You look at the way the defense has played since the break, and the imagination and utilization of the offensive talent and it really is damning to Mangini and staff. Just exactly what the fuck were they doing all offseason, training camp, and through the first two months of the schedule? I'm sorry, the better the Jets play, the more I wonder about this coach. Mangini should now that more is expected next year than simply a return to the playoffs and a 10 win season. He will benefit from the bitter fruits that we fans have been forced to consume this season. I expect this FO and CS to get their shit together, maximize their high draft position and easier schedule and get us at least 12 wins next year. This is the down year that teams "on the rise" need sometimes to get the big impact player and the more forgiving schedule to push them to dominance. I expect major accomplishments from Mangini and company from our pain and suffering.
Since realignment and the ensuing scheduling system before the 2002 season, there is really no such thing as an easy schedule anymore. The Jets will play all the teams the Patriots will play in 2008 except for two teams. The Patriots will get probably the Steelers and Colts. The Jets will probably get the Bengals and Titans because those teams are likely to finish in 3rd place. The 2008 schedule will not be easy because the Jets will play four games in the Pacific time zone.
Changes that improve the team make you think less of Mangini? Sure, is there a chance that he found the right way for the defense to play, and he should have done it in the first half of the year, but I'm just happy we're playing better now. I was pissed off about the first half of this season. Playing better now doesn't make that worse. I take it as steps toward building toward next year.
True enough, Cakes, but still not lowering my expectations. You look back on this season, and with the exception of New England and Dallas, the Jets were in a position to win every game. Defense sucked earlier, and so did the play calling. This team should've won the majority of games vs. NYG, Was, Phil, Buf twice and Cin. The team was unprepared and unmotivated.
If all holds to form we'll be just that, a 10 win team that might win a playoff game with a little luck. I can't imagine that Mangini doesn't know what he has to do to get the team moving in the right direction this offseason, but I don't really think he can get them to a point where we'll make any major noise come playoff time...if we can even get that far. Maybe it's time the Jets started putting a little bit of that cap money to work.
All good here with the caveat that if Mangini and co. don't get it done they have to fall on their collective swords.
The new players the rookies being incorporated, Pennington absolutely unable to throw the ball, Jones hurt in preseason had nothing to do with it. Shaun Payton, Mike Shanahan, Herm Edwards, Joe Gibbs, John Fox, Lovie Smith, Brian Billick, Andy Reid are all dopes like Mangini. The Jets have young and new players all over the field, the starting QB had two shoulder surgeries on his throwing arm and couldn't throw the ball, the star middle linebacker has been hurt who knows for how long, the star running back was hurt in TC and who knows how healthy he is now, we have a new LG and the right side of the OL sucks, we have second year starters at center and LT, rookies at CB and Linebacker, an outright JAG DL. Coles has been half the player he was last year prior to getting cold cocked by Zach Thomas, Cothchery has shown he is not a capable No. 1 WR, McCariens and Smith are 4th WR playing in the 3 slot, Baker has nice hands but is slow and rarely gets down the field and on top of that we are integrating a young QB into the mix. Improvement is exactly what you should be looking for.
I hope the recent success does not fool the FO & CS into thinking they can win with this defense next year.
I think during the break that the CS (including Mangini) were read the riot act by the FO . With the D , I'm sure that Sutton is now NOT pulling the strings anymore and Schotty has been given free reign. Sutton IMO is not up to the job and hopefully will be gone. During pre season Mangini seems to be clutching at straws for motorvation , we've had the boxing etc.... What will it be next year? There are enough motorvational stories in football without having to go to another sport. All the teams you have mentioned above are very similar to us , see-saw teams. They're totally useless until they play us and all look like pro bowlers.
GSour, my sentiments as well. They were playing better during the second half of last season too, but that didnt carry over to the first half of this season. And I think Sour's point was that the CS and their fluffers have to stop blaming the talent on the team, when it has been demonstrated that there has been enough talent on the team to play decently.
