Live chat with Erik Boland

[flgreen]

Moderator: Hi all. We'll get going at around 11 a.m. Please submit your questions.

10:59

hey everyone. welcome back to another Live Chat from the 'ton. We can look back to last week's ugliness or ahead to Chiefs, a whole different kind of ugliness. Lots on your mind i'm sure so i'm ready when the moderator is.

10:59

[Comment From Greenbaumenom]

Does anyone in the organization think Kellen is the future? Or do they lean towards Ratliff or someone else?

11:01

[Comment From DB]

I have a similar question about Ratliff--do the coaches like him? I thought he clearly outplayed Clemens in preseason, yet he didn't get many reps.

11:02

greenbaumenom, that's going to be the big speculation if favre is a one-and-done situation. contrary to some other reports from training camp, ratliff never overtook clemens as the No. 2 and without favre you'd be looking at a clemens/ratliff battle next year, with ainge as a big, big darkhorse. i wouldn't say the organization is leaning toward ratliff, as you put it, but they are intrigued by him based on his presseason (DB, i think this answers your question, too). bottom line, i think that would be a 50-50 competition next training camp, must like pennington/clemens was this preseason before favre came to town

11:02

[Comment From Crazy Eddie]

With Franks out, will we see a breakout day for Keller? Where are all those seam passes to him?

11:03

crazy eddie, that's a great question. i'm not sure franks out would lead directly to more balls for keller based on the fact, up until last week, there haven't been that man balls thrown to the tight ends. there are matchups advantages all over the field for the jets this weekend, and keller on anyone certainly qualifies.

11:03

[Comment From MEL31602]

Hey Erik were you just at Mangini's presser where a reporter got into a spat with the PR guy? Have you ever seen the PR man that mad before?

11:05

wow, mel, i'm just hearing this from you. anthony rieber is filling in for me today as i'm working on my sunday stuff, but i'll check into it. my guess is it's probably about trying to get injury information!. i could probably guess which reporter it was but i'm not going to throw any names out until finding out for certain:)

thanks for the heads up, though

11:05

[Comment From Bundgaard]

Are the Jets in trouble if both Coles and Cotchery isn't ready to play sunday, or is Brad Smith and Chansi Stuckey capable of carrying the load?... an d how about Clowney whats his status?

11:07

bundgaard, i think the jets could line up myself, you and a few other contributors to this blog on sunday and beat the chiefs. i don't mean that flippantly, the chiefs are just really bad. in the bigger picture, bundgaard, the question is a good one but with smith's emergence and stuckey having shown consistent skills this season, the jets should be fine short-term. no question, this would be a major problem if both LC and J-Co were out. Clowney is about 95 % that he's going to dress Sunday. He's fine.

11:07

[Comment From Nep Oznat]

What or who is to blame for the fact that the Favre-led-Jets look exactly like the Pennington-led-Jets? MY #1 suspect is Shottenheimer, who is more conservative and unimaginative than Sean Hannity, But am I missing anything else?

11:09

Nep Oznat, love any political references as we like to be diverse here. anyway, i wrote about that earlier this week in my Chalktalk column: why bring in favre only to run a similar offense to the one you ran before. Schottenheimer is the O-coordinator but at the end of the day, Eric Mangini is the head coach. Nothing is getting game-planned that he's not aware of and ultimately giving his stamp of approval to.

11:10

[Comment From RC Meany]

Erik, hello and thanks for your informative writing and perspicacity. Would you agree that if a sample of longtime Jets fans and Boland bloggers were analyzed, doctors would find the highest percentage ever recorded of individuals suffering from bipolar disorder--than for any other group in the world. You know--manic depressive types who suddenly swing from elation to depression and back--often within hours and sometimes experiencing both moods at the same time? If true, what's the cure?

11:11

RC Meany, all I can say is i hope reading my blog doesn't contribute or exacerbate said condition. but reading me probably doesn't help, either. looks like we're stuck with each other. i know what i do for "cures" but you can't say that on television

11:12

[Comment From upstatenyjetsfan08]

Hi Erik, Thanks for your awesome work. I am very happy with the D so far, but why only rush 3 so much, especially against the young QB's?(Russell and Cassel)

11:13

upstate, i appreciate you reading. Thanks for the nice words. it's hard to call the defense, overall, a disappointment, but the lack of really "going after" some of the young QBs they've faced is an odd strategy. But that said, Russell certainly didn't beat the Jets last week. The defense got gashed somewhat by the run, but the bottom line is that unit gave up 13 points in regulation. The D did its job, the O didn't.

