This season has probably been on of the hardest seasons i've had to endure, as a Jets fan. My fantasy: It really started out as one in which i had a lot of optimisum, which for a Jets fan, is pretty unusual. Major turnover in personel, the addition of proven veterans with "big game" experience, a great addition to the coaching staff(Callahan), Westhoffs return(early in the season), and another years experience under our young coaches belt. Last but not least, the FAVRE FACTOR. All these things added up to, for me, a team that was going to compete every week, and should contend for the AFC EAST crown. I fully expected growing pains. I thought if we could just play well enough to survive ealy on, that as the season progressed, and players started getting more in sync with each other, we would get stronger as the season progressed. Add into the equation the injury to Brady, and i felt we were a shoe in, for the AFC East winner. My reality: Here we are, week(weak?) 15, and by all accounts, we've achieved my expectations, except for some MAJOR goals, and have exposed some glaring weaknesses. 1- our team has not gotten better down the streatch, it's gotten worse. 2-our coaching staff has not matured, and cannot make any "in game" adjustments 3- Brett Favre is done. I know i'll get a lot of flack for saying this, but he is not one of the better QB's in the league. He's average, at best. 4- Our CS soarly underestimated our talent in the secondary.I use the word "talent", loosely. 5- WE NEED A PASS RUSHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This should be either #1, or 1a, on our off season wish list, right next to DB's My offseason if i were the owner: I'd keep Tannenbaum as GM. I like the moves he's made, and think he's a really good GM, but i'd let it be known how he fucked up, and should have been working out a trade for Pennington, at the same time as he was courting Favre. FIRE MANGINI. I believe he is over his head as a HC. I think this season exposed his glaring weaknesses such as not having the team prepared to compete every week. No in game adjustments to counter what our opposition is doing. Total lack of emotion, which translates to the teams total lack of emotion. BRING IN COWER. Do i really need to explain? I know some will say that he will want complete control, but i'm sure, if he's paid enough, that is something that can be worked out. This team needs a coach that instills fear, and rules by it, and Mangini DOES NOT! GET A PASS RUSHER. I don't care if we only sign one FA, this offseason, it better be a pass rusher! DB's need to be improved, but a pass rush masks this, and maybe , with one year under his belt, and better coaching, Lowery can be something. This is just my opinion, and i'm sure it will be picked apart, but i just had to air my frustration with this team. It's pretty sad that we are in 1st place, with 2 games to go, and we all feel so miserable! We need to establish a "refuse to lose" mentality. This team needs to be held accountable, and that starts with the head coach. Woody got Mangini the grocery's. It's just ashame we found out he can't cook. FIRE AWAY!
We've been a set of training wheels for Mangini. The only real bright side about his tenure in NY is that he can't go home to New England when he's done here so at least we haven't been giving on the job training to a divisional opponent's next head coach. Hopefully he's blackballed around the NFL at this point.
I think Mangini doesn't get enough credit for the team he has created. Mike T seems to have a role as a cap guru, and Mangini and his scouts evaluate talent. I really like that players and the talent that this team has acquired since he has been here. I would give him at least 1 more year to see if he knows what to do with his creation.
I agree with your views on Mangini to a point. I think his biggest weakness is making adjustments during the game. I've seen too many times where you see the same approach that has lead to a deficit in a game has been used to try to erase that deficit. I think this Jets team would have 11, maybe even 12 wins right now with a better coach. The talent on this team is great and Mangini, IMO, is not getting the most out of it.
Wow! Our Head coach has led our team to a 9-7, 4-12 and 9-7 (if the wheels feel off totally. Maybe if the guy yelled and screamed on the sidelines you guys would give him some credit There is not one player on our team, that is considered the best in the League at his position. For how great everyone thinks Parcells is/was with us, He was considered the BEST, and he shit away one season in 97 with playoffs on the line, and He had no backup QB on the roster in 99 sleepwalked thru the first 8 games then retired just to un retire!
It's amazing to me how high I was on Mangini his first season with the Jets and how it's the opposite now. Guy used to make a million good adjustments, now can't make one. And i'm sick of his post game press conferences. They're not informative, not direct and show little emotion. That's not how you get through to people.
The most frustrating thing is that given more than 7 days to prepare for an opponent Mangini has come out with a very well prepared team and game plan. He needs to somehow figure out how to do the same in 7 days.
I know just how you feel. I don't want to bring up any history or seem like I am trolling here, but prior to the 2007 season while looking at the schedule I was actually afraid of the game against the Jets because of Mangini. I still remember how afraid I was that he would do something creative and innovative that Coughlin wouldn't adjust to. Now I see him on the sidelines and can hardly believe that this is the same man that I once feared.
Look at your own team. This time last year Giant fans were calling for Coughlin's head. How did that work out? So someone just forgets how to coach? Has Mangini been inconsistent, YES. But, I am willing to see this thing through. If the last two games of the season are joke losses and the team quits. That is another story, but I do not see that happening.
Okay, I'll look at my own team. At this time last year people were indeed calling for Coughlin's head. However, they were also calling for Eli's. In fact, there were more question marks surrounding Eli than there were Coughlin. Fact: Heading in to the 2007 season Coughlin had taken a more relaxed and personable approach with the players; this is well documented. Fact: The Giants' coaching staff actually changed very little during the playoffs, it was the play of Eli that improved big time. Fact: Coughlin was given his extension right after the Super Bowl. Eli has yet to be locked up long term; his contract ends after next season. Last year Coughlin was being scape-goated for Eli's struggles. There was also speculation that he had lost the lockerroom, though this is more applicable in 2006 than 2007. This is not a fair comparrison to Mangini as he has been given many proven players (including at the QB position). Listen, no one "forgets who to coach." However, other coaches and teams do adapt to your style. If a coach cannot overcome the new wrinkles and obstacles opposing teams employ against him, then it can appear he has forgotten how to coach when in fact he is just struggling to continue coaching. If this is the case with Mangini it is consistent with my criticism of his ability to make adjustments. Am I saying that Mangini is a failure and can never change? No. He could. But my opinion right now is that he struggles making adjustments and counter-adjustments and, because of this, is not getting everything out of this team that a better coach could. I'm not saying I'm right and you can disagree if you want. But it's not a valid comparrison to put this team in the same light as last year's Giants team.
