Why is Mangini suddenly the victim?

[newjakecity]

Here's what I don't understand. A lot of people were placing most of the blame on Mangini and the coaching staff for the skid. This is not something that is new either. This has been going on for nearly the entire month of December (and for some, as early as September). Now that he's gone, people are seemingly putting all of the blame on Favre (he struggled down the stretch so no argument that he deserves a large share of blame) and are saying that Favre was forced down Mangini's throat (not sure why you would name your 3rd born after a guy that was forced down your throat, but I digress). It seems on the media's part (and on some of the fans part) Mangini was the bad guy until he was gone and then Favre (the guy that is still here, at least for now) and Woody Johnson became the bad guys.

I personally still feel (even with the Jets not landing Bill Cowher) that letting Mangini go was the right move (even if it was done for the wrong reasons; i.e. PSLs). Simply put when you consider:

1) The fact that our defense consistently all year (even when we were winning) made inexperienced and/or medicore quarterbacks look like Joe Montana (with absolutely no philosophy change to counteract this)

2) That there were no in game adjustments made by Mangini and this coaching staff (which Bellichick is supposedly a master of, you'd think he would have taken a page out of this book)

3) That this went away from the run way too fast on many occassions during the December slump (the lack of running against San Francisco was borderline criminal)

4) That this team had arguably the biggest collapse in team history (and with the AFC as wide open as it is this year to boot)

How could any other decision have been made? Is this sudden change in attitude more of a "woe is me, we're the Jets, we never get anything right" mindset or am I missing something?

[KozJets]

The media is just trying to create more stories and stir things up a bit. And some dumb jets fans believe it...

[Reluctant]

I couldn't agree with you more. We have 7 pro bowlers and had the AFC East in a headlock. We had 4 trips to try to figure out why we kept losing on the West Coast. We had a defense that dared people to pass and then rewarded them with touchdowns.

Everything points to the coach. For such an inconsistent team the coach was consistently awful- All the bad play calls, the lack of motivation with the players, the inablility to adjust to other team's game plans, playing down to team's levels, the worst collapse in team history... Can-gini had to go. I think Tannenbaum's done a great job working to bring in players and the probowl this year proves it.

Bring back Parcells as our head coach and grab Crennel before Mangini convinces him to stay. Sutton Stinks.

[JetsTitans63]

Mangini WHO......

[kelticwizard]

Mangini was fired in a fit of blood lust after an awful few last games.

After the anger subsided for 24 hours, people began to think, "Wait a minute, look at his record. The guy's wasn't THAT bad".

[JetsTitans63]

Mangini was fired in a fit of blood lust after an awful few last games.

After the anger subsided for 24 hours, people began to think, "Wait a minute, look at his record. The guy's wasn't THAT bad".

People???? What people?????

[kelticwizard]

The people who are now expressing sympathy for Mangini.

I think Mangini had to go too, but the speed with which it was done was more suitable for an 0-16 or 1-15 type coach instead of a guy whose overall record was near .500 and had winning records two thirds of the time.

[Reluctant]

It was done quickly because the Jets front offices have been thinking, "This can't be happening" for the past five weeks. Ever since we lost to San Fran. I feel like even Herm could have pulled out 2 victories from the last 5 weeks.

[BP]

The media hated him for not being like Herm. so they are pouring gas on the fire. did anybody see that pic of him on the back of the post telling him ''don't let the door hit you in the ass''?

[JetsTitans63]

Anybody wanna meet up and drive to Manginis house and celebrate New Years with him. I mean you all feel sorry for the douche and all.

[Green DNA]

After almost giving me stroke and coming this close to hurling a beer bottle through my tv during the Seattle game, he will get no sympathy from me.

[KozJets]

He was a good coach. He just lost the team. He wasn't respected because he he treated them like a high school principle. If his name were Bill Parcells the Jets would be heading into a bye

[4HCrew]

The biggest victims are the season ticket holders

[afosomf]

After almost giving me stroke and coming this close to hurling a beer bottle through my tv during the Seattle game, he will get no sympathy from me.

luckily for me, my remote hit the wall!!!!!!!!!

[Montreal Jet]

Mangini is not a good coach.

1) He is WAY TOO convservative

2) He cannot make any in-game adjustments

3) He does not no how to deal with players ( whether its a pep talk or a tongue lashing)

Thank God he is gone.

[MTJ06]

2) That there were no in game adjustments made by Mangini and this coaching staff (which Bellichick is supposedly a master of, you'd think he would have taken a page out of this book)

[Jaded Green]

Why is Mangini suddenly the victim? Because Chad is gone, duh!!!

