Time for mangini to show his stuff- Newsday

Time for Mangini to show his stuff-Bob Glauber
October 28, 2008
Even with all the intense emotional swings of the first seven games - from Brett Favre's mind-numbing ratio of brutal interceptions to exhilarating touchdowns, to a bend-and-sometimes-break defense, to some head-scratching plays on special teams - the Jets' season has come to this: On Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, they might very well be playing for a share of first place in the AFC East.

At the very least, they have a chance to make a decisive statement about whether they can remain a factor in a divisional race that is eminently winnable now that Tom Brady is fighting off a post-surgical infection instead of opposing defensive linemen. But whether the Jets make that statement will not depend solely on the right arm of Favre or the legs of running backs Thomas Jones and Leon Washington or the defensive grit of Kris Jenkins, Shaun Ellis and Calvin Pace.

It also will come down to Eric Mangini and his coaching staff.

Nearly 2 ½ seasons into his tenure, with one playoff season followed by an injury-filled disaster on his resume, Mangini and his cadre of coaches will have to be every bit as good as the players entrusted to carry out their orders.



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With three-time Super Bowl- winning coach Bill Belichick in New England and highly regarded veteran Dick Jauron in Buffalo and Bill Parcells prot?g? Tony Sparano, whose Dolphins are fresh off a win over the Bills, in Miami, the rest of the AFC East is competitive. Yes, even Chad Pennington's Dolphins, who now trail Favre's Jets by only a game in what has turned into one of the best divisional races in football.

Which is why this whole thing might come down to coaching. And why we will get a much better picture of whether Mangini is up to the task. Or whether he is overmatched and not up to the competition.

There is way too much football left to be played to make a definitive judgment on how it's all going to shake out. Yet there have been troubling signs on both sides of the ball not to be at least concerned with the level of coaching and how it will affect the rest of the Jets' season.

The evidence:

The offense continues to be a mishmash of sometimes good, sometimes not so good and sometimes downright awful.

The good: Favre has 15 touchdown passes through seven games, a healthy number, all things considered.

The not-so-good: The Jets have scored 13 and 28 points, respectively, against two teams with a combined three wins for the season.

The downright awful: Favre has thrown 11 interceptions overall, seven in his last three games, and one pick inside the red zone the last two games. And if Derrick Johnson hadn't dropped an easy interception on Sunday, it would have been three.

The defense is much the same.

The good: Shaun Ellis (six), Bryan Thomas (four) and Calvin Pace (four) have a combined 14 sacks.

The not-so-good: The Jets have only two interceptions all season.

The downright awful: They allowed Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen to throw for 280 yards, two TDs and no interceptions and nearly pull off a second straight upset of the Jets by an AFC West opponent.

The offensive play-calling has been inconsistent at best. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has acted at times as if he still has Pennington as his quarterback, dinking and dunking far too often. At least he unleashed Favre down the field at a far more regular pace Sunday than the previous week against the Raiders. But this offense still looks too much like the one you'd have thought they'd escaped from after making the deal for Favre.

One more thing about the offense: With Washington making something happen just about every time he touches the ball, how do you not make him a bigger part of the offense? The man touched the ball six times on offense (three rushes, three receptions) and had 67 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Not to mention 274 all-purpose yards, including the 37-yard punt return that set up the winning score.

Can a defense that includes plenty of talent show at least some sort of dynamic performance that reflects their well-above-average personnel? I mean, how does Thigpen, a third-string stiff who was barely given a chance to make the roster in training camp, nearly pull off an upset in your building? How do you watch him carve up your defense almost at will and not blitz this dud into oblivion?

There's something else about the coaching that is far more difficult to quantify but is equally important to the equation. For lack of a better term, call it the "it" factor. As in, a coach either has "it" or he doesn't have "it." Is "it" in Mangini? I don't know.

He has an impassive demeanor on the sideline that is disturbing at some level. There is little or no emotion, just a lot of arm-folding and plenty of gum-chewing. No one is asking for Mike Singletary here. But football players reflect the attitude of their coach, and the Jets carry themselves a lot like Mangini: impassive, robotic, unemotional. Have we seen this man scream once on the sideline? Even a scowl would do. This flat-line stuff has to go.

It's football. A game of passion. A sport in which emotion can often carry the moment ... Late fourth-quarter ... tongues wagging ... need a play ... have to have it ... dig down deep ... and there it is!

You just don't see that in this coach. You just don't see it in his team.

 

The Bills are what the NFL dreamed of! Thay are a team truly representative of" PARITY. They are a well coached team though and COACHING COUNTS! Because of it they can win against most team on most Sundays. Parity has ruined dynasty -type teams. I doubt that we will ever see that again. This is exactly what PETE ROSELLE wanted. But COACHING COUNTS and is now the difference maker.