Jets owner Woody Johnson held a news conference this afternoon at The Ainsworth on West 26th Street in New York, site of this year's third annual Jets House. Following are excerpts of six Johnson replies to reporters' questions and what fans can take away from the quotes about his views of last season and the offseason and season ahead:
1. He's upbeat on the job that GM Mike Maccagnan, head coach Todd Bowles and their staffs did in their first year of running his football operation...
"It's a complicated deal, but I think that Mike and Todd are up to it. And I think they're assembling staffs that they're going to be that much better used to working with next year. Todd, that was his first year. I think he did a heck of a job and I think he's going to get better. ... 4-12 to 10-6. So far, so good."
2. More on what he liked about Bowles: "I could see the team becoming stronger"...
"I just think the way Todd handled the team going forward, what he expected. He's not hiding anything from the players. He'll tell you exactly where you stand, where you have to get better. I think players appreciate that. Sometimes it's not pleasant, but you have to hear it. He went over some of these rough patches during the year and I think from a leadership standpoint, the team hung together. You could see that and it evolved. Towards the end of the year, I could see the team becoming stronger and the players were inner-relating with each other in a more team-like manner. And when you start seeing that, good things happen."
3. Disappointed about the loss in Buffalo? Yes. Lamenting? Not so much...
"I feel pretty good about the new team in place and what they're capable of doing. I'm sorry we lost like we did — you never like to lose whether it's that week or the next week or the Super Bowl. We're not in a lose business. We're in a win business, so it's always disappointing to lose. ... I don't look back too much in terms of lamenting. Sports, and my job as the custodian of the team, really is to provide hope, and that includes me. So I'm working every day to build up hope and build up the team so that it's more capable of winning."
4. Satisfaction about a 10-win season? Not as much as winning a Super Bowl...
"I don't think as an owner you can ever be satisfied until you do win a Super Bowl. ... We haven't had one for now, this is Super Bowl 50, that was Super Bowl III, so it's been a while. So until we get there, we're going to work as hard as we can. And then after we get there, we're going to work doubly hard after that."
5. Optimism on contract talks with the Jets' free agents, among them with DE Muhammad Wilkerson and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick...
"We are going to look at all those. The contract deals, I don't really talk about, but we're going to try to put the best team together we can. Mo's a great player, we drafted him, so we'll see how that plays out. ... Ryan did a nice job for us last year. He's a good leader, people like him both in the huddle and you all like him."
6. Bringing "Revis Island" back to New York was "huge for us"...
"It's always great to have a of Hall of Fame-type player. I like Darrelle, so we're very happy to have him both on the field and off the field. The leadership and the way he plays and just his presence is huge for us. ... He played pretty well last year. If he's not No. 1, he's 1 or 2 in the league. He played well and he brings a level of maturity in the locker room that I think is more than just one player."