11:13

[Comment From Simply Simon]

Is Mangini a babysitter to his offensive and defensive coordinators, allowing them "free reign" over their schemes and not actively getting involved during the game on the sidelines? Belecheat and other successful coaches always work the game from the sidelines. Mangini seems to wait until half-time to correct the game plan. Is he afraid to show up his coaches? He looks like a deer in the headlights on the sidelines. Is he too shy to be a head coach?

11:16

Simply Simon (like the name), Mangini most definitely isn't shy, regardless of the vibe he gives up on the sideline and in press conferences. players say they have no problems figuring out what he wants and he doesn't need to shout from the rooftop to send those messages. as for the coordinators, they have a relatively free hand but the jets aren't much different than every other team : the head coach always has the final say-so on things

11:16

[Comment From E from NYC]

How hot is Mangini's seat? Is it just me or are you tired of his mundane non-fiery pressers? Dont you think the team needs some motivation?

11:19

E from NYC, let me be clear about something and I've blogged this before as well: how a coach treats the media is mostly irrelevant. I'd like a comedian who discloses the side of the body an injury occurs on but in the end the coach isn't there to "win" the daily press conference and i'll never evaluate a coach on that basis. the only issue i have with the way the jets do things, treating everything - even the release of the final training camp practice at hofsta - as a state secret, is that such intense secrecy has yet to manifest itself into wins.

as for his seat, i don't think its very hot and won't be even if this team misses the playoffs. next year, it would be somewhat heated if things didn't go well. but he's fine for this year.

11:19

[Comment From IRA]

Erik, Reports are that LC will play vs the Chiefs unless he has ant=y setbacks between now and Sunday.What are your thoughts?

11:21

IRA, i saw that report as well but I'm not so sure. sending a guy with a history of concussions back on the field less than a week after he sustained one is questionable to me, but, all together now, i'm not a doctor. my thoughts is i hope the decision doesn't rest primarily with the player because Coles is ALWAYS going to want to play. I hope we're not looking at another Chrebet/Toon situation here

11:21

[Comment From Crazy Eddie]

With that 52 yarder to tie it last week, has Feely made it his job? What happens when Nuge is back?

11:23

crazy eddie, these things are always week-to-week. if feely struggles this week or next week in buffalo and nugent is ready to come back, they'll make that move in a heartbeat. but if feely continues to kick the way he has been and nugent is completely health in mid november, my guess is they'll carry both guys, ala what the giants did with tynes and carney

11:23

[Comment From upstatenyjetsfan08]

Hi Erik, A blogger mentioned earlier this week that Pennington has more 20+ yard passes that Favre, is this a reflection on our playcalling?? Or are our WR's just not that deep orientated?

11:24

upstate, i'd say it's more a reflection of the play-calling. look, going "deep" isn't always the answer but not attempting even one of those last week with play-action, a strength of favre's, was remarkable to me. i'm not saying deep balls are the be-all, end-all and it's simplistic to say they are, but clearly this isn't a very aggressive offense right now. at least through the air.

11:24

[Comment From PSL Guy]

The original Coaches Club auction was supposed to sell the 2,000 seats available in that section. Initially, there were up to two hundred seats at a time available. At that time, I did see quite a few seats going for under the $25,000 that some had expexted...granted there were those $65,000+ and $50,000+ seats. Recently, they have cut the number of seats available to 20-50, and the prices are consistently in the $20,000-$30,000 range. Two days ago on the NY Jets official website (it is still there at http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/2580-two-choice-seats-among-final-auction-listings) it states... "The team does not expect to sell all of the Coaches Club seats by the end of the auction." What gives...did the Jets have trouble selling them? My gAre they trying to o you know if the JWith all the controversy in regards to the PSL and Coaches Club auction, I have not heard anyt

11:24

[Comment From PSL Guy]

Have you heard anything about why the Coaches Club auction is now not going to sell all 2,000 seats?

11:27

i have to be honest, psl guy, our sports media/business reporter Neil Best writes a lot more about this than i do and i saw the report that you mentioned just this morning. based on the prices i saw for the first few days of the auction, they were doing pretty well. i actually liked the idea of auctioning off those seats and didn't see why it was controversial to make the wealthier among us, get all competitive for the seats. but i'll have to do a little more questioning to answer the first part of your question.

