It did not take long for Woody Johnson and Co. to make the right decision and fire Eric Mangini whose third season with the New York Jets ended with an epic collapse and failure to make the playoffs. The Gang Green was 8-3 after 11 games this season but followed their early success with an inexplicable slide down the stretch, as they lost 4 out of the last 5 games.
Eric Mangini was hired as head coach 3 years ago and was seen as Bill Belichick's apprentice who would turn the New York Jets into a New England Patriots clone with a similar defensive system. Mangini switched to a 3-4 defense and the team made the playoffs in his first season, finishing 10-6 and then losing to the Patriots in the playoffs. The second season was much worse, as plagued by injuries Jets finished 4-12.
Now the Jets will start looking for a new head coach. We can only hope that this time they will select someone with plenty of experience and knowledge to succeed in New York City. Meanwhile, the wait continues... it's been 40 years.
UPDATE: According to newsday.com, the New York Jets have also fired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.
UPDATE: The previous update on the both coordinators being fired appears to be unconfirmed at this point. Stay tuned...