This is short and sweet. For years I have been singing the praises of Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum. Even when many other fans were killing him, demanding he be fired, I stood by my belief. He is one of the most underrated GMs in the NFL. Only now is he getting the credit he deserves.
Trader Mike as he is now known, just pulled off an incredibly shrewd trade. One of many he has conducted in the past few years. He acquired Santonio Holmes from the Steelers for a fifth-round pick. Yeah, the 2008 Super Bowl MVP for a fifth-round pick. Sure Holmes is one parking ticket away from a year-long suspension, but he is in his contract year and knows he has to tow the line in order to get paid.
The Jets will be without Holmes for the first four games of the season. That's fine. They acquired him to compete with the Colts in the playoffs.
Here's a recap of what has Tannenbaum done. He has acquired three former first-round players in two years for roughly two third-round picks and two fifth-round picks. They are Braylon Edwards, Antonio Cromartie, and Santonio Holmes.
He traded a third and a fifth for Kris Jenkins. He signed Damien Woody and Alan Faneca. He may have overpaid for Calvin Pace, but Pace has certainly not underperformed. He may be one of the hardest working players on the defense.
Now look at his good draft picks. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Darrelle Revis, David Harris, Dustin Keller, Leon Washington, Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene. Some of the picks that won't catch the headlines but have contributed. Eric Smith, Chansi Stuckey, and Brad Smith.
Sure there have been some bad picks and signings, but nobody is perfect in the NFL. It's whether you learn from the bad moves, correct them, and continue to improve the team. Tannenbaum and the scouting department of the Jets have made a team that many have suffered with, a team to be truly excited about.
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