Let me start by saying that I strongly supported the Mangini hiring last year. However, the poor performance of this year's team falls squarely on his shoulders, not the players. Let's look at the evidence. 1. The real weakness in this Jet team is the defense - Mangini's specialty. This defense is his defense and it stinks. In fact, it stunk last year also. In 2004, the Jets had one of the best defenses in the NFL. Granted, it was built on speed, but with Abraham, Ellis, Robertson, Vilma, Barton etc the Jets were very very good. A good coach and leader puts people in the best position to perform. The Jets are a 4-3 team. Mangini has ruined this defense by forcing it into a 3-4 without the personnel. As a result, he has neutralized the Jets' best defensive players - Ellis, Vilma, Abraham (traded), Robertson, Barton. I am sick and tired of giving up 150 yards rushing and long drives. I am sick and tired of not having a pass rush. This defense sucks the life out of this team. Where are the playmakers??? Great job Mangini!! 2. Attitude. Mangini is losing this team. The players hate him. He is 35 year old coach coaching 30 year old men and treating them like a youth football team. He is beating them up and beating them down, so much so that players now want out. 3. Game Day - can the offensive and defensive play calling be any worse? The Jets run on every first down. The running back we traded for never gets the ball in short yardage. How many TDs does Jones have? None? The Jets run the fade to Coles every time they get inside the 5 yard line. Where is Cotchery in the red zone? Why can't they get the ball to Washington in space? The defense never blitzes. What happened to Kerry Rhodes?? Watching this team is like watching the grass grow. More importantly, the Jets are getting killed in the 2nd half of every game, which means Mangini is not making adjustments. 4. The Offseason - this goes on Tannebaum also, but the Jets clearly needed OL and DL player upgrades. So instead, the Jets trade their entire draft for two players - a CB and a LB. Great job. A good coach adjusts to his talent and admits when something isn't working and changes it. While changing QBs may be the right thing to do for the future of the franchise, the Jets never should have been playing a 3-4 unless and until they had 3-4 personnel. And the Jets, knowing Pennington's injury history and his strengths, should have built an offense around a strong OL and a running game to utilize his play action and to give him time to throw. Instead, the OL has been ignored, the running game stinks, and Pennington has been left on an island. Mangini is making every mistake Edwards made but without the results and without the respect of his players. This franchise is in big trouble.
I couldnt agree more, the only thing I/we can hope for is woody throwing some money at cowher, and in acouple of years we might actually not be an embarassment anymore
I would have to agree with a campaign for Cowher. I always respected ol Iron Chin's defenses. He is a hard ass that would utilize our strengths much better than Mangini has done. You're right. Mengina has problems adjusting his "gameplan" because he is a new booty. Plain and simple he is jeapordizing this season for his big plan...whatever.
Al Groh, Herm Edwards, and 34 year old Mangini. If you think Woody will pony up for Cower, you're nuts. He is a cheap disgrace when it comes to giving the fans a worthy coach.
I agree with most of what you are saying. Parcells in his first year ran a 4/3 and then transitioned to a 3/4. The biggest mistake they made was in the draft. It was beyond stupid to bring a high caliber RB here and not address the line with all that OL depth in the draft. We could have had a dominant OL which would have helped the running game helped the defense tremendously by keeping opposing offense off the filed. Then we could have addressed the defense in 08 draft. The other issue that is getting old is the 'character players' mindset. For the most part I am in agreement with this, but there needs to be some flexiblility. Not picking up Grady Jackson is just a really, really stupid move. He could be the perfect stop gap guy until we can find someone young and ready to take over. With all that said, I think it is not common for a team to regress before they progress and I am willing to let Mangini to have another year to show his progress.