They haven't blamed the talent they haven't blamed anyone. You are the one pointing fingers. Didn't the Bills come into the Meadowlands last year in a must win and kick our ass? We played better against bad teams last year, we have had close losses against slightly better competition this year. We haven't had a healthy Coles this year and Chad clearly hadn't recovered from his shoulder injuries which cought up to him big time this year. Gee Shot did a nice job of covering it up last year and ran out of ideas on how to cover up a QB who can't throw after two preseasons, a playoff game and 8 games of a second season. We have also incorporated two rookies into the starting D along with 2 players on the Line who weren't here last year and we also cut two stop gap veterans off the DL from last year who were pretty much done but at least were veterans who knew how to play and replaced them with younger inexperienced more talented players. The results are starting to show.
- You have consistently blamed the talent in your fluffing of the CS. -In almost every post-game presser, Mangina has pointed his finger at execution by his players.
You think we have a good QB or have had quality QB play this year? How about WR or running back? How about OL or DL? Which Jets players do you consider above average NFL talent?
I dont think we have a quality coach and coaching staff, except for the special teams coach. There are a lot of players on this team that the current regime has collected. They have done an awful job this season with personnel decisions, gameplans, schemes, game decisions and making excuses.
As far as offense, let's be fair to the CS, really. We had Chad Pennington at the helm for any winnable games in the first two months, remember? Can we not allow the CS at least that? How many posts did we make that basically said, "If Chad is replaced with Clemens, think of what we might be able to accomplish!" Well, here we are and this is now. And it looks to me like we've finally got our solution... a QB Schottenheimer can finally design a variety of deep-threat plays around instead of combinations of flea-flickers and dinks-n-dunks. Might we have a better record if Chad had been replaced earlier? Probably. But I prefer to see the glass as half full with this CS now, and I certainly don't chastise them for having a better end to the season than a beginning, they're only fault (and it's big, no question) being that EM waited too long to bench Chad. One more thing... this team has shown no quit, unlike other teams in complete disarray when having such a bad start. That's an immense credit to the CS and something they're getting no credit for from the media. This team has known for over a month that they won't be playing in January, yet they're playing like we're in the hunt for a playoff spot. Let's at least give the CS some credit for that.
Chad Pennington played well enough in Buffalo, Cincinnati and against the Giants to win. Yes, he threw some bad picks, but he'd given any decent defense enough to work with. The defense, particular the D-lines, was simply atrocious, allowing these teams to get back in the game. They allowed Trent Edwards to look like the second coming of Kurt Warner, and time has shown he's not that good. They allowed a poorly playing Bengals offense back off the mat, and they let f----g Eli "poor excuse for a" Manning to come back and beat them in the 2nd half. This was with veterans...Ellis, Robertson, Vilma, Rhodes and the rest. I don't know how "real" this Jet defense is we've seen the last couple of weeks. Obviously, the secondary is part of the future, but the defensive line is full of question marks. My point is, if Mangini is not going to stick his foot up Ellis' ass until the bye week, then I don't want to have to pay for game tickets until after the bye week.
Come again? WTF are you talking about? :rofl: If building a championship football team were a perfect science then anyone could do it. It is going to take a little time for this group to get the players it needs to make a real run at it together. Plus you have a CS that is pretty green and wet behind the years. Not to mention a division rival who keeps finding ways to dominate almost every year. Lot of shit to overcome. I'm not sure how your bitterly consumed fruit is going to help unless it comes out like some kind of miracle grow out the other end. :breakdance:
Gee whiz I surely wish there were others like you who understand how the schedule is made year to year
Well if our guys cannot overcome the NEP troika then it is time for them go. No difference then when Herm was here & totally over matched by Belly & Co
I think you missed this years lesson. We were not good last year we had a weak schedule. We had a real schedule this year and we were bought back to the correct 3-9 reality we are at now. We are no more a playoff team this year as we will be next. We are Rebuilding so save this post for sometime around 2009-2010.
