I didn't see this posted. Pretty good read. http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/2264-mangini-brings-reporters-in-for-a-chalk-talk Although Eric Mangini won?t have his coaching staff officially report until Wednesday, he taught a very important lesson today in the Jets? auditorium. Providing a glimpse inside his meeting room, the head coach met with a small group of the team's beat reporters for three-plus hours and talked Xs and Os. Mangini eventually held a customary Q&A, but this day was anything but ordinary. The writers in attendance were assigned playbooks (this newyorkjets.com staffer got Matt Chatham?s encyclopedia) and the third-year head coach quickly put his students on the spot. After everyone introduced themselves, Mangini asked a local writer to repeat the names he had just heard. Let?s just say the man was in his element at the podium, thoroughly explaining football philosophies, personnel groupings, shifts and motions, fronts, coverages, alignments and the rest of an endless list. He taught lessons well, analyzed diagrams, asked if there were questions, then held everyone accountable. It was as if the beats had traded in their laptops for helmets and were preparing for a date with the Dolphins on opening day. It was a side of Mangini normally reserved for players and coaches. The picture of concentration the fans see on the sidelines was replaced by a relaxed technician, confident in his knowledge of the systems, and yet there was an openness and eagerness to bring everyone along with him so the next step could be taken. There were pop quizzes throughout as he rifled out questions and even brought a number of people up to the front of the auditorium to draw diagrams. You cannot play for Mangini if you lack intelligence and vital communication skills. If you are a Jet, you must think on your feet and not sit on your proverbial heels. He showed video evidence today of his players making excellent plays as well as examples of assignments that could have been executed better. Football is so much more than instincts, and you sense this head coach really likes this team and is excited for the season almost upon us. (The first full-squad practices take place July 24.) Shortening Camp Practices In the informal news conference after the classroom instruction, Mangini told the reporters that his training camp practices won't exceed two hours. ?My goal is to get the players obviously as prepared as possible and in the best possible shape they can be in but not fatigued,? Mangini said. ?Finding that balance is something I spent a lot of time on.? Mangini, who once coached semipro ball "Down Under," credited the Australian Institute of Sport for its research. ?Their approach has always impressed me because it is about trying to add science to the training as opposed to what?s your gut feeling,? he said. ?I think they have done great things and I think there is a real balance that needs to be struck.? A fan of innovative techniques, Mangini wants to have his players at a peak level for the upcoming season. He doesn?t think they were necessarily gassed after either one of his first two camps, but he hopes to create an environment where everyone produces at their optimum level. ?The stuff we learned about recovery, I?ve tried to incorporate that ? not just in terms of the practices but the postpractices, and set up a routine that gives guys a better chance to really take better care of their bodies,? he said. During the off-season, Mangini shared a conversation with an NFL veteran he referred to today only as a ?friend.? The vet told Mangini that sometimes coaches want to ?kill the players? and that just didn?t seem to make a lot of sense. ?His whole point was that at some point it does become counterproductive,? Mangini said. ?I really respect this guy and I know exactly where he?s coming from.? Splitting the QBs' Reps Time won?t be an issue in regard to the Jets? QB competition. Both Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington, vying for the starting signalcaller position, will get close to the same amount of reps in practices while game rotation will be decided at a later date. When Mangini feels one man has claimed the job, he?ll name him the starter. ?I?m trying to make it 50/50,? Mangini said of the reps. ?The first year [2006], it wasn?t like I had reached a certain number of reps or I had reached a set date. I just thought at that point that Chad had really outplayed the other guys.? Once the Jets announce their leading man, Mangini will reserve the right to make changes but he clearly doesn?t intend on flip-flopping from week to week. ?My approach is when I name a starter, that guy will be the starter,? he said. ?It?s not so rigid that there?s not a chance to evaluate things as we go, but my approach is that when I name a starter, he?ll be the starter.? No matter who will take the ball, the Jets offense will have a new look this season. The free agent class included the likes of All-Pro LG Alan Faneca, FB Tony Richardson and TE Bubba Franks. And the team also selected TE Dustin Keller, a speedster from Purdue who promises to create mismatches with his speed. ?The approach is based on who we think is going to be able to lead the team and do the best job as opposed to things we did in the off-season or the draft or any of that stuff,? Mangini said. ?All the decisions are really 'now' decisions as opposed to this off-season or another off-season. I?m always trying to make 'what?s going to help us now' decisions.? Many writers have speculated that Mangini is in a win-now position after owner Woody Johnson repeatedly opened up his checkbook this spring. But Mangini said the goal has always been to win now, win this week. Barring any holdouts (and Mangini does expect TE Chris Baker at camp), the Jets expect full attendance for the first full-squad practices a week from Thursday. Mangini, looking rested and tan following his annual vacation on the Cape, is definitely looking forward to working with this group. ?I thought there was really good energy, really good focus and really good positive feelings moving into training camp,? he said. ?I think everybody feels the same way. I have been really happy the way the group supports each other."
