The New York Jets look a bit unappealing after firing their head coach Rex Ryan, appearing ungrateful for firing the man who made them contenders once upon a time. Ownership failed Ryan in the long run with their inability to complement him with a competent personnel man who knew how to utilize a salary cap. That failure has left their roster in a state of rebuilding, which is undesirable for top candidates in an impatient league with a win-now mentality.

Going from dumped to desired, Ryan has quickly bounced back by generating interest from multiple teams with open head coaching positions. Meanwhile, the Jets have stumbled out of the gates in their search for a coach and general manager, with interview requests getting declined by a lesser known candidates such as Minnesota Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Baltimore Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta.

Even with Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf onboard as consultants, owner Woody Johnson is going to be hard pressed to find the winning combination at head coach and GM to revive New York. It won’t be for lack of trying, as the resumes of Casserly and Wolf in this league as personnel men are quite impressive and as an owner Johnson is at least doing a proper job of surrounding himself with football people who know what they’re doing.

That said, it seems as though the Jets are taking an ill approach by conducting two simultaneous searches instead of focusing on filling the general manager position and then conferring with him on the decision of who to hire at head coach. This would help them avoid the disconnect between a coaching staff and personnel department that has plagued the franchise for years. Instead, they appear bound for a mismatch.

The Jets need to identify and acquire a general manager and head coach that can complement each other and be on the same page in order to fast forward the rebuilding process. The Jets are a team with few pieces in order and a glaring hole at the most important position on the field: quarterback.

The Jets do offer some stability in the trenches on both sides of the football with above average players such as D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Nick Mangold, Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson. But that’s about where the stability ends with glaring holes in the secondary and weaknesses in the linebacking core.

Their true issues are on the offensive side of the football where their quarterback issue magnifies their lack of offensive playmakers. When all of their skill position players are healthy, there is definitely something there to work with. Featuring a solid backfield, two outside threats in Eric Decker and Percy Harvin, plus hope for the future at tight end with Jace Amaro, depth is very much the glaring issue on this side of the football.

The Jets have jet set across the country to interview the likes of Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, as well as personnel man Trent Kirchner for their open positions. It makes sense for the Jets to be investing time in Seattle brass with the amount of success that franchise has had lately.

Former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone, who has franchise ties having coached for the Jets in an assistant capacity before, has also drawn heavy interest from New York and was recently brought in for an interview. Marrone is probably their top choice, but he is also interviewing for other openings that provide better opportunities to win now such as Atlanta, which has a good quarterback with playoff experience (something New York can’t offer).

In order for the Jets to land Marrone over more attractive options, they will have to throw big money his way and play on his emotions as he grew up a Jets fan. For a coach who only has two years of head coaching experience in the NFL and no playoff appearances, the Jets would be taking a gamble to invest so much into a coach who is no sure thing. Especially without having a GM in place they’re sure is compatible with Marrone and isn’t just saying the right things to land the job.

Other candidates for the open head coaching position are Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich.

Candidates for the open general manager position are current senior director of football administration Rod Graves, Cleveland Browns executive chief of staff Bill Kuharich, Houston Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan, Philadelphia Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller, Kansas City Chiefs director of pro personnel Chris Ballard, Miami Dolphins director of scouting Chris Grier and New Orleans Saints director of player personnel Ryan Pace.

Part of the interview process with GM candidates likely will include inquiries as to who each prospective candidate would propose to hire as head coach, helping Johnson’s consultants find the perfect match to turn around the Jets.

New York really needs to sort out their front office position before making a decision at head coach. The Jets can ill afford another mismatch of personalities and philosophies that will lead their organization in the wrong decision. With ample salary cap space and a fresh start, the right combination leading the franchise could spark a quick turnaround that would be a dream come true for gang green.