Woody Johnson yearns to lead Jets to their finest hour
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson watches his team warm up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 11, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
FLORHAM PARK, N.J.
When Woody Johnson sits at his desk in Florham Park, Winston Churchill stares back at him.
A large, puggish portrait of the British war hero and former prime minister hangs on the wall directly across the room. It, like many of the other affectations that decorate the space of the Jets’ owner, are remnants and reminders of his recent time in London as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom. There are folded flags and other photographs that once hung in and around his office while he was abroad, not to mention a floor-to-ceiling window that looks out on the Jets’ practice fields. But the most dominant and eye-catching element of the decor is Churchill.
For non-history buffs, he’s the one who saw England through the worst of times at the beginning of World War II, used his power and influence, his realism and positivity, to keep the nation’s spirits high, and eventually emerged so victorious that he soon became synonymous with holding up two fingers in the shape of the letter V.
What must Woody and good ol’ Winston talk about when they are alone?
Perhaps the painting whispers this: That in a time of crisis, it is imperative for everyone — on a team, in an organization, of a nation — to have a clear understanding of the objective and the path to achieve it. That when things are sour, everyone looks to their leader, and their leader had best be looking decisive and strong.
While Johnson publicly cedes control of the Jets to general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh, the two men he says retain his full trust in being able to turn the Jets around, end their 12-year streak without a postseason appearance and eventually win the franchise a second Super Bowl after a 54-year drought he called “way too long,” it’s become clear that Johnson is taking a more hands-on approach to his stewardship of the team.
A more Churchillian approach, one might say.
It will take some blood, toil, sweat and tears for the Jets to see their finest hour, but Johnson made it clear he will never surrender.
He admitted only to providing his “two cents” on decisions such as coaching staff adjustments and roster moves, but it’s his millions of dollars that will be spent to execute those ideas and he’ll certainly have a loud, powerful voice in the discussions surrounding them.
The fact that he invited reporters who cover the team into his sanctum for a rare chat on Thursday is itself an indication of him wanting to become more visible and hands-on.
His blunt assessment of the 2022 season on Thursday as “very frustrating” and his desire for the Jets to “get better faster” were made clear. His observations that the Jets mishandled Zach Wilson’s entrance to the NFL and that a quarterback is “the missing piece” that would complete the big green jigsaw puzzle stated the obvious. He said he welcomes what Saleh had just moments earlier termed an “aggressive search” for help at that position and would provide whatever resources are necessary to find the correct answer to that generations-old problem.
And he said he wants it soon.
“I’m generally not a patient person,” he said. “You’ve got to be. This is complicated . . . [But] patience is a word I never use. We want to be active and get the most out of our team.”
The fact is few have been with the Jets long enough to have withstood this last decade of misery. Coaches, players, executives, they’ve come and gone. Johnson has been here for it all, even when he handed the day-to-day operations over to his brother Christopher during his time as a diplomat. For nearly a quarter-century now, he has been owner of the Jets, and he has not a single trophy to show for it.
“I want to win more than anybody,” he said. “I hate losing. I want to win.”
He may turn to Douglas and Saleh to fine-point the details in reaching that desire, but it’s more than just football games that are at stake. Johnson’s legacy is, too. That’s the one thing no person would ever want to give away and allow others to control. Johnson is no different.
“Legacy is what I do today and tomorrow,” he said.
That sounds like something Churchill might have said.
In the end, whether they win or not, Douglas and Saleh are transients in the Jets’ history. So too are all of the players with their little two-, three- and four-year contracts. Ownership is more permanent, more geological. Johnson certainly is aware of that, even if he doesn’t particularly like his own title.
“You can’t own these things,” he said with a smile. “I’m a custodian.”
Interesting word choice for a billionaire to equate himself with someone who jumps in with a mop and bucket to clean things up.
If he is able to, perhaps one day he can sit back and flash that two-fingered victory salute to Winston across the room. And Winston might even wink back at him.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
