Jets' Coles frustrated by lack of playing time in lossAssociated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- New York Jets receiver Laveranues Coles bought 25 extra tickets for friends and family members to come see him play in his hometown. Maybe that's why he was upset with his lack of playing time. Coles finished with three catches for 19 yards in New York's 41-0 loss at Jacksonville and was clearly frustrated with his performance. "I pretty much have no comment on things. I can only speak about what I did. I didn't play a lot of plays," Coles said after the Jets suffered their worst loss in 20 years. "I played very few plays and that's all I can say. I started the game, then I sat the second quarter, some of the third quarter and the majority of the fourth quarter. "I don't know why. That's something you have to ask the coaches. I don't know. I just work here. Am I frustrated by it? Any time I'm not on the field, I'm frustrated. It's just something they have to deal with. It's not me." Coles had been listed as questionable for the game with a wrist injury. But he said his wrist was fine. "It didn't bother me at all. I wasn't hurt," he said. He was disappointed being on the sideline more than in the huddle. "I don't want to get into saying how I feel right now," Coles said. "You see all the time guys say things and then you have to come back and apologize for what you said. I don't ever want to end up on that side of things where people say he's a bad apple. When you lose a tough game like this, you just go back and regroup, kind of figure out again what your role is and where you fit in. "I don't have all the answers as to what happened today. If I did I would be coaching. I'm a player. I do what I'm told to do. I'm just a pawn in a chess game. They move me here, move me there. They ask me to do something, I do it. If not, I leave it alone." Jerricho Cotchery led the Jets with four receptions for 49 yards. Chad Pennington was 10-of-17 passing for 71 yards. He threw three interceptions and was sacked four times. The Jets return home next week against Miami. "I hope we rebound, but again, that falls upon our coaching staff and trying to figure out a way to get us back to going the right direction," said Coles, who is nearing completion on his $8 million, 25,000-square-foot home in nearby St. Johns County. Uhoh....this is exactly what i didnt want. I could except the loss if everyone took responsibility for it and focus on next week. The fact that he is questioning the coaching staff scares me a bit. I still have confidence but we have to make sure to get him the ball next week.
I would not worry about it. Its nothing Coles has not said before about the new CS. This is nothing new, there have been plenty of articles througout the pre-season and the season detailing the players dislike of Mangini. Plenty has been said that he treats like them like children with little respect or consideration for thier feelings or welfare. But with games against Miami, Cleveland and Detroit coming up team spirit should improve. As long as the team wins its unlikley they will turn on the CS no matter how poorly they are treated. Looking at the schedule its almost impossible for the Jets not to win 8-10 games this year. I doubt we will ever have again have such an easy schedule. Look our out of divsion games. 8 games against the two worst divsions in football. 2 games against Oakland and Cleveland. Then look at our division 4 games against Miami and Buffalo. Give this schedule to any team in the NFl and they immediately become a playoff contender. Winning heals many wounds especially grudges and hurt feelings. As long as Pennington stays healthy we will have a chance to win many games. Given a normal schedule next year things might be different but given our schedule this year I don't see how players will be able to jump on the bandwagon against the CS. If your looking to see the fall of the CS I don''t think it will happen this year. Rather through extra-ordinary luck the new CS will have planty of time to learn from its mistakes and repair its relationship with the players. Even if a real coach becomes avaiable next year like Shottenheimer its hard to see us bringing in a professional coaching staff until at least 2008. Hopefully by 2008 Woody will understand that its best to not pick coaches by who is the cheapest hire and actually open his wallet.
He's just frustrated... and it was an interview done right after being blown out. I wouldn't read into it too much. Its better than "I'm doing good, man. I'm not even too concerned with football right now. I'm just loving life.... it doesn't seem like nobody else is concerned. So, why should I?"
O no, thats not what i was saying at all. I love what the coaching staff has done with the team. I just thought it was a little disturbing that our #1 Wr and playmaker wasn't on the field when he was perfectly healthy(according to him) and wanted to be out there. Besides that, i love what the CS has done with the team.
mabey they were protecting him from the powerful and hard hitting defence... We can excuse those comments from Coles as he did just face such a harsh defeat and he felt that he couldnt do anything about it
Give me one article that isn't Coles saying any of that. Coles also said that Herm Lied to him and he attacked both Spurier and Gibbs. Coles hasn't ever played for a coach that he didn't bad mouth. Your post is a fabrication.