11:27

[Comment From IRA]

Erik, The Jets will continue to run the ball against this awfull Chiefs team this week. But i do expect for then to take their shoys down the field. I think they will bounce back fine and get that awfull taste of last week behind them. Do you still see them as a playoff team?

11:31

IRA, as you know I was very optimistic about this team before the season and held on to that even after the back to back losses to the pats and chargers. last week was a bad one, no question but i still see a lot of talent here. i still say they're a playoff team but, honestly, i'm not as certain about that as i once was. a good performance this week and, more important, next week at buffalo would go a long way toward changing that

11:31

[Comment From Bundgaard]

There has been alot f talk/rumors about Favre helping the Lions game plan against the Packers this week. Has this been a distraction to the team and will it affect them on sunday?

11:32

bundgaard, not in the least. I never saw this as a "Jets" story to begin with and, as our NFL columnist bob glauber, called it, it was "a tempest in a teapot." i asked a couple of players about it and they just sort of laughed. they don't care. i'm not sure i do either!

11:32

[Comment From Greenbaumenom]

Let's say we go 7-9, does Mangini get another year? He just doesn't seem like the good coach. I want someone like Jeff Fisher, Jon Gruden, or even...Mike Tomlin!

11:34

greenbaumenom, well, you mentioned three pretty solid guys that I don't think will be available. but seriously to answer your question, 7-9 wouldn't get him fired. Woody johnson likes him a lot and to be honest, i'm not close to saying the jets should make a move like that. a win sunday and next week and this talk all goes away. it's still very early in the season. at 3-3 no one in the AFC, other than the titans, has really separated themselves (though the steelers might too if they beat the giants)

11:35

[Comment From MEL31602]

Just to clarify Erik, it WAS about injuries. I think the question was why don't the Jets get more specific with their reports, like why don't they say if Nugent hurt his hamstring or not. Mangini kept giving his usual nonanswer and the reporter (whose name begins with D and rhymes with man I believe) kept pushing so the PR guy interrupted and there was a little shouting match for a bit.

11:37

Mel, haha. yes that was my prediction but i'll still wait until viewing the video to make a judgment. overall, i see both sides. i don't completely disagree with not disclosing certain things but the problem with some of the non-answers is that they're not necessary. i mean, i watched mike shanahan the other day talk very specifically about an injury and he's won two super bowls. there's a happy medium that the jets aren't interested in visiting. but, again, how he deals with the media doesn't impact how he does his job to me.

11:37

[Comment From upstatenyjetsfan08]

Hi Erik, You mentioned before that the Chiefs are so bad 11 of us bloggers could beat them(my words). Do you sense the players feeling that way? The Skins losing to the Rams(at home) 2 weeks ago scares me, since that on paper was a bigger mismatch than this game, we are only 3-3.

11:37

[Comment From Greenbaumenom]

Is this team looking past the Chiefs at the Bills? I hope not!

11:39

upstate and greenbaum, absolutely not. a couple of players talked about last week as being an "eye-opener" and there's just no way, at home, something like that is going to happen again. the raiders were bad, yes, but there's some very talented guys out there. with the chiefs, i don't see that anywhere. if this game is close, it will feel like a loss to the jets i'm guessing

11:39

[Comment From where would you rate]

Hi eric, where would you rate the Jet Front office/coaching staff against our division rivals? I'm very concerned that the next 3-5 years could be ugly. Thanks--you do a great job.

11:42

where, thanks. well, not to dodge your question, but this year has to play out to fully answer. the jets made a ton of moves this offseason, not the least of which was the favre bombshell. i said this from the time they got favre, if they don't make the playoffs, the season is a failure. period. but if they go 10-6 and make the playoffs - which at 3-3 is still very much possible - you'd have to grade them as a B+, A-. don't forget this team went 4-12 last year so they need to be graded on that to a degree. also, gholston is going to be a part of any longterm grade and, obviously, that's a non-grade to this point

11:42

[Comment From Greenbaumenom]

To follow up my question, I'm not saying I want any of those three guys because I cannot see it happening. BUT, I want A coach that can step up and push their teams to the limit or their abilities like those guys. Mangini never seems to have a great game plan, and his coordinators are subpar at best. If he stays, I hope he makes a few changes.

