Things have been a disaster for the New York Jets this year.
After coming into the season with expectations to not only win their division, but also compete for a Super Bowl now that future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers is back healthy, they are nowhere near that level.
In fact, the Jets are closer to earning the No. 1 pick in the draft than making the playoffs, a harsh reality that is hitting this franchise compared to what was expected of them just a few months ago.
And while there is certainly a lot of blame to go around, this debacle falls squarely on one man.
Owner Woody Johnson.
Franchises in the NFL are only as good as their ownership, and it's been made abundantly clear that New York is lacking in that area with Johnson's perpetual meddling in football affairs that routinely comes back to haunt the product on the field.
The latest example was firing Robert Saleh in the early part of this season.
While nobody out there would compare Saleh to the likes of Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Bill Parcells, Chuck Noll, or any of the all-time greats, the knee-jerk reaction to let go of the head coach after losing to the Minnesota Vikings in London turned this franchise into a laughing stock again.
The Jets have gotten worse since that decision was made, winning just one out of their last five contests while being outscored by a staggering 129-84 margin.
Since Johnson acquired this franchise in January of 2000, there have been seven different head coaches at the helm without a single one finishing over .500 during their tenures.
The owner repeatedly makes poor decisions with staffing and meddles in football affairs that undercuts the job his executives are supposed to be doing.
It was his direct decision to push this front office into giving up multiple draft picks to land Rodgers, a deal that will be looked back upon as one of the biggest failures for an NFL franchise ever based on how New York was supposed to perform with him under center.
Johnson went over the head of his general manager Joe Douglas when making the decision to fire Saleh, something that could have been done last offseason if just a singular poor stretch of play was going to make him move on from the head coach.
Everything with the Jets seems like it's amateur hour, and since 2000 when Johnson took over, that's largely been the case.
This was the time when New York was supposed to be getting back into contention, paying off the loyalty of the fanbase who has stuck with the team despite there being multiple lean years.
Instead, the Jets continue to embarrass themselves, and as the season continues to implode, the only person Johnson should be pointing a finger at is himself.
This article first appeared on New York Jets on SI and was syndicated with permission.
