I read an article on the nypost site which hits the nail on the head about the BF situation we need a good young franchise QB, christ we need a good franchise player but thats by the by. we need to establish a sustainable team from the core we've got and push forward from there.
Here chew on this Chicken Little's: By Boland of Newsday feel free to post the link. Boland: Turning around Jets shouldn't be that hard January 2, 2009 When Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum spoke to the media Monday to announce the firing of Eric Mangini, they forgot they were speaking to their fans as well. The message to be inferred was unmistakable: These guys have no idea what they're doing. This, naturally, was the unintended consequence of not giving even one specific reason for dismissing a coach who had winning records in two of his three seasons. Two Jets assistants to interview The move to go in "a new direction," applauded by most fans before the news conference, had merit, but the owner and general manager never got into any of it. They wanted to spare Mangini an unnecessary public flogging. Both should be commended for that stance, though they went overboard in stressing the positives in what, by definition, is a negative situation. Firings usually are. There also were the "he's one of 53 players" answers regarding Brett Favre's horrendous December, and all morning it looked as if Johnson and Tannenbaum were parodying themselves. Throw in the recent comments - public and anonymous - of players criticizing Favre, and the Jets look like a foundering ship. But although there are causes for concern, as there usually are with the uncertainty of a coaching change, everyone needs to take a step back and a deep breath. There are reasons for a long-tortured fan base to be optimistic about 2009. Among them: Johnson and Tannenbaum, who are much smarter than the bumbling personas they seem intent on presenting to the public, have compiled a solid list of coaching candidates. They showed some savvy Tuesday in letting it get out there that they were prepared to do "whatever is necessary" to land Bill Cowher. Though Cowher took himself out of contention, the Jets earned some good will from their fans by making it known they would make a play for the highly regarded coach. And Cowher's decision to bow out doesn't mean this search will end in failure. Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, multiple sources say, is the Jets' top priority (several teams have targeted him), and he will interview tomorrow. The Jets plan to contact recently fired Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and also will interview Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan after his season ends. The prediction here is that Ryan will blow away the Jets in his interview and emerge as a favorite. Regardless, the current crop of candidates - which includes two long shots from Mangini's staff and, probably soon, Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz - is a good one. Though Johnson and Tannenbaum on Monday made it sound as if the incoming coach won't have a choice regarding Favre, that's not the case. A team source said Tuesday: "While they're open to Favre returning, Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum believe whomever we hire as the new coach should have significant input on that decision." The two realize the incongruity of calling for a "new direction" with a very old quarterback. Whomever they hire may want Favre back, and if Favre is healthy and willing to commit early to the offseason program, there are reasons to do that. But that decision will be mostly the new coach's. As it should be. The Jets have talent. Look at the roster. This is a team that had its act together to the tune of 8-3 in late November. The Jets need tweaking at various positions - a speedy receiver and secondary help must be priorities - but the defensive front seven showed signs of being dominant and, under the right direction, probably could be. The offensive line, after a slow start, was one of the best run-blocking groups in the league, and the Jets have one of the most electrifying players anywhere in Leon Washington . . . when he gets a chance to touch the ball. The Jets weren't as good as some were making them out to be during their five-game winning streak, but they weren't nearly as bad as they showed at the end of the season, either. The locker room isn't in tumult. Words such as "disarray" and "panic" make for snappy headlines and broadcast teases but often don't reflect reality. Jets brass - and Favre, for that matter - should take notice of the comments by Thomas Jones, Kerry Rhodes and others, but should focus on the most important part of those remarks: Favre is welcome in the locker room, but he needs to be all in. That means a teammate in the offseason, too. It's no secret that Favre got away with just the mandatory offseason stuff in Green Bay - and grudgingly, at that - but that won't cut it with his Jets teammates. It also must be remembered that Favre was voted a team captain before the season, and his looseness much of the year was a welcome presence in the locker room. Frustration set in as the Jets lost four of their last five, and many of those comments referenced above reflected that collapse more than outright discord. Negativity generally comes out of losing locker rooms. It's a part of sports. A lot has happened in the three days since Mangini was fired, but here's the bottom line: 2009 isn't sunk just as it's begun.
RichMiano, like you, I am a lifelong Jet fan, so I feel your pain, believe me. I, however, must respectfully disagree with your assessment of Woody Johnson. As you undoubtedly know, all trades are not great or even good, and the Favre trade certainly qualifies, in my opinion. That being said, I think Woody made some great additions to the Jets. Faneca, Damien Woody and (Jet MVP) Kris Jenkins were absolutely what we needed and they all earned there pay. While I agree we would have been better off with Pennington, I think we would have been better off with Clemens over Favre. The knock on Pennington not being able to go deep turned out to be trash because neither could Favre, and Chad's a much better short to medium range passer than Favre (definitely) or any other QB in the league (arguably). I can't blame Woody Johnson for this because if Favre played better and we were in the playoffs and Woody Johnson's name wouldn't even have been mentioned, other than to praise him for his trades. And I am here to praise him now. Gentlemen, let's be honest: how many of us would NOT consider getting Favre when he became available? I was against the move from the start as a fan. As a GM, who knows? I would have at least strongly considered it. So I don't blame management for that. Plus the immediate release of Pennington to allow him to catch on with another team was a class act which, I think, is the reason Chad did not rip the Jets. Class moves all around. The speculation that Cowher would not consider the Jets because of Favre is a beautiful thing to me. I only hope he made that clear to Woody Johnson. Johnson's response to that situation will determine whether he is good for the Jets or not. Right now, I'll keep him, he made us better, put us in a position to win the East and become the team to beat in the AFC. I can't ask for more than that from him, his business decisions (selling PSL's, etc.) aside. Our problem has been one third-fixed by the dismissal of Mangini, Johnson needs to finish the job by firing Favre, and getting us a pass rush. People are saying our locker room is divided: no it isn't, we all want Favre gone!
Don, I feel your pain, man, but Revis and Rhodes ARE that good. There isn't a corner in the history of the league that can cover a receiver for the 10 minutes opposing QB's have been getting to in the pocket against our (gag reflex: engage) pass rush. Fix that, and our secondary will be the envy of the NFL. DeMarcus Ware should be about sick of Dallas by now. And it is hard to average more than 56 yards when you average 14 carries meanwhile Favre averaged 32 attempts with 2 TD's and 8 INT's. If that isn't reason enough to give the ball to the LEADING RUSHER IN THE AFC, I don't what is!! Let's be honest and put the blame where it belongs, Mangini & Favre.