11:45

greenbaumenom, i just don't always think the fiery, motivational thing is always the answer. not to kill the guy, but herm edwards was and is that way and there's no evidence that's he's a great coach. as for mangini, look, i don't think he's a great coach and i don't think he's a poor coach. now, if you make the "i don't want a guy who's learning on the job" argument, i can understand that, but that's a different topic. but this is the same guy who went 10-6 his first year with a team that most thought would be near the bottom. i think we need to see more evidence one way or the other on mangini before the "overboard!" mantra starts

11:45

[Comment From Pat Bateman]

What is the deal with our other safety spot? I saw Smith had a concussion last game which is his 2nd in 3 weeks. Who do we have starting there this week and do we really have anyone currently on our roster who can step in and be a consistent and solid starter?

11:47

pat, one of the pre-training camp question marks was at safety and it's still a question mark. now, the one things is that when Abram Elam started two weeks ago, he did a nice job and i was surprised he was benched last week when smith came back. not that anyone should lose their job because they were suspended but, honestly, smith hasn't had a good start to his year.

11:47

[Comment From Bundgaard]

After watching the offence struggle the last couple of weeks fans are blaming Schottenheimers game planning and play calling. Is that justified or does the problem lye somewhere else?

11:49

bundgaard, i think it's a combination of things. as i said, mangini gives the final thumbs up or thumbs down to what his coaches do in terms of game-planning, but i'd like to see schottenheimer take a more aggressive approach to things. i always come back to this: if you - meaning the Jets and not just schottenheimer - weren't willing to make changes in your philosophy when you made the deal for Favre, why exactly did you get him then?

11:49

[Comment From IRA]

Erik,I think the Jets should sign Pociask off of the Pats practice squad. He outplayed Franks all summer and now with Franks hurt they should portect themselves. Also Keller must get more involved in their game plans.

11:51

IRA, I thought pociask had a good preseason as well. but franks is a favre guy and unless it's a serious injury with franks, you're not going to see any moves made there. as for Keller, i agree. he creates matchup problems across the board and i've been surprised at how little he's been involved. but again, that's part of the larger problem: from one week to the next, you just don't know what the strategy is going to be. like last week, we saw the no huddle to start and chris baker getting looks all over the place. then it disappeared. i guess the good news for the jets is the defense doesn't know what to prepare for, either. it's a theory anyway

11:52

Moderator: Final question ....

11:52

[Comment From upstatenyjetsfan08]

Erik, thanks for your answers(I feel like a hog) so I will just ask one more...I read some blog info this morning about Gholston. I don't think I have a great football eye, but please tell me someone sees something in this guy. I have yet to see any glimpses, and the fact he is not in there in obvious pass situations really scares me? Enjoy your weekend

11:55

upstate, a hog? don't be so hard on yourself....

anyway, scouts across the league were divided on him before the draft and they still are. there are some that think he's a bust already and some who think he could turn out to be an outstanding player. i'm old school where i dont think rookies can be judged on six regular season games. i will say this: i think it's a concern that when he's put in a three-point stance, his comfort zone from college, he hasn't been effective there, either. thankfully from the jets perspective, pace and B. thomas have been studs.

thanks, everyone, as always for your participation here and on the blog. i'll have my friday picks post later this afternoon/evening. i know that's big for some of you. enjoy the weekend.

ebola and out

11:55

Moderator: Thanks all. Check back next week for another live chat.

[CTM]

Good read..

It's pretty funny that Boland assumed it was that idiotass Leberfeld who got in the shouting match, I can't understand how that guy is employed. He's terrible.

[jetsrule128]

cimini did one today also

Rich will be here at noon, but, as is always the case, you can start submitting questions now. And remember - your comments won't appear until they are selected by a moderator. Thanks.

12:00

Hello, again, everybody. This should be an interesting chat, to say the least. Lots of stuff to discuss, from the Oakland mess to Favre's Lyin Gate. Let's get it started.

12:01

[Comment From Mike]

Would you blame last week's passing game failures on Favre or the lack of separation by the receivers?

12:04

I'd blame last week's loss on a lot of things: you're right, the receivers didn't get enough separation. Two pretty good corners there in Oakland. But how 'bout running three wide with Keller in the game? The Raiders wouldn't have been able to match up. I also blame Favre; he was all over the place. The play calling, too, was at fault. How 'bout some play action passes in OT? Believe me, the players feel the same way about the lack of play-action passes.

12:05

[Comment From OldRogue]

Rich - Is Favre hurt? It's two games now where I have seen him rubbing his right shoulder, and flexing his throwing hand. Has the O-line collapsed? Early on, they were providing him pretty good protection.