[Irish Jet]

Mangini sucked balls. I'm delighted that he's done here!

[serphnx]

Mangini sucked balls. I'm delighted that he's done here!

Yeah, but what difference does it make? Dumb SOJ with ****ty owner that's more interested in trying to make money than winning football games.

This team will never win anything with Woody Johnson as the owner. The Jets should have gotten the Dolans, they have no idea how to run a basketball organization but they did try by bringing in big name coaches and spending on players, it just failed. But they would at least have gotten the Jets a stadium in Manhattan, and wouldn't have choked away Cowher by refusing to get rid of Favre because Favre brings in jersey and PSL sales.

I don't even understand the PSLs. How can there be PSLs when you share the damn stadium? Why not just raise the ticket prices? Do they seriously think having 3 initials fools people?

Mangini was pretty clueless, but there is no plan to get somebody else in place, and this team still refuses to get its QB of the future, a true franchise guy.

All reports are that Favre never really became part of the team, demanded special treatment, and tore the locker room apart. TJ thinks he should have been benched, and TJ doesn't exactly talk much. And of course everybody saw Favre's performance down the stretch, where he just chucked INTs up.

I supported the Favre trade for the simple fact that I wanted Chad gone. I still think Chad had to go. But Coles should have followed him out instead of getting the contract guaranteed, and frankly it should never have come to having to trade for Favre. Just cut Pennington and roll with Clemens or draft somebody high if you think Clemens sucks. Stupid FO and stupid CS. Could have just traded up for Ryan, or down for Flacco. It's not like Matt Ryan was this unknown that nobody ever heard of. Nobody knew he'd be THIS good, but people did think he'd be a sure fire franchise QB. Does anybody really think the Falcons wouldn't have taken Clemens, the 1st rounder and maybe the 3rd rounder? Hell throw Coles into that too. Or maybe have offered them the 1st, LC and CP? Probably would have worked.

But even with Favre, it shouldn't have come to that. The Jets played crappy teams, usually in bad weather, with TJ running inspired, and Leon leading the league in 40+ yard gains. So what do the Jets do? Ignore both of them, especially Leon. TJ should have gotten 20 carries a game down the stretch, with Leon adding in a healthy 10-15 touches. Favre should have barely touched the ball except down near the endzone, where he can still gun it in.

Complete failure across the board. Tannenbaum has to take heat for it too, frankly if Cowher wanted to bring in his own guy, Tannenbaum should have taken the demotion. But Woody has some whack sense of loyalty where he fires the HC, keeps the GM and QB, and shoots himself in the foot.

[Beefjerkyjet]

Plain & simple, Eric was a victim of his own demise and here's my take on it.

Eric's first order of business before he even coached a down was to (1) Literally kick Kevin Mawae off the team to allegedly "send a message" to all the players that he's "the boss" and (2) Did a cameo appearance on the Soprano's.

Right then & there I knew this guy wasn't going to last, but let's hit on the highlights, shall we?

Eric starts his first training camp as HC of the NY Jets, the fans come out to Hofstra and see a short, fat, white pasty faced Italian guy wearing black & holding a clip board. Being a prideful man (as most men are) he immediately took offense to the fans nicknaming him "The Penguin." He didn't like it, he didn't like his players joking about it & he certainly didn't embrace it as a term of endearment as the fans meant for it to be.

Instead he lucks out with a kids movie about penguins in the theaters & forces the entire team to go see it together as a "group activity" while tipping off the press about "the field trip" so the whole team looks foolish, not just him. Hey NY Jets Merchandising Dept., get those stupid Penguin tee shirts & hats off of Jets Shop.com before the new HC coach has you cut too!

Ok so now he asserts himself as "the boss" and the team goes 10-6 with a playoff whiff. Everybody's happy and just wait until next year! Now Eric gets "his way" since his rookie year was such a smashing success and mgmt. cow tows to his edicts of lock downs, say nothing press conferences and pull everyone's visitors passes/access to the team unless Eric says it's OK and/or they are there on non-field related business.

2007 training camp comes. Pete Kendall is the next "I'm the boss" high profile player cut, you know, again just to keep all the other players in line and Chad is still our starting QB. Everyone is pumped up for a HUGE season, again, but this time something goes terribly wrong! The team is playing their little hearts out, but we are not winning! In fact, we are losing so badly that we were mathematically out of the playoff contention in Week 7 of regular play! OMG!

But wait now, who's fault is this disgrace of a 4-12 season? Who had us out of it in Week 7 and ruined our SB run? Again? That bastard Chad Pennington, that's who! Eric has his scapegoat and escape hatch for the dismal stat, but just wait until next year!

