If someone thought that after Tom Brady's season-ending injury the New York Jets became the new powerhouse of the AFC East, their hopes came down crushing this afternoon as the Same Old Jets showed up to play. The Gang Green were thoroughly out outcoached and outplayed in basically every aspect of the game.
It did not help that the Patriots' quarterback started his first game since high school and it certainly did not help that the playcalling sometimes reminded us of the Herman Edwards days. From time to time it sure made us fans wonder about the purpose of bringing in Brett Favre if the offense was still playing with the old dink and donk Chad Pennington gameplan. Why do you need Brett Favre if when you have 1st and goal at the opponent's 4-yard line, you run three plays in a row? Why do you draft a pass-catching fast TE in the first round if you get him involved in the game only once in two weeks? There are many other questions that can be asked but the culprit is pretty obvious - Eric Mangini and his coaching stuff.
Are they as inept as Herman Edwards and Co.? Following an impressive, or maybe just lucky, first season in 2006 where the offense was often using trick and aggressive plays, Mangini seemed to go into a shell being more concerned about not losing games, rather than winning them. Once again he was outcoached by his mentor Bill Belichick, and at the end the teacher gave his failing pupil and nice slap across the face by calling a pass play on a 4th down and 3 with less than two minutes in the game and a 9-point lead.
The Jets sure had their chances to turn the game their way, but the above mentioned gutless playcalling inside the 5-yard line, a missed 31-yard field goal, dropped passes by WR Laveranues Coles, and Favre's interception that led to the only New England's touchdown of the game eliminated any chance of winning this contest. The Gang Green are 1-1 and will travel to San Diego next week to take on the unexpectedly winless Chargers. It\'s time for Mangini to crawl out of his shell and make some bold decisions or this will be yet another long and painful season...