12:07

Personally, I think Favre is hurting a bit. Mangini denied it, but I take his injury comments with a grain of salt. Favre said he's sore. The tape doesn't lie. Some of his passes lacked the usual velocity. He has taken some nasty hits. Hey, plus the guy's 39. You can't keep throwing rockets forever, although let me say, I still think he has a very good arm.

12:08

[Comment From Mike from Manahawkin]

Hi Rich- Thanks again for doing this. My question to you is the Jets say that they devise a game plan based on that weeks opponent. It looks the same to me every week. At Least with Chad they called alot of shifts on the line of scrimmage to try ro confuses opponents. Where has that gone? And I don't want to hear that Favre is still new to the system. He's 39 for god's sake. Shotty needs to get his act together. Or is it Mangini's fault?

12:11

They've been doing more shifting in recent weeks, but certainly nothing like '06. Favre doesn't like shifting; he likes the static look, which he believes allows him to get a better read on the defense. One positive: They came out in no-huddle, something they hadn't done except for hurry-up situations. That shows they have more confidence in his ability to grasp the entire offense.

12:12

[Comment From JGB]

How upset are the players with Favre's performance so far, given the perception he is spending so much time helping out others (i.e. Tony Romo, Matt Millen, etc.)?

12:13

I haven't received any vibe that the players are upset with Favre. I think the Romo stuff and the Lion stuff got blown out of proportion. There's still a lot of respect for Favre in the Jets' locker room, believe me.

12:14

[Comment From Tom]

I know that with the Chiefs in town, Mangini will keep the wraps on Brett and play a very conservative game for one more week. With this in mind will he eventually let Brett be Brett and throw us a win? What is the identity of this team finally going to be after all these weeks? Are we talking of an offense that uses the pass to set up the run or vice versa? Are we going to let Favre do his thing? At this point I'm OK with letting Brett use what he has available to him and turn him loose. Everybody says you can't let him be a gun slinger, they're 3 and 3 now, it seems that everything else has been attempted, you've got to turn the guy loose. He is a gun slinger yes but wasn't he "hired" to come over here and be one? Isn't it still a "win NOW" attitude with this team? Wasn't this whole thing suppose to be like the western with Alan Ladd called "Shane"? What do you think?

12:17

You make an interesting point about Favre. Here's a stat to chew on: Last year, the Packers passed 61% of the time. This year, the Jets are passing 59% of the time. Not a huge difference. Now it's true, they're not throwing deep (only five attemps in the 31-plus range, compared to 27 last year for Favre in GB). The offense will continue to evolve, but they're not going to be a bombs-away team.

12:18

[Comment From Joseph]

I thought Sutton was a goner last year. He seems afraid to be aggressive and goes into his shell with a lead. Now I'm wondering about the offense also. Any chance of some new co-ordinators at some point?

12:20

I don't think Mangini would change coordinators in the middle of a season, but you never know. Actually, I think the defense is playing pretty well; I don't see any major issues there. Schotty is up and down. Let's give him a few more weeks before we demand his head on a platter.

12:21

[Comment From Lenny & the Jets]

Do you think Favre feels that he is being hampered by the somewhat conservative play it safe offensive phiosophy, playing not to lose instead of to win? Does Mangini ever lose his temper and give the team a kick in the pants especially after the Raiders game or does he act like an emotionless robot?

12:24

Mangini, as you should know by now, is not a yeller. Just recently, in better times, Favre said he's never heard Eric raise his voice. Eric is an even-keel guy, which I think is good in the up-and-down NFL. That said, every once in a while, you need to start a fire. As for Favre and the conservative stuff, he says he doesn't care about throwing a lot, he just wants to win. Of course, he told Peter King the Lions mess was "total BS," then he admitted to speaking with Millen. Hard to say with this guy.

12:25

[Comment From Lance]

Rich, Clearly the JETS were not ready to play last weekend. If the JETS fall to the Chiefs this weekend do you think Mangini will be fired. He has showed me nothing this year !

12:27

I disagree; I think the Jets were ready to play. They scored a FG on their first drive, and I'm pretty sure they had gone nine games without a score on their opening drive. The problem occurred after that; they were slow to adjust and got complacent. And made way too many mistakes.

12:28

[Comment From Tom]

How much authority does the NFL have in the say so of a player coming back from what will now be his 3rd concussion that's on record? I love Coles' tenacity but it is his health and future that are a main concern right now. I remember Wayne Chrebet and Al Toon as well.