2008 training camp comes, and Eric hits the daily double! Not only does he have his annual "I'm the Boss" high profile player cut spoon fed to him, but Chad is literally kicked off NY Jets property and gets a face full of fumes from Brett Favre's pick up truck pulling into his spot in the parking lot! BUT IT'S BRETT FAVRE! The Pope of Football, the Quarterback's Quarterback a NY JET!!! Were saved! Oooooooh and look who's behind him! Alan Faneca! He is sooooo hot, lol. Kris Jenkins! Hiya Big Boy. Calvin Pace! Yesssss. Damian Woody! Now we got game. Bubba Franks! Is he still around, LMAO! This is unbelievable! We're #1! We're going to the Big Dance! Tampa here we come!

Well what the hell could have went so horribly wrong, so fast? Does anyone really think it was tough camps or privately/publicly berating players at practice? Maybe it was the trauma of having to move from an old, crap hole practice facility in Hempstead, LI to a state of the art, brand new building in Boreham Park, NJ? Could it be Coles pined away so loudly for Chad Pennington to come back it forced Favre to start throwing interceptions in late November thus tanking the season?

I put it to you ladies & gentlemen, I don't care how a HC wins games so long as he wins, but do you really think Eric lost this team, this season and his job due to "being tough" on the players?

If your answer is yes, please go back and re-read my (sorry) long post.

If your answer is no, then you get it.

He ratted on Bellyache.

He cut high profile players to assert authority.

He was too rigid, mathematical & by the book with his play calling.

He tried to fit square pegs into round holes by shuffling players into different positions. Poor Brad Smith was the first casuality of that failed experiment.

In the end, he lost the most important element of any success story and in any business. TRUST.

Happy New Year Everyone. Here's Wishing a Bright & Successful 2009 To All.

[kelticwizard]

Very thoughtful post, but I disagree that Mangini scapegoated Pennington.

The line was playing poorly, (largely due to the loss of Kendall), and Chad didn't handle it well. Clemens had a great preseason, why not throw him in there and see how he does now that the season is down the drain? You are grooming the kid to take over in a year or two anyway.

Much of the rest of the post makes sense. I didn't make the connection between Kendall and Mawae until now, you might have a good point there.

[Gibbon]

Here is a simple run down of why I think Woody fired Mangini:

1. He lost the respect of the team this year because he couldnt or wouldnt treat Favre the way he treated the other players. Mangini's coaching style is to bully the players. Every season he has made an example of at least one player in the preseason etc (Mawae,Kendall, etc). He didnt want Favre because he knew he couldnt bully him.

2. He failed to manage personell conflicts. If, as TJ says, Favre was distant and that was causing the team problems then it was Mangini's job to do something about it. Dont you think its interesting that most of the players who have stepped up to defend Mangini are FA signed this year or last? Those guys left over from Mangini's first season dont seem so eager to come to his defense (attackin Favre and defenging Mangini arent the same thing)

3. He failed to effectively manage his coaching staff. Call it loyalty or weakness it doesnt matter. Shotty's late season failures to develop the running game or get the ball to Leon more often put all the pressure on Favre to win the game by throwing. He threw more against teams coming full throttle on the pass rush and, as he has his entire career, threw a bunch of picks. Westoff had too much power over who played and who dressed through his absolute control of special teams (see #4). Sutton is clearly just a figurehead through which Mangini attempts to control the defense. I dont believe he has any real power.

4. He failed to effectively develop young players. While Mangold, Washington, and Revis have been successes, players like Gholston, Clemmens, and Ferguson have developed slowly or not at all. In some cases Mangini denies playing time to young players based on Westhoff's opionion of them as ST players. STs are important, but when you draft a guy in the first coupld of rounds you get him in uniform and on the field at every opportunity. He isnt learning anything standing in sweatsuit on the sideline.

5. Game time decision making and adjustments were consistently poor or non-existent. This has been true for 3 years. The guy just doesnt have enough coaching experience and it shows on game day. When it matters he is consistently outcoached by any and every other coach he faces.

Finally, its really popular with Jets fan to blame everything including Mangini's firing onon Favre. Certainly he played poorly the last 5 weeks of the season. But how many times during those weeks did the Jets Jets rush for 150 yds? How many times did the Jets have a lead only to see the D give up that lead? How close to the playoffs do you think the Jets would have gotten without Favre? Who did TJ and the anti-Favre fans think gave the Jets a better chance to win than Favre coming down the stretch?

The man played well enough while learning the system to get the Jets close and then played hurt in an attempt to help the team win. He's still the best QB on the team. If I had to choose either Favre or Mangini to remain with the Jets in order to get the Jets to the playoffs next year I'd choose Favre everytime and twice on Sundays.

