John Idzik accepts blame, fails to offer solutions

Short on answers but long on apology, Jets general manager John Idzik did little to remedy a 1-7 season that is quickly slipping away in a Monday press conference.

While he did his best to take ownership of the Jets horrendous season, he offered little in the way of hope or direction for Jets fans tired of yet another wasted year.

“Needless to say we’re extremely disappointed. I search for words to describe how we feel, what we’re going through and what we’ve put into it and the results we’ve achieved,” Idzik said.”It’s a struggle, it’s gut-wrenching, it’s brutal. It feels like you’ve been punched in the face. It’s painful. It’s painful. It’s particularly painful for our fans, because we’re in a business where our actions affect so many.”

The Jets may be a better team on paper than last year, but the results aren’t coming.

Idzik, who sat behind a table and spoke with unusual passion, delivered a 19-minute monologue to start his press conference. He said the results were unacceptable and invoked his own Jets lineage, reminding fans that his father was on staff three decades ago.

“This is very personal for me,” Idzik said. “The Jets are my team; the Jets are our team. … Everything we do is very personal. When you start out 1-7, when you start out in front of our home crowd 1-4 at MetLife, when you start out losing seven consecutive games, it’s very personal. When somebody you care very deeply about hurts, it hurts you two-fold.”

Idzik hit the right emotions on Monday but failed to offer any direction on the quarterback position or the development of the young talent on his roster.

One-fourth of this past year’s draft class has been cut and defensive end Sheldon Richardson is the ony impact player from Idzik’s first two classes.

“When you talk about responsibility and where it lies, I’m the general manager of the New York Jets. I’m responsible of the football operations of the New York Jets,” Idzik said. “Ultimately, I’m responsible for the performance of our team, the product we put on the field. That lies with me. The buck stops here. I’ve been around this league a long time. I’ve grown up in this league. I know this league. It’s the harsh reality of the National Football League — you are what your record says you are.”

Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.