Vilma intentionally butting heads with Mangini Pro Football Weekly - The Way We Hear It Oct. 26, 2007 In light of the conflicting reports regarding the status of Jets ILB Jonathan Vilma, insiders tell us his much-scrutinized knee is in fact injured and he could be done for the season. The question thus becomes: Why did Vilma deny he had an injury, instead blaming his extended bench time in Week Seven’s loss to the Bengals on a “coach’s decision?” The way we hear it, Vilma is intentionally trying to stay in coach Eric Mangini's doghouse, thereby making it more likely the Jets will trade him in the offseason. The undersized Vilma has struggled mightily since Mangini instituted the 3-4 defense last season and it has become increasingly apparent to Vilma that a career resurrection necessitates him playing “Mike” in a 4-3 scheme. The Jets tried to work a Vilma-centered deal with the Redskins around the draft a season ago and his petulant behavior only furthers the notion the Jets will want to part ways with him at season’s end. Vilma, the 12th-overall pick in the 2004 draft, had established himself as one of the league’s rising LB stars in his first two seasons, so there’s reason to believe the Jets could fetch a late-first- or early-second-round draft pick for him — provided his knee checks out OK. In his place, the Jets will start rookie David Harris and will entrust him to make the defensive calls like Vilma did. Harris is bigger than Vilma and just as agile, making him a more natural fit for a 3-4 inside linebacker. I feel like this article really makes sense out of this whole thing with Vilma. Vilma is my favorite player on the Jets as he is with a lot of people I'm sure. If he gets traded I don't really know how much longer I could really cheer for this team. This guy can be an all-pro middle linebacker if he were in a 4-3 with some impact DT's in front of him (Minnesota for example). I hope the fans boo Mangini and Chad when they get on the field and all day long. When Chad goes 3 and out they should boo. When they are in the 3-4 and they give up a big play (and don't say that it might not happen) they should chant Mangina or we want the 4-3. I have truly gotten to the boiling point with Mangini and Chad. Screw them, this team has talent, this team shouldn't be 1-6
I agree MFM5... the direction this team is taking is sad. Losing Vilma would be a huge blow if the 3-4 doesn't pan out like Mangini is trying to force it to.
I hope everyone is prepared to see Vilma go someplace else and become a pro bowler. The Giants would give us their # 1 in a heartbeat. Imagine Vilma playing Lb with the rush that the Giants line gives each game.
I think this is a little bit premature. If the Jets collapse continues and Mangini is having real problems in the locker room with many players it is more likely that Mangini leaves town. Almost guaranteed actually.
You certainly don't speak for me, you don't fire a HC with as much promise as Mangini has after one lousy season in which the talent is not good. If trading Vilma is what it takes to get the pieces needed than so be it..
You have been repeating this mantra over and over for weeks now. Personally, I don't see it - I will be very surprised if Mangini is not coach next year, since canning him would leave Woody open to massive ridicule, and would probably also send Tannenbaum out the door. Mangini getting run out of town would hardly make the team more attractive to prospective replacements, either. I think it is much more likely that Mangini will engineer the departure of people like Vilma than that people like Vilma will cause him to get fired.
nothing says promise for a coach like 1-6. we sure have low standards as Jets fans. I wonder if Ram fans must think Scott Linehan has promise? here is what will happen. Vilma gets traded and is a stud wherever he goes. the Jets stick with Mangini another year, can't attract any quality free agents, go 4-12 next year, but stick with Mangini another year because of so much promise, he improves to 5-11 the next year, and is finally fired, but the damage is done with two wasted seasons and lost pro-bowl caliber LB. if its a choice between Vilma'spotential and Mangini's, I am taking Vilma's every day of the week.
Yeah I'm sure you were saying that last year as well when he was leading a team expected to win 4 games to the playoffs. You're probably right though, fire another coach and start again and then again and again and again. New HC gets two years max to win a SB, if that doesn't work out hire another one.
