Link: Dumb and dumber

Over at NJ.com they've decided to chronicle the "10 dumbest things the Jets have ever done" for some reason.

In reading through their list, two things stick out:

1. This team must have done a whole lot of dumb things over the years because there so many obvious omissions from the list.
2. Their list seems to be heavy on moves that were entirely defensible at the time and can only truly be considered "dumb" based on hindsight.

Let's cherry-pick some that history has rewritten to perhaps shift these moves from the "good idea, bad execution" or "typical Jets misfortune" category into "they should have known this was dumb at the time because it's so obvious now". (Do click their link and read the full list though):

Two of the draft disasters (taking Vernon Gholston and trading up for Dewayne Robertson) arguably weren't nearly as bad as some others in team history (Kyle Brady over Warren Sapp and Bryan Thomas over Ed Reed spring to mind). You need to consider the opportunity cost.

There was a steep drop-off in talent after the fifth pick in Gholston's draft and the Jets weren't linked with any other players that proved to be worthy of the sixth pick in the draft. Leodis McKelvin was probably the main other name they were linked with and he'd still be considered a bust if selected that high. Some would look at the draft board and say that maybe they should have taken Jerod Mayo, but he would have been considered a big reach that high at the time.

Similarly, in the 2003 draft, there wasn't a deep pool of talent, especially in areas where the Jets had a need. The Jets were most closely linked to linebacker Boss Bailey when they sat at 13 and he ended up being a complete bust. Moving up to get a player at a position of need was savvy. Robertson proved to be a reach at four and had a shorter career due to a bone-on-bone knee condition, but was actually a pretty solid starter for five good years, despite a system change in 2006 that really didn't suit him. Fun fact: He's only two weeks older than Vince Wilfork.

As for my counter-suggestions, these are based on hindsight too, right? Well, no, not really, because everyone was calling for Sapp and Reed at the time.

It sums up the reliance on hindsight that the three entries than kick off the top five are two bad trade-ups and then a trade-up that didn't happen. All of these moves would have been weighed up on their own merits at the time. Sure Lam Jones didn't make a lot of catches and wasn't very reliable, but he was a big play threat and had his moments. Not trading up for Favre probably wasn't even the dumbest Favre-related thing the Jets did ... actually trading for him in August 17 years later was arguably worse, as they had to dumb down the playbook, he didn't last the whole year, he cost $13m and he ended up embarrassing them off the field.

Speaking of trade-ups, shouldn't moving up into the top five to take Mark Sanchez be a contender? In terms of draft capital, the Jets got a bargain, but still seemed to be reaching for a guy who had been considered a late round pick until his stock started rising for unclear reasons in the days leading up to the draft. It still forced them to give him a big contract, which they then doubled down on a few years later - yet another misstep in their overall pitiful mishandling of their supposed potential savior.

I don't think letting Bill Belichick leave was a dumb thing that the Jets did, either. Surely that was more like something that happened and continues to happen to the Jets?

Two moves that certainly seemed dubious at the time were replacing Pete Carroll with Rich Kotite and drafting Blair Thomas.

However, Carroll's team had blown a division lead and lost their last five games and Kotite was a respected coordinator who actually had some people optimistic for the Jets future when he arrived. It was poor roster management (from Kotite) and injuries that really turned that team into a laughing stock. As for Carroll, nobody can have known what he would become even though firing him was divisive because he had seemed like the real deal earlier in the season.

As for Thomas, it's easy to say they should have taken Emmitt Smith instead. Even at the time Smith seemed like the more dynamic runner. However, every draft guide at the time had Thomas as the consensus best back in the draft and Smith as a late rounder. I think a mistake like this is a lot less "dumb" than when they bucked the consensus with too-clever-for-their-own good picks over the years like Dave Cadigan, Mike Haight and Roger Vick.

Finally, though, it has to be asked...

How on earth can you have a list like this and not put the Tim Tebow trade on it?