[ECURB]

He choked... big time... he was in over his head... big time... he pissed off the owner... big time...

See ya!

[Jet Moses]

Here is a simple run down of why I think Woody fired Mangini:

1. He lost the respect of the team this year because he couldnt or wouldnt treat Favre the way he treated the other players. Mangini's coaching style is to bully the players. Every season he has made an example of at least one player in the preseason etc (Mawae,Kendall, etc). He didnt want Favre because he knew he couldnt bully him.

2. He failed to manage personell conflicts. If, as TJ says, Favre was distant and that was causing the team problems then it was Mangini's job to do something about it. Dont you think its interesting that most of the players who have stepped up to defend Mangini are FA signed this year or last? Those guys left over from Mangini's first season dont seem so eager to come to his defense (attackin Favre and defenging Mangini arent the same thing)

3. He failed to effectively manage his coaching staff. Call it loyalty or weakness it doesnt matter. Shotty's late season failures to develop the running game or get the ball to Leon more often put all the pressure on Favre to win the game by throwing. He threw more against teams coming full throttle on the pass rush and, as he has his entire career, threw a bunch of picks. Westoff had too much power over who played and who dressed through his absolute control of special teams (see #4). Sutton is clearly just a figurehead through which Mangini attempts to control the defense. I dont believe he has any real power.

4. He failed to effectively develop young players. While Mangold, Washington, and Revis have been successes, players like Gholston, Clemmens, and Ferguson have developed slowly or not at all. In some cases Mangini denies playing time to young players based on Westhoff's opionion of them as ST players. STs are important, but when you draft a guy in the first coupld of rounds you get him in uniform and on the field at every opportunity. He isnt learning anything standing in sweatsuit on the sideline.

5. Game time decision making and adjustments were consistently poor or non-existent. This has been true for 3 years. The guy just doesnt have enough coaching experience and it shows on game day. When it matters he is consistently outcoached by any and every other coach he faces.

Finally, its really popular with Jets fan to blame everything including Mangini's firing onon Favre. Certainly he played poorly the last 5 weeks of the season. But how many times during those weeks did the Jets Jets rush for 150 yds? How many times did the Jets have a lead only to see the D give up that lead? How close to the playoffs do you think the Jets would have gotten without Favre? Who did TJ and the anti-Favre fans think gave the Jets a better chance to win than Favre coming down the stretch?

The man played well enough while learning the system to get the Jets close and then played hurt in an attempt to help the team win. He's still the best QB on the team. If I had to choose either Favre or Mangini to remain with the Jets in order to get the Jets to the playoffs next year I'd choose Favre everytime and twice on Sundays.

You spent alot of time talking about Favre. While I agree Mangini did a crap job this year, and deserved to get the axe, there was alot of circumstances that made this team a dysfunctional train wreck this year. But you clearly have an agenda-- you hate Mangini because he cut the boar slayer.

[ECURB]

You spent alot of time talking about Favre. While I agree Mangini did a crap job this year, and deserved to get the axe, there was alot of circumstances that made this team a dysfunctional train wreck this year. But you clearly have an agenda-- you hate Mangini because he cut the boar slayer.

SCHLEGAL!

MVP!

MVP!

[#27TheDominator]

This team will never win anything with Woody Johnson as the owner. The Jets should have gotten the Dolans, they have no idea how to run a basketball organization but they did try by bringing in big name coaches and spending on players, it just failed. But they would at least have gotten the Jets a stadium in Manhattan, and wouldn't have choked away Cowher by refusing to get rid of Favre because Favre brings in jersey and PSL sales.

Bite your tongue. IMO this statement is a bannable offense. James Dolan is quite possibly the worst owner in sports. He thinks he knows something about basketball and rock n roll, but the only business he is capable of running is a monopoly and that is why the Jets don't have a stadium in NYC, because that ****sucker couldn't face the competition.

[Gibbon]

You spent alot of time talking about Favre. While I agree Mangini did a crap job this year, and deserved to get the axe, there was alot of circumstances that made this team a dysfunctional train wreck this year. But you clearly have an agenda-- you hate Mangini because he cut the boar slayer.

The Brett Favre situation was clearly part of Mangini's downfall. Favre hurt his authority with the team and seems to have caused some dissension in the locker room. Mangini's failure to handle that contributed to the team finally giving up on Mangini. Favre, intentionally or unintentionally, pulled aside the curtain to reveal that the Great and Powerful Manginius was a fraud.

Oh, and for the record, I dont hate Mangini for cutting Schlegel. I hate him for drafting him in the third round and never giving him a chance to play a single defensive down in a regular season game.