A comparison from two teams that had the exact same record at this time, with many of the same questions is valid. My point is the the Giants as an organization did not overreact. Let things play out, and took the title. Couhlin was criticized because he was too emotional. Mangini is because he is not emaotional enough. Everything in this league is window dressing. Wins are what matters. The Jets with many of the same questions including the QB (who does not get nailed that much because of who he is) need to let things play out. If the fall on their face, is one thing
I disagree with this. The NFL does not have many good coaches. I think Mangini is better than most, but not in the elite class yet. The Jets will finish with atleast 9 wins this year, probably 11 and a division title. You guys are way too hard on Mangini and Favre. What do you expect from a 39 year old QB changing systems and coming out of retirement? I think he has done pretty good considering all of his challenges.
Fire Sutton. Hire RAC. Dump Schottenheimer, get someone with experience. Mangini? AYFKM? He is about to go to the playoffs in 2 out of his first three years, including turning over most of the roster. And he didn't go last year, because he had two hurt QB's..thats fair enough for a pass. You aren't yet seeing the fruits of his labor, because you don't know what you're evaluating. the philosophy of being game plan specific means building complete football players. And that takes a while to payoff, but it is why NE is NE. Go back to them early on. They won just the way we are winning now. nothing spectacular, just steady. They had Charlie Weis,who was a:experienced, and B:better than B.S. This team does most things well. And, usually well enough to win. It took baker falling on His wide open late, and a bad game by cotchery in Oakland to cost us that game. Thats players.Not coaching. Denver was coaching, SF a combination of both. And still we are looking at 11 wins.
He is indeed a fraud. He needs to go back to being an assistant HC somewhere, and forget this HC stuff
One of the hardest seasons to endure is a WINNING season. That right there shows the defeatist attitude many Jets fans have. Ask a fan of most teams. We've gone 1-15, 3-13, 4-12, and we've had all sorts of collapses over the years, many of which worse than anything this year could be. We're 9-5. We're not playing well. It's been three games. One at home against a playoff team after two straight big wins. One game on the road on the west coast where we've struggled all year. And one game at home against a team we're clearly better where we played at a similar level that we ended up winning. The only way you can make that statement is if you let the Titans and Patriots games get to your heads. In retrospect the Titans were a team who came out a little flat and who we matched up well against and had extra time to rest and prepare. The Patriots game was another close game which we ended up winning. This team is not a great team. I got suckered in by some of the hype, too, but three losses doesn't erase that. The Jets are a good team. Over 14 games, they've proven that. The last three have been struggles, but that can change in any game. But don't blame the Jets for not meeting your expectations of a Super Bowl when a ton needed to go right for this team to make it. A lot of that has gone right, and the possibility is still there if we begin to play well again. This isn't necessarily directed at you, as I see you wrote the Jets MET your expectations, which makes your first statement more confusing. We are a team with weaknesses. You pointed out a few of them. They've been there all year. But there are also strengths, last seen in the last 2 minutes of the Bills game and before that in the first quarter. The Jets are what they've always been: a good AFC team who can beat good teams some weeks and lose to bad teams other weeks. Plus, there is a lot of season left to be played. The Jets are 4.5 point favorites this week and will no doubt be favored again next week against Miami. Win those, and the Jets have the #3 seed, a home game in the playoffs, with a date probably against Tennessee, assuming they lose to Pittsburgh, looming. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Or they could flame out, keep playing the way they've been playing and blow it. It's okay to be concerned about that, but brutal honesty isn't only thinking of the negative. Again, this is more directed at the general sentiment. I actually agree with some of your points. This team should be winning the division by more. San Diego, Oakland, New England, San Francisco, and Denver. Those are the five losses to point to, with Oakland, Denver, and SF being the main problems. The team appears to have regressed. But a lot of teams have had stretches like this. The Jets have had a few. Or maybe I have the defeatist attitude because I really don't think we're going to win the Super Bowl, and so many people here expect us to. I think we CAN, but until I actually see it, I won't believe it. I just don't understand people who don't think that there's any way we can turn this around and are looking forward to the offseason already.
I was thinking about making a thread similar to your post Mack. The Jets are (9-5)! This is going to be a winning season in the end. The Jets were (4-12) last year. I have seen MUCH MORE complaining this year than last year. A big problem last year was not winning the close games. This year the Jets win close games vs. KC and Buffalo and the fans go insane. Its annoying.
Great post JFM. And as I tried to say above, what Mangini is trying to accomplish is building a complete football team, that does everything well You win in the NFL by not beating yourself. For two weeks they did almost everything right. Then for the next three not so much. But go back and watch the Buffalo game, you had a horrendous noncall on a blow to the head that caused the second pick, a fluke pick, a couple of missed recievers, and some good play by buffalo along with some poor upperbody tackling by the D.And some horrendous missed blocks by dsuckashaw. You cant fix bad calls. You dont throw for 100% You cant fault bad luck. Bad tackling is a minute adjustment.You're stuck with the LT, but coaching him up is tough. if those four things dont all go against you at the same time, Sunday was a blowout.