Really amazing post, Abe isn't here, you left out Ferg who had a career year in 04 and protected both DRob and Vilma and Barton hasn't been the same player since he got hurt in 05. You're right the D did stink last year and they still were able to scheme and win. He traded up to bring in two solid studs on D who will be here for years. The drafted a big OT who is a project but indications are has potential to start down the road. The drafted a very good WR prospect who may replace Coles in two years and they got a solid starting RB. Net loss in the draft 1 player. Two imediate starters on D, two high potential starters on O and the starting running back. The 30 year old men on this team with the exception of Coles are the problem, they aren't that good and they aren't going to be part of the future success of this team. They should be gone anyway. Anyone advocating a players coach for a young developing team is out of their minds. Player coaches wreck young players. The play calling has been bad and Chad has checked out of plays so often, called his own plays so often and has shown himself to be a horrible decission maker so often, it's very tough to tell if it's the play calling or a limited QB doing what he is comfortable doing? They drafted OL they got a FA starting on the OL, they lost 1 pick and Harris and Revis as of this week are both starters. Great job not good job. You have two OL players starting from last years draft. The Jets play both the 3/4 and 4/3 they lack talent and size on the DL and they had to address the OL last year and this years draft wasn't that good so they grabbed two imediate starters on D. Mangini took a 4 win team desimated at the point of attack with no QB, no HOF running back and schemed and desciplined his way to as good a season as Herm every had takeing over a veteran team with two QB's on the squad and loaded on both lines with a HOF running back. Herm took a 10 win team and got 9 wins out of them last year. The Jets team Herm left was destroyed and Herm knew it that's why he left.
A QB with neither ability, nor confidence, not one stud at RB, both lines playing like garbage, a coach who doesn't have the know-how to pull out of a tail spin...and the beat goes on...
While you were on point with a lot of your post, this is just wrong... The Jets don't play a 4-3, at all. They play a 3-4 'Over' look, and a 3-4 'Under' look... If you think Bumping a DE to the inside, and putting a LB on the line, is going to keep the OL off of the LBs, you're out of your mind... All that does us take away the element of surprise the 3-4 supplies, by clearly pointing out who the 4th rusher is likely to be....
Mangini has never coached a 4-3 defense. He wouldn't even no where to start. In fact, he's only coached a 3-4 for one season. The guy is in way over his head. He's underqualified to be a head coach and he thinks his domineering style is acceptable but fails to realize that his players know he's never played and has never accomplished anything as a coach. As a result his credibilty is razor thin with veteran players. I'm sure his players couldn't have been overly impressed with his childish handling of the Pete Kendall situation in the freshman dorms. After listening to Vilma onthe Fan with Joe and Evan this week, you can tell he wouldn't piss on Mangenious if he were on fire. Mangini is a rat bastard who'll be coaching in the arena league next year if Cowher can be had.
I keep hearing winston say stuckey may replace coles eventually.. Is that realistic , a 7th rounder , smaller type guy because of a good training camp is a future number 1 reciever ? I dunno....
I wouldnt mind cowher as a coach actually.... Or bring back parcells as a GM and let tannenbaum do the numbers....
Coles is a great possession reciever and really isn't a great no. 1, Stuckey might be excellent as a No. 2 WR.
1. The real weakness in this Jet team is the defense - Mangini's specialty. This defense is his defense and it stinks. In fact, it stunk last year also. In 2004, the Jets had one of the best defenses in the NFL. Granted, it was built on speed, but with Abraham, Ellis, Robertson, Vilma, Barton etc the Jets were very very good. A good coach and leader puts people in the best position to perform. The Jets are a 4-3 team. Mangini has ruined this defense by forcing it into a 3-4 without the personnel. As a result, he has neutralized the Jets' best defensive players - Ellis, Vilma, Abraham (traded), Robertson, Barton. I am sick and tired of giving up 150 yards rushing and long drives. I am sick and tired of not having a pass rush. This defense sucks the life out of this team. Where are the playmakers??? Great job Mangini!! I don't know if that's fair, how good were Lewis and Dungy as DC's and how many problems did they have turning around there Defenses???
The QB came back, the HOF running back was considered overrated by many posters, and the schedule was relly easy. Regardless, how do you go from 10 wins to maybe 3? I would be less critical of Mangini if he didn't win 10 games last year with essentially the same roster. Herm took over a Chief's team that lost its greatest strength: the O-line. This is why Herm is a better coach than Mangini, he took a team that had ranked 32nd in defense for years and turned it into what is frankly a formidable defense. Herm put his stamp on the team. You have to respect that, even if you don't agree with his philosophy Herm knows what he wants and he will make sure it happens. What exactly has Mangini done? We have no identity. You know KC is a tough defense and a conservative offense that doesn't make mistakes and looks to win games in the 4th quarter. We have a crappy offense, a crappy defense, and we blow games every 4th quarter. We don't make halftime adjustments. I killed Herm when he was here but I feel like an idiot now. That guy definitely knows how to coach a defense.