Man, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to have been in that classroom. It sounds like Mangini has earned the respect of at least one of the reporters in the room.
From Cimin's blog Beat writers get crash course on Mangini's playbook Jets coach Eric Mangini stood behind his lectern, peering out at his audience today in the second-floor auditorium at Weeb Ewbank Hall. He was heavy into a discussion on the Xs and Os of defense, trying to make a specific point by showing a clip from last year’s Jets-Giants game. There’s Eli Manning, taking over at his own 5. What, Mangini wanted to know, should the defense expect in this situation in terms of pre-snap strategy? He looked into the audience. And looked. And looked, deciding which person to put on the spot. He picked… Me! That’s right, yours truly. Mangini cut short his vacation by a day and invited the beat writers into his world - the team-meeting room, where he gave us scribes a three-hour tutorial on his defensive philosophy, Jets terminology and a taste of what it’s like to sit through one of his meetings. This is what I learned: Always pay attention because you never know when he’s going to call on you. That, from what the players say, is Mangini’s modus operandi in the “real” meetings. Our session started with a couple of handouts, including the playbook. Yes, the real playbook. Each writer received a playbook, roughly the size of a phone book, and we were allowed to keep it for the duration of Mangini’s presentation. I thought to myself, “Man, what Bill Belichick wouldn’t give to get his hands on this sucker.” I ended up with Ropati Pitoitua’s playbook (he’s a free-agent defensive end from Washington State), and I must say, some of the material inside the book was harder to figure out than the pronunciation of Ropati’s name. The book is filled with about a dozen sections, divided by colored tabs. Some of the sections: Offensive terminology (48 pages), defensive terminology, blocking schemes, ball disruption, special teams and fronts/run responsibilities. We spent most of our time in offensive terminology, as Mangini explained personnel groupings, formations, motions, shifts, blocking schemes, protections schemes and so on. For instance: “21” personnel is two backs, one tight end, two receivers. The split end is “X,” the tight end is “Y,” the flanker is “Z,” the fullback is “F” and the halfback is “H.” That stuff is pretty basic, but it got a little tricky when he asked us to identify the player and the specific type of motion. Mangini showed a tape of Jeremy Shockey going in motion across the formation. “Rich,” he called out, “tell me the name of that motion.” After a moment or two, I replied, “YAC.” The “Y” stands for tight end and the “AC” means across the formation in the Jets’ motion terminology. Ding, ding, ding. I was right - for a change. Most of the defensive discussion centered around a basic front and coverage - a 3-4 front with zero coverage. It’s a five-man rush, plus five players in straight man-to-man coverage and a safety patrolling the deep middle. From there, Mangini showed us different blitzes and various adjustments, based on the offensive personnel and formation. There was an entire page in the playbook devoted to adjustments (I think I counted about 40) just on that one type of defense. Clearly, Mangini feels very comfortable in this setting. He’s thorough and detailed and well-spoken. If he didn’t get into football, he could’ve taken his Wesleyan education and pursued a career as a college professor. I’m not sure what the future holds for Mangini as a head coach, but he can never be accused of not knowing his stuff. I’m sure you’re wondering if I was able to glean any information about the team and its personnel and his thoughts about the upcoming season. Well, he spoke glowingly of CB Darrelle Revis, showing a clip where he neutralized Cowboys WR Terrell Owens on a particular route. He praised LB David Harris for his smarts, being able to make the defensive checks as a rookie. He showed a clip where LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson and new LG Alan Faneca worked in lockstep on a particular pass play in practice, foiling a “game” by two pass rushers. He gushed about LB Eric Barton’s smarts, showing a clip from the Dallas game where Barton sacked Tony Romo on an instinctive blitz in which Barton made a great read. What about the quarterback competition? Mangini didn’t give away much there, although I couldn’t help but notice that Kellen Clemens missed a wide-open receiver in a minicamp practice. Explaining a defensive breakdown on a “bunch” formation, Mangini noted how the defense left a receiver all alone in the middle of the field, about 12 yards from the QB. Clemens apparently didn’t see him and threw somewhere else for an incompletion. He also showed a bunch of clips where Chad Pennington alertly spotted an uncovered receiver at the line of scrimmage, called a quick-snap and fired quickly to him. That’s called “Smoke,” in case you’re wondering. I don’t think Mangini was making a statement about his quarterbacks, but I found it interesting. Anyway, as for that Eli Manning-related question at the top of this post, I answered this way: I said the defense should expect Manning to send a player in motion, with the hope of forcing the defense to reveal whether it’s in man-to-man or zone. A pretty heady response, I thought. But that wasn’t what Mangini was looking for. “A hard count,” he said politely, not trying to embarrass me. Ah, yes, the hard count. Makes perfect sense. Try to get the defense to jump offsides, picking up an easy five yards on a penalty. When you’re at your own 5, that’s a big play and it comes with little risk. Fortunately, we didn’t have to run penalty laps for bad answers. I doubt the players will have it that easy come July 24.
