Woody Johnson: There's A 'Buzz' Surrounding The Jets, 'Draft Is Going To Work'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Jets are currently in a rebuilding stage, right?
Don't tell that to owner Woody Johnson.
Johnson did acknowledge on Tuesday that fans should "be patient and have trust we're doing the best thing for your team." So clearly he understands that the Jets will more than likely not compete for a playoff spot in 2013.
But on the other hand, he wants fans to know that there will be excitement in East Rutherford this coming season.
To be more specific, he said that there will be a "buzz" surrounding the team.
Johnson also told reporters that "the draft is going to work." After trading four-time Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis on April 21, New York drafted cornerback Dee Milliner with the ninth-overall pick in the draft and then defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson with the 13th-overall pick.
But New York really turned heads in the second round when it drafted Geno Smith out of West Virginia. Smith, who has recently been called out regarding alleged maturity and leadership issues, will compete for the starting quarterback job with Mark Sanchez, David Garrard, Greg McElroy and Matt Simms.
Despite the criticisms, Gang Green appears to be very high on Smith.
"Welcome to the competition," Johnson said, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. "It's going to be fun. (Smith) was the highest-rated player (left) on our board. I'm extremely happy to have him … Great body of work. He was a gifted athlete from Day 1. I guess they identified him very, very early when he was a little kid as being something special. We went by our evaluations.
"We evaluate all those traits: skills and communication, leadership … We evaluate them. He got a very high score with us. He was the next guy on our board and we drafted him."
When a reporter asked the often-outspoken Johnson about competing with the Patriots in the AFC East this season, the owner couldn't help but exude confidence and talk a bit of trash.
"We're trying to get better every day," Johnson said, according to Mehta. "That's why (general manager) John (Idzik) was brought in. That's why the coaches changes were brought in ... to make us better and more competitive. But you got to have a little bit of faith … that these decisions are going to pan out ... I'm very confident that the draft we had was a good one. It was well thought-out."
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