I have been a Mangini supporter. On several levels I think he is a good coach. He is intelligent, he is reasonably good game manager, he has the ability to come up with good game plans (especially when given extra time). I like many of his mantras and discipline. So far though, I think Mangini's critical flaw is his lack of emotion. On one hand it is great to have a level head. On the other hand, this is football, there is a large component of energy, enthusiasm and fire required here. I don't see it in Mangini, at least not outwardly. It almost seem like the guy is too cerebral. I get the sense they are so 'by the book' that the guys are like robots. It would be refreshing to see Mangini get a little excited on the sidelines once in a while and yell a player or a ref or show some emotion when something happens, be it bad or good. If Mangini can't do this, he needs to find someone who can. I think the team is devoid of this, with the exception of possibly Westhoff. He needs to get a firey DC or OC or both. I think if we had gotten Ryan as DC he would have brought some of this. Bottom line, I don't think this is as much a talent problem that we are expeienceing, but more of a swagger problem.
I feel the same way as the OP-- I remember thinking in '06 what a refreshing change it was, no rah-rah BS just a cerebral approach. Game-planning, stats analysis, etc. But now I would like to see something--ANYTHING--from Mangini on the sideline. Some sign that he is involved in the game, that he is invested in what is happening. He just stands there and scowls. I also would like to see him coaching once in a while. Another thread talked about this a while back-- even Bill Belly, who mostly stands and scowls on the sideline, you see him coaching once in a while-- talking to players, clipboard in hand, yelling at someone, something like that. I NEVER see Mangini doing that.
I hate being a nay sayer, but if we do make the playoffs (by no means a sure thing), I do not expect us to do any better than win one and may not even be that good. I will root for the Jets, no doubt, but our defense has no pass rush, and teams seem to be able to move up and down the field fairly easily on us. Our Defense is our main weakness right now above anything else. Teams with mediocre defenses usually do not go far in the playoffs and we are clearly not SB material this year - sad to say, but I have to be realistic here.
The game winning TD was just a circumstance. If you let circumstances dictate your intensity (good or bad) you bob up and down like a buoy in the ocean.
I would hope creative blitz scheming would do that. I think Sutton is too worried about substitution packages to bother with blitzing schemes though.