Glimpses like these make you really believe in Mangini...hopefully some championship level success soon can make him a fixture here for a long time--something the Jets have not enjoyed since Ewbank.
I agree with about him staying for a while. The upside coukld be huge for this organization and it could have a real winning idenity with his face on it. And hopefully a legacy to go with it. I think staying in the playoff hunt for the next few seasons could lock him up to pursue the ultimate goal for sure but even if they don't make it, a close miss can keep the faith in his future success. I feel that when the depth of this team finally comes to fruition he will be able to coach a mean game. He's already shown promise with very little.
Coles must have threatened his family I've read 4 different articles on this PR meeting. Mangini picked on all the scribes, and they all seemed to enjoy it. Good Job by the FO
I am probably one of the few to feel good about us keeping both of our coordinators as well. Hopefully the continuity will do the CS some good.
Am I the only one uncomfortable with him revealing the playbooks? Seems a little strange to me. How hard would it be to take a few quick photos of some of it? Maybe I am being a little over the top, but I though playbooks were like holy grails....top secret. This guy is spilling the beans to reporters no less.
That was my initial reaction also. But why would a reporter photo a play book? If he got caught that would be the end of his press passes, and the end of a very high paying dream job. Still it was kind of odd. If Herm did it I wouldn't be surprised, but this was a very unusual PR move that seems to have worked. Maybe Mangini was hoping somebody would photo it, and he could blame "Lil Bill" More Spy gate. (just kidding)
^ ^ They have 2nd string special teamers and Undrafted Free Agents playbooks. There is nothing to be learned in those books that other teams don't have. If they had Kris Jenkins playbook then there is a problem. Don't worry about it.
I'm actually more concerned with the access that players who are ultimately cut have had to the playbook. They are frequently signed by division rivals and have significant motivation to steal plays. And, yet, it happens nearly every offseason - the Jets sign players cut by the Patriots and the Patriots sign players cut by the Jets. I've always wondered what kind of an impact it has that these players know the other team's playbook.
There are weekly installments in the playbook during the season. Those who get cut don't know that much anyway. Thats why it doesn't make too much of an impact. This is being looked into way too much.
The fact that the media was surprised they got a playbook tells me that nobody knew it was gonna happen. Now unless there was a mole in the press with a photographic memory then I wouldn't worry. Plays are selected week by week depending on the opponent and there's no way to know who's gonna be in the playoffs so the chances that the play that was gonna tip scales in any of those games was revealed are slim to none. Pardon the cliche. I think Mangini did something cool for the press and got some brownie points. Not only is he keeping the players in check he has also roped the media too without sounding like a kiss ass the way Herm used to.
It appears that there are a few bushels of 'beans' in those gargantuan playbooks. The reporters were only allowed to keep them while in 'class'. One of the reports I read (Boland's I believe) indicated that a lot of the stuff was declared 'off-the-record' which the beats agreed to up front, so, a 'handful of beans' on the floor when you've got a few million before you is not such a big deal, seems to me.
I also think since these guys are reporters and not football players, how much of it can they retain anyway?
Good read. You definitely get the level of intelligence of the man (Mangini). Man, he really knows his shit. Can you imagine Herm Edwards coming anywhere near displaying this level of football knowledge?
I think there might be a lot of truth in this. Mangini doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who does things just for the heck of it. A week from now the Baker media circus is going to begin. I don't think the Jets are going to let him walk, I believe he is going to be a Jet this year like it or not. Some media sympathy here isn't a bad idea.