You can take this sort of stuff two ways: either he's unhappy with the Jets and the coach in general, and has been for some time, or he's sore and embarassed at his team's performance. If it's the latter then it's a much more acceptable situation.
Coles bitches way to much.. he complains about everything since TC his little act is starting to get old.
I'm growing tired of his little bitchy ways. Shut up, catch what comes to you and be a man... You're turning into a mini-Meshawn Mr. Coles.
Everytime he was out there the guy had him locked down so it appeared..Coles is a money receiver no doubt, but yeaterday he was covered
he is a 2nd tier #1 WR in the nfl.. and the guy runs his mouth like he is a elite wr. ala chad,randy,to ect.. he needs to stop bitching he ethier with us or against us. and everytime this guy speaks he is 2nd guessing our coach who compliments him quite a bit. as much as a like coles his attitude is starting to wear thin.
I agree completely, with one caveat - I do recall an article in training camp with Mawae bad mouthing Mangini that way, and claiming that his "friends on the Jets" didn't like the coach. Since it was exactly that kind of nonsense that led to Mawae being shown the door (along with the fact that he is clearly on the down side of his career), I gave it exactly the credence it deserved - none.
I think this is a different situation though, Coles is who he is and he is always mad at somebody. I imagine that the guys that have played with him for a couple years are used to this kind of stuff from him. Not that it makes it right but he's not going to cause any kind of insurrection in the locker room with these comments.
I agree Koz. Somehow, these coaches have put him in the position to command enough salary to build an $8 million pad in Jacksonville at 87 Coles Court (which intersects the cross street 45 Dorkassname Court). Don't be surprised -- cap limitations notwithstanding -- that Coles is not in the long-term plans of the Jets. Honestly, I think this CS loves Cotchery more than Coles, and I'm not sure they aren't really the same player. But they understand that Coles' production so far this year and his relationship with Chad make it impossible to part ways immediately. I wouldn't be surprised to see Coles given the Lawyer Milloy treatment at some point in the future. Mangini has been smart enough to give Coles a bit of a leash in term of his comments to the press -- he can't squelch everyone. But that doesn't mean his lack of playing time yesterday wasn't a subtle hint to Coles that he should STFU.
Well, were he complaining that he was out there and they weren't "throwing him the damn ball" or throwing his teammates under the bus, I might not have an ear for Coles "whiny bitching," but that's not at all what this was about. This was a case of the coaching staff inexplicably not using the best playmaker on our offense. By Coles' account, and I'm sure the videotape supports it, the guy did not see the field. Just because this coaching staff has brought discipline and a good attitude to this team doesn't mean we have to lend it our blind support. I personally thought it was the height of stupidity to leave Pennington in there for all but one fourth quarter series. Now add to the equation that they left him in there without the benefit of his favorite target, and the move looks all the more stupid. Nothing could have come of Chad's continued presence in the huddle besides another serious injury. -X-
What is this guy complaining about, he's the top receiver on the team? He's been active and made plays in every game. This is just the kind of crap we DONT need at this point. If he's going to become a cancer on this team, get him the hell outta here after this season. This team is on the right track and its going to take time. Talent or no talent, we can draft and find another Cothery. I am so sick of highly paid, malcontent complaining athletes. Its pure selfishness and lack of basic intelligence in the greater sense. Grow up already!
I initially thought the same thing as you did about Penny in the 4th Qtr. But if you take Penny out of the game any earlier, you are publicly acknowledging that the game is over. And while 38-0 (or whatever the score was at the time) doesn't give anyone hope for a comeback, I don't think Mangini can ever show the team he is giving up. They went to more max protect, and Penny wasn't in obvious danger.
Did you even watch the first 4 games buddy? I know you did and I respect you as a poster but there's no way you can call Coles a "2nd tier #1 WR in the NFL," he has been our best player this year. Without him we don't get remotely close in the Colts and Pats games, and I believe we don't win the Buffalo game either ( although his statistics might not indicate it in this game, he made some incredible clutch 3rd down catches which lead to most of our scores), and we saw what happened without him (for most of the game anyway) against the Jaguars. Sure Coles has voiced his frustrations in the past about his coaches, but he's got a point on this one. Why was he on the bench for all that time? I could maybe see keeping him fresh and healthy once it got out of hand, but thats not the case. He was pulled in the first quarter when we still had a chance, he was not put in until the 4th quarter during mop-up time, why? Our best playmaker on the bench healthy, when we desprately needed a big play. Nobody was open for Pennington most of the game, but you got your top WR on the bench. No wonder he was so vocal.
