryan that it's "odd" the Jets are two-point underdogs in Week 7. He simply just wants to see his team beat San Diego and go into the bye week at 4-3.

"It doesn't bother me," he said. "They're a good team. You know, there's a reason why they're favored right now. They're 4-1 and they're a tough team to beat."

Jets fans: Do you believe in Tannenbaum's long-term plan? Sound off in the comments below...

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