7. Having Mike Westhoff back on the sidelines with Mangini is helping probably more than any of us realize too. Mangini is using him for advice and confirmation of certain decisions. Mike is a great football mind. Smart of Mangini to tap into it.
I'm not sure if they know when Brady will be ready, but this is a contract year for Cassel. They might be forced to let him go unless they want to spend top 5 QB pay for a 1-year tender on the franchise tag. I doubt they give him a long term contract.
Westhoff is the only coach on the Jets who understands that a little piece of his career is on the line on every play. That's partly because special teams have so few plays a game compared to the offense and defense, but it's also partly because he's just a great coach. Watch Westhoff on the sidelines. He is living in every play his group is on the field. He has something to say to somebody every time the special teams head back to the sideline. Parcells had that quality, where he'd be in the game on every play and when something went very right or very wrong it was written all over him. A lot of coaches watch an oopsie go by and don't say anything. Parcells and Westhoff are on that player the minute he hits the sidelines and make absolutely sure that he knows what went wrong right now in the moment because that's the most teachable moment, when the player knows he screwed up but hasn't had any time to start thinking about why.
Cassell still looks like a product of the system to me. Remember he's playing with an offense that was pretty much the best in NFL history last season. He has made some nice throws no doubt, but it doesn't look he can throw the deep ball at all.
400+ yards passing back to back. There's no system QB in history that could have done that. You not only have to have the system, you also have to have the arm and the accuracy and he has both. He's got the reads now too. Still he's not Brady. He doesn't have that Montana/Brady/Bradshaw thing going where when his team needs a score he is guaranteed to go get it.
I believe you play this game with your OL and DL and special teams first. These guys give you the position, defend against your mistakes, and take advantage of opportunities created. It's the CS and FO that get all these moving parts on the field and working together. This year, as in the first of their tenure, I believe there is no question that the Tanenbaum Mangini regime have got what it takes and who it takes to get the job done. That said, I hope to banish the prevent "D" forever in favor of better 4th Qtr. conditioning. I don't like the prevent "D" any more than I like 2 point conversions. Seven points. Attack. Stomp them out when it doubt.
True...I cant think of any player than left B.B Pats looking good and kept on looking as good with their new team...
The only explanation for no Har Hars on this is that I have been blocked by nearly every poster on the TGG.
True, but to some extent Herm was "unhelpable," for lack of a better word. Even when accidentally surrounded with talent, which would have been rare and certainly not something he initiated, Herm didn't know how to use it or when to use it. Good case in point was relying on others for clock management and then even screwing that up. Another example would be running the wheels off the already overburdened and injured Curtis Martin while he had fresh young legs like Lamont Jordan on the sideline screaming to be played and averaging 5 YPC every time he spelled Martin. The man was his own worst enemy. He's what now, 1-19 in his last 20 games?
He rushed for over 50 yards in both of those games. The only QB ever to throw for over 400 yards and rush for over 50 yards in back to back games. We have a reason to fear NE. Cassel is becoming the real deal.
NE is never ever a push over; and this year is no exception, even without Brady. They have built a well-coached offense around Cassel which gives him the best chance at being successful and he is doing it. NE will not fall off the map between now and the end of December; count on it.
This is an excellent evaluation of Westhoff as a coach, but if you asked me to add one very huge item to his resume, it would be that the man does all of the above because HE GENUINELY LOVES TO DO IT! I've observed Mike at TC for years now, even had the opportunity to talk with him for awhile two years ago. The guy you see on the sidelines simultaneously barking and at the same time reinforcing players on camera during games is the same guy you'll see at TC. He brings the same amount of enthusiasm to the practice field as his does to the playing field and it's always been quite obvious to me that he does it because he really enjoys being that close to football and the players... even to the point of maybe living vicariously through the players as you mention. I don't think the average JEts fan realizes what he brings to the table for Eric Mangini.
I'm just enjoying this run, which has more of a for real feel to it than any since 98. You were always hoping Edwards didn't screw up when he was here. As for Chad that loss in 02 to Oakland was prophetic, but I didn't let it sink in until the loss to Pitt in 04, and going into that game coming off the SD win that the Chargers basically handed to the Jets I had no confidence in the Pitt game. But even in the regular seasons in the years of relative success since 98 the team was not in the contention it is now, peaking at the right time, a world class leader like Favre digging it, fitting in and getting it done, the ball getting spread around to effect on O, the OL playing at least as great as the OL Parcells put together, and the D stopping the run like I can't even remember they last did. Elam, Law and Poteat have really shored up the secondary, too. And special teams? No complaints at all. I don't want to wake up.
Considering that every team in the NFL has played the same number of games, being #2 in points automatically makes us #2 in ppg. The reason we're much improved is because of the tremendous improvement on the lines. Turns out our coaching staff and FO aren't as clueless as br4d insisted they were all offseason.
1) Kris Jenkins 2) Ghost of Chad Pennington is gone 3) Special Teams 4) O-line acquisitions that created a running game 5) With the exception of David Harris in the short-term --- ZERO injuries (I knocked several times on wood for that one).
Couple things BradwaySux: 1. Cassel is no Brady because he hasn't been QB'ing for 7 years. He seems to be doing a fine impression right now. Do not sleep on the Pats because of the myth that QBs run the show. A QB just has to have the brains to do what the coaches want him to do, and then the balls/confidence/experience level to improvize when the play breaks down. Cassel is getting better with more experience. 2. Theres more than one way to skin a cat, and theres more than one way to coach. I don't care so much about outward emotion from a coach, I care more about the ability to adjust and not treat mistakes as character flaws (like fans and media seem to).