The thing most likely to cause Woody to get ridiculed right now, in the event of a total collapse by the Jets this season, would be if he allowed the damage to spill over for another season and THEN had to can the new regime. I'm betting he'll be proactive if the Jets collapse and make a big play for Bill Cowher. If you want to know if the Jets 3-4 is feasible or not what better way than to get a much more established 3-4 maven in here to eyeball it and run the show? And I believe the Jets collapse lies heavily on the failure to create a cohesive defense in two tries.
Im not going to say fire Mangini if this team goes 2-14...but if players like Vilma and Baker are going to leave because of him, then Mangini clearly is a problem, in which case I change my tune
Expected maybe by people who didn't pay attention to win 4 games.... We were on our 3rd QB in 2005. Our Pro Bowl center was out for the year, as was our starting OLB (Barton).... I expected a year around .500 when Mangini entered.... And he surpassed those expectations, very much thanks to an easy schedule and the element of surprise. Now, he has completely stopped being aggressive in every facet of coaching (personnel, playcalling, etc) and has gone into a shell... If this team, with two healthy arguably starting caliber QBs has an equal or worse record than it did in 2005 with zero healthy starting caliber QBs, Mangini doesn't deserve to keep his job.... In that scenario, what has he done to earn it?
That is what happens when a new HC comes in. He finds out which players buy into his system and he ships out those that dont. Vilma and Baker are JAGS and can be replaced, the most important thing is bringing in the right players to make his scheme work not the other way around.
Cya, I will always be a Jet fan. Maybe Vilma will start his own team called The Vilma's and you can be their #1 fan!
I Dont understand why everytime we got a great caliber player on the jets they get traded... Maybe its because where a horrible organization that lives off running good players out ? i dont know but it shure looks like that , this is F'n bull$HYT! & Im sorry to say but in 2005 we were 4-12 with season ending injuries to our Starting QB , Backup QB , Starting Pro-Bowl Center , A Running Back playing Injured , And Our OLB Was also Injured and Gone and we still finished 4-12 im sorry but looking at those facts if Mangenius with finally a decent NFL Schedule cant win atleast 4 Games you have to take serious evaluation of what the problem is here and especially if guys like Pro-Bowler Jonathan Vilma and Chris baker are having problems with mangini you gotta move foward. If this was an injury plagued year and we finished 4-12 fine but the way it looks with a healthy squad i dont know if we even win 4 games. So people got to think.
I think this is almost certainly the real truth. I'm pretty certain he's gone, which is a real shame because I KNOW he has as much talent as anyone on the team, BUT I still say if it's a choice between mangini or Vilma, I take Mangini.
I can see the Jets wanting Cowher. I can't see any reason why Cowher would want the Jets - after being in a city where the team is the center of the universe, he'd be in a place where they aren't even the center of the football universe, where no Jets coach EVER (including Weeb) has had a high profile (I don't count Parcells, since he got that high profile by winning Super Bowls with the Giants). Your presumption is that Woody actually believes that all of the Jets' troubles are Mangini's fault. Given how uneven Herm's performance was in his years here (with no apparent reaction from ownership), I just don't see it.
Just in recent years, and ignoring their production once they left... Some were FA losses too.... Albeit not every guy on this list is a stud, but many of them were very important to our success in their tenures Keyshawn Johnson Laveranues Coles Kareem McKenzie Santana Moss John Abraham Jason Ferguson (boy could we use him right about now) Randy Thomas Pete Kendall James Farrior Hugh Douglas Lamont Jordan I'm sure there are more I can't think of off the top of my head, and it looks like Jonathan Vilma will be next to join this list
Keyshawn Johnson i believe he was a pro-bowler for us , John Abraham i believe he was a pro-bowler for us , LaMont Jordan was a stud but we never gave him a shot , ran him out the door and then curtis martin retired , that was a great decision right??? Laveranues coles got traded after his best season but ooo we did one thing right and got him back , Now Vilma ? maybe people are having to much faith in mangini