Concussions are a hot-button issue in the NFL. I think Roger Goodell is doing everything he can to improve player safety, but there are a lot of gray areas. Bottom line: it's up to the team docs. I still think there's a chance Coles could play Sunday, which, in my opinion, would be ludicrous.

12:31

[Comment From Mike in MKE]

Who is Brett throwing to this w/end? Are Jeremy and Coles out still q this week?

12:33

I think Cotchery will play. He banged up his shoulder pretty good, but they can always shoot him up before the game. I'd say Coles is unlikely to play, but I wouldn't rule it out. You'll see a lot of Smith and Stuckey. They could activate Clowney, but are you going to dress six receivers for the game? That's a lot.

12:34

[Comment From Mike]

Don't you think it would be foolish to play any of these questionable players this week? They are playing the Chiefs, without Larry Johnson.

12:36

This is the NFL, and let me tell you something: Coaches want all their players in the game, regardless of the opponent. This isn't college, where they can sit a starter against a softie opponent. If a player can function, even if he's in pain, he'll play. This is the dark side of the NFL, but there are no holidays.

12:36

[Comment From JGB]

Other than a couple of long Leon Washington returns in the SD game, the special teams have been poorly outplayed...why?

12:37

The special teams haven't been terrible. The KO coverage has been very good. So-so punt coverage. Feely is 8-for-10, which is good. The punting situation has been kind of a mess, but Hodges did fairly well in Oakland.

12:38

[Comment From Tom]

Do you think Favre's out to get his old team? Detroit still lost but I blame that on Mangini for keeping the wraps on Favre and not letting him fully dish on his old team.

A old friend of mine came up with a great name for the Favre/Lions mess: Spite Gate. Sure, he wants to screw the Packers, but players and coaches share information ALL THE TIME in the NFL. I don't think Favre went out of his way to hurt the Packers (Millen called him), but I think he definitely supplied some info. A lot of good it did. Thing is, Favre should be smarter. He should've said, "Sorry, Matt, I'd love to help you, but it wouldn't look right if it got out."

12:41

[Comment From Matt in Walla Walla]

I know Woody said Mangini was safe this year, but that was before they got Farve. If they don't make the playoffs with 4 former 1st round O-linemen, a Pro-bowl wide receiver and a future Hall of Fame QB, HOW can the coach not get the axe?

12:43

What owners say in March doesn't mean jack. In November, 2005, Woody told me, "I love Herm. He's not going anywhere." A few weeks later, he was gone. That said, I don't think Mangini will get fired - unless they totally bottom out. An 8-8 season won't get him a pink slip.

12:43

[Comment From Bob]

This team is a breath away from 1-5 or even 0-6. Did we make all the worst buys in the offseason or is this coaching staff simply THAT clueless?

12:45

A breath away from 1-5 or 0-6? Dude, what are YOU breathing? Yes, the Miami game was up for grabs, but they beat Arizona by 21 and Cincy by 12.

12:46

[Comment From IRA]

Rich, The Jets will win hands down this week. But i will get right to the point. I think this team can be a playoff team still. How about you?

I agree, they can still be a playoff team. They're 3-3, battling in the muck with all the other mediocre teams. If they raise their level of play, sure, they could sneak in. If you're asking for a prediction, though, I'd say no.

12:50

[Comment From Will62]

Hi Rich, Do you think Favre is to old to be productive and do you think the jets made a mistake and should have kept Pennington and what do you think their record would be if they had kept him?

12:51

Is Favre too old? Cripes, was he too old three weeks ago when he threw six TD passes? Pennington? Are you kidding me? Trading for Favre was the right move, no matter how it turns out. Believe me, the Jets weren't going anywhere with Chad or Kellen. At least now they have a puncher's chance.

12:51

[Comment From Tom]

Team morale at this point into the season would be what?

12:54

Mangini and Tannenbaum were both dressed in all black yesterday at practice. If that's symbolic of the team's morale, they've got problems. But I don't think it is. The sense I get is they're kind of pissed off that they let the Oakland game get away. I think they'll beat the Herminators handily. If they don't, I think it will be fair to question if Mangini is the right man for the job.

12:55

Sorry, folks, but I have to take off. I enjoyed it, as always. We'll do it again next week - Bills week.

12:56

Editor's Note: Very close vote on the Jets making the playoffs. Go at it in the comments section. We'll open that up momentarily. Thanks for joining us.