GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 17: Wide receiver Brandon Marshall #15 of the New York Jets helps Charone Peake #17 after Peake was injured during the third quarter of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 17, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Jets 28-3. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The New York Jets are generally considered one of the laughing stocks in the NFL, a reputation that has been built over decades of inept management and play. This season’s 1-5 record is further cementing that view.

Here are a few of the many reasons why that perception exists.

The Butt-Fumble:

“You Play To Win the Game”:

The Fake Spike:

A Montage of Bad Draft Picks:

Here’s the dirty little secret, though: From the time the Jets hired Bill Parcells to run their organization (1997) through the first decade of the 2000s, the reputation wasn’t warranted.

From 1997 to 2010, a span of 14 seasons, the Jets had a winning record in 10 of 14 years. New York made the playoffs seven times, won seven playoff games and advanced to the AFC Championship Game three times.

The Jets beat Peyton Manning (twice), Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Mark Brunell, Philip Rivers and Carson Palmer in the postseason.

They started the 2011 season 8-5 after advancing to back-to-back conference title games under Rex Ryan in 2009 and 2010 before losing the final three games.

It was at this point where their ineptitude, which ironically started while the on-field results were terrific, started to bear out.

Since the 8-5 start in 2011, the Jets have gone 29-44, including a 1-5 beginning to the 2016 season.

In 2012, the Jets went 6-10, but it was even worse than that. New York finished the season with a negative-94 point differential and according to Pro Football Reference, a win expectancy of 5.4.

In 2013, the Jets went 8-8, but it was worse than that. New York finished with a negative-97 point differential and according to Pro Football Reference, a win expectancy of 5.4.

From 2011 to 2015, there have been 30 teams that have finished seasons with a negative-90 or worse point differential. On average, those teams won 4.1 games. Only one other team besides the 2013 Jets won seven or more games, three won six games, three won five games, and the 22 others won four games or less.

The downfall of the organization can be traced back to their last three general managers: Mike Tannenbaum, John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan. Tannenbaum and Maccaganan have similar flaws, while Idzik had the right concept, but failed to execute and wasn’t given the time or proper support (forced to keep an inferior scouting department) to carry out his vision.

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 19: New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson look on before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 19, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Jets defeated the Steelers 22-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 19: New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson look on before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on December 19, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Jets defeated the Steelers 22-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

It all started with Tannenbaum’s disregard for the value of draft picks. In 2007, the Jets drafted four players. In 2009, the Jets drafted three players. In 2010, the Jets drafted four players.

Tannenbaum had a philosophy of quality over quantity and using picks to acquire expensive veteran players. It’s a broken and failed philosophy, one that eventually crashed as the core of the team built under head coach Eric Mangini (2006 to 2008) became older.

Once Tannenbaum was fired after the 2012 season, Idzik attempted to follow the path of the Seattle Seahawks, the organization he was hired away from.

Idzik was frugal in free agency, targeting value deals (Eric Decker) and players cut from other teams (Michael Vick and Chris Johnson) to take advantage of the NFL’s compensatory pick rules. That allowed the Jets to build draft inventory and trade for younger players who would be under cheap contracts for multiple years (such as running back Chris Ivory).

In Idzik’s first draft (2013), the Jets had two first-round picks (courtesy of trading Darrelle Revis) for the first time since 2008. The difference was that the team didn’t give up its second- and third-round picks to make it happen like Tannenbaum did. New York still had selections in both rounds. That draft class featured seven players, plus three years of Chris Ivory at an extremely affordable price.

28 December 2014: New York Jets General Manager John Idzik and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson speak on the sidelines before the start of the NFL football game between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
28 December 2014: New York Jets General Manager John Idzik and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson speak on the sidelines before the start of the NFL football game between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)

Idzik’s second draft featured 12 players. Unfortunately, the majority of the class busted. But there was no way to know this as fact after just one season, when the entire Jets fan base freaked out after a 4-12 season.

Owner Woody Johnson caved to public pressure from the media and fans instead of having patience to maintain the plan of building through the draft that all consistent NFL winners follow.

Johnson fired Idzik and brought on Maccagnan from the Houston Texans to engineer a turnaround. Maccagnan quickly threw around all of the cap space Idzik created.

David Harris was re-signed. Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine and Marcus Gilchrest were added in free agency to fix a porous secondary. A fifth-round draft pick was moved to add Brandon Marshall to the wide receiving corps and Ryan Fitzpatrick was acquired for a sixth-rounder.

The Jets went 10-6, Maccagnan won executive of the year, and the season was celebrated as a massive triumph, despite missing the playoffs due to a loss during Week 17.

It was all a fraud, and an obvious one at that. But most decided to ignore the clear signs.

The Jets’ success in 2015 was based around an easy schedule (playing the AFC South and NFC East), incredible turnover luck on both sides of the ball (forcing 30 turnovers, while Fitzpatrick had a ridiculous amount of interceptions dropped) and unsustainable health.

Instead of acknowledging the realities of their fluke season, Maccagnan continued to push forward with the bad philosophies that started the Jets downfall under Tannenbaum: poor evaluation of the quarterback position and big-name shopping through trades and free agency.

In addition to those problem areas, Maccagnan has also failed to create a balanced roster. There is an excessive amount of dead weight. The Jets are currently carrying four quarterbacks and four tight ends. That’s 15 percent of their 53-man roster.

The talent on the team resides in two places: the defensive line and wide receiver. However, the defensive line talent all has repetitive skills and the wideouts don’t have a quarterback capable of throwing them the ball.

https://youtu.be/xV7zMBzK8yY

Additionally, the linebackers are slow and old or young and not ready to contribute. The No. 1 running back is slow and old, while also blocking a more talented player. The offensive line is underwhelming. The secondary can’t cover.

The pipeline to reversing the majority of these flaws is hard to see, unless the Jets accept what they’ve become: a truly bad football team.

A reputation that was at one point unwarranted has become a reality. The New York Jets are truly one of the worst-run organizations in the NFL.