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Chris “Batting .000″ Mortensen is contradicting an earlier report from John Clayton on Bill Cowher and his interest in the Jets, emphasis mine.
A high ranking Jets official told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the team is still planning to speak to Cowher about its vacant head coaching job. No time or place for the interview has been set, but the official says the Jets would be willing to do “whatever is necessary” to land Cowher if he is truly interested in taking the job.
Cowher plans to speak publicly for the first time about the Jets’ opening and other coaching opportunities during CBS’ wild-card pregame show on Sunday, a source told 1050 ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand.
Initially, ESPN.com’s John Clayton reported Cowher told the Jets he was not interested because he wanted his own personnel person. The Jets official’s response indicates the team is willing to let Cowher replace current general manager Mike Tannenbaum with his own candidate.
Chris Mortensen is a stooge for many league so I take whatever he says with an extreme grain of salt. But still, Tannenbaum might want to wear a cup to work for the next few weeks. I don’t know if that means Tannenbaum will get to take on a more executive role or if it means he’s getting a boot out the door.
I truly believe that not getting his say on personnel and being a second class citizen to the Rooney family and Kevin Colbert chafed at Cowher and was a large part that Cowher left the Steelers. I would imagine that Cowher will be quite adamant about getting some say if he returned to coaching, but this is going to be a very interesting power struggle, with Tannenbaum potentially scrambling to keep some semblance of power in the face of an owner who is desperate to get into the good graces of his fans to get into the good graces of their wallets.
getting rid of Tannenbaum for a guy with no history of bringing in personnel will be a HUGE mistake that will DOOM the Jets… Tanny’s track record has been as strong as any gm in the league the last few years… He drafts well, he locks up homegrown guys, hes a very creative trader, he signs good free agents… This would be a mistake Woody!
RJ,
Are you serious? Tannenbaum is a lawyer by trade. The personnel decisions wereactually been more Mangini than you’d think.
Tannenbaum was a cap guy before he got here, his expertise is with contracts, not football decisions.
Secondly, Cowher’s won a SB as a coach, at any level what has Tannebaum won?
RJ
Losing Cowher would be a bigger mistake. I’m sure they can work it out. A little quid pro quo and Woody has himself a new coach….we than get some respect back.
Isn’t Tanny just a cap guy anyway. Let Cowher make the player decisions and Tanny can make the cap work.
FYI, Joey Clinkscales and Terry Bradway are large parts of the Jets talent evaluation process.
Say what you want about Terry Bradway, but he can find talented players, he just has too much scout-like enthusiasm about players and can’t prioritize sifting through the data.
The major point made in the last Basset post is about $$$. Woody needs a splash to sell sell sell. While hiring the likes of a Spags or some other up and comer might make some sense, it doesn’t do as much to get us to open up our wallets.
That said, if they bring back Favre, more losing football will ensue and so will a reduction in paying J-E-T-S fans.
Did Jay Glazer report this before Mortenson?
at this point, i don’t think it can get any worse for this franchise, so roll the dice with Cowher and see what happens…
One interesting note with Cowher – He started coaching under Mardy…. If signed, does this mean Schott stays?
Tannenbaum is more a cap guy historically – I like him, but we’re not talking about a guy who was the architect of a perennial contender RJ. Go get Cowher. I hope they can do it with Tannenebaum keeping most of his current role, but if not, so be it. And its not like Cowher is saying he would make all personnel calls – he would bring in a personnel guy, so that makes your point moot.
John Clayton and Mort should take side jobs as weather forecasters – they are just as accurate. I know its guesswork and hearsy in that job, but Clayton saying on espn radio today that Cowher to the Jets is 100% dead was a mistake for his credibility going forward.
A compromise for the Jets and Bill Cowher:
Bill should be given his own Personnel Advisor who would oversee, consult and review the entire personnel operation on behalf of Bill Cowher. In effect Bill’s eyes and ears in personnel. Bill would be given a say in all personnel decisions. Now we all know that Eric and Mr. T had a great working relationship as far as personnel was concerned. This set up would give Bill a strong say without him having to do all the personnel work. Mr T would still be in-charge along with the current operation.
I think this is a great compromise that Bill Cowher and the Jets should strongly consider. I am against giving a new coach full control and his own personnel guy as described in these reports. The reason is that when Cower leaves the Jets in the future the entire operation would need to be replaced. This is unacceptable.
Joe
Woody is driving this ship and all of these decisions are being driven please fans so to sell PSLs and fill that new stadium (which was a debacle from the start).
Time and time again you cannot buy championships in any sport and there is no quick fix! And in this case I do not even think Woody cares about winning a championship, it is more about just trying to fill the new stadium, because to hang your hopes on a 40 year old QB who’s best days are far, far, behind him is beyond me. It is like throwing fuel on the fire. This guy destroyed Woody’s season yet he wants to get down his knees and beg to have him back. Clueless….totally clueless.
Tannenbaum has done some good things in terms of bringing in some new talent, but it’s not like he got a great deal on anybody, he paid top dollar for the talent he signed.
And I will just throw out three names that jump out at me when grading Tannenbaum:
Pete Kendal (remeber him, remember our ‘07 season)
Brett…….fahgetaboutit already
John Vilma (did we get what he was worth?)
I don’t think we need “creative” people, I think we need winners.
We need leadership at all costs (including an unacomplished GM) and that’s what Cower brings.
On a side note, Cower looks and reminds me of my old 1st Sgt who at 50 years old could run a 7 minute mile….after a twelve pack of Heiffer Weissen, and could turn virgins into combat Infantry killing machines.
If Cower doesn’t take the Job I think we should call him!
I happen to agree with Drew’s comments even though this Drew didnt make them….lol
When Favre was at his best this season it was when we were a running team that used pay action effectively to hit some big passing plays. And not in the distorted version of the run and shoot we employed every time the other team took a 3 point lead. That style of play is what defined Cowher’s teams and what made Roesthlisberger a star. IF we are going to have Favre next year, whether we like it or not, I think he ca still be quite successful in that type of offense, rather than one that has him throw 40 times with an empty backfield.
Pittsburgh has also been effective with bunch formations to get non-speed burning WRs open. The Jets used the strategy a couple of time to great success this year, then of course went immediately away from it to fool the other team.
Lining up in a passing formation does not mean you have to throw into double coverage. He throws the most irresponsible ridiculous passes I have ever seen.
He does still have a little mustard on his passes when he steps into it, that’s not the problem. The problem is his lack of discipline.
If stupid is as stupid does, then Brett’s a blithering iddiot!
At this point do we really have a choice but to give Cohwer anything he wants? Who else can work with our personel? Tanny will get er’ done and keep a high post or his clout will go the way of the dodo.
Lafflin,
How dare you undermine Brett’s talents… Those are all the traits that make him the GREAT “gunslinger”!!!
Whats the matter with you?
Lafflin you’re first sgt sounds like the man for teh job. Screw Cowher lets get him.
subwayfare, absolutely true – also, everyone talks about the lack of separation from our WRs but that happens to most receivers when DBs know you are throwing.
Was his name Sgt. Slaughter by any chance?
jlwells – I am very serious… Tannenbaum has made some great moves, he put us right back in the picture in 1 offseason and not in a redskins buy whoever is available way. He signed 2 lineman who had nice seasons, an impact player on defense in Pace and a great fullback in Tony Richardson. The trades for Jenkins and Thomas Jones were brilliant, his trading up for Revis and Keller were great moves. He got rid of Dewayne Robs gross contract. He is a good GM, what record of evaluating talent does Cowher have, none… The Steelers have not missed A BEAT on defense since Cowher left because Lebeau calls the shots. Do I think he is a good coach, yes, do I think he is a belichek level good coach, NO, so I certainly do not think he is worth 10 mil a year and free reign to do whatever he wants… I’d rather have Spagnolo
I’m growing a moustache until Bill Cowher is a Jet. Its time for us to win another offseason – take that playoff teams and successful franchises!
Cowher is the only logical choice to get the Jets back to 7-9.
Go Pats!!!
Not that this is the be-all and end-all… but Peter King just wrote on the SI website that Cowher absolutely will not coach again until 2010…unless he gets an offer he can’t refuse….
Ok, he also drafted Gholston, signed Ty Law, traded for Brett Favre.
Secondly, the Jets spent 140 Million bucks last offseason, so are you sure you really mean this:
“Tannenbaum has made some great moves, he put us right back in the picture in 1 offseason and not in a redskins buy whoever is available way. ”
Spending 140 million isn’t a “buy whoever is available” thing?
And by back in the picture, you mean he went out a spent like Omar Minaya did to get you a team that pulled the same chickens**t collapse the Mets did?
you have to get cowher….give Tanny a VP job if you have to …Let cowher come in and bring in who he wants..hed be perfect for these team..
His teams always had fight
Always tough
He would use leon and TJ as a real two headed monster (like they did in Pitt all those years instead of making leon dissapear….
He knows the 3-4…
He likes to blitz
He likes to pound the football which in turn would cut some of the slack off of favre,clemens,ratliff ainge or whoever……
And he will draft what this team needs…
he isnt afraid to draft playmakers or potential playmakers….
Big Ben,Santanio Holmes,Burress,heath miller, hines ward, randel el,hank poteat (sorry had to throw poteat in there..)
RJ, who is in BB’s class? I think Jeff Fisher is a great coach, but he’s no BB and, IMO, no Cowher. So, a coach with talent somewhere between Jeff Fisher and BB…isn’t that a significant upgrade over Mangini? As for Woody wanting to make a splash with his downtrodden fan base…good!!! It took 40 years for Leon Hess to realize that we, the NYJ fans, make the franchise. Was it wrong for Leon to school Bob Kraft to get Parcells? That move changed the course of this franchise. I’m not putting Cowher in Parcells’ league because we don’t know what Cowher can do with another team, but I’ll say this much, he brought Neil O’Donnell to the Super Bowl and Kordell Stewart to the AFC Championship game, while the Rooneys constantly let his Pro Bowl players leave. What can he do with an owner actually willing to spend money, even if it’s to make money?
jlwells, but unlike Minaya/Wilpon, after his manager/HC authored the collapse, Tanny/Woody fired Mangini. IMO, if Randolph had been fired after the first collapse, we Mets fans would never have seen a second.
Coaches who I would be confident matching up against Belichick with roughly equal squads? Mike Shannahan, Jeff Fisher, Mike Holmgren, Tony Dungy (maybe). I wouldn’t put Cowher on that list, myself, and I don’t think it speaks well of Cowher that the Steelers are doing so well without him. (When Marty Schottenheimer leaves a team, in contrast, they tend to regress quite quickly, just as Parcells’ teams do.)
Cowher is a good coach, but his record is way too spotty to justify paying him the kind of money that’s being bandied about. I would put the odds of his being a better coach than Spagnuola or Jim Schwartz at a little over 50 percent. Cowher, to me, is the Brett Favre of top coaches- unquestionably very good while at the same time unquestionably overrated.
Jlwells… He built a team that was good enough to do more then 9-7 which is why the coach did get fired… Look around the league their are some horrible gm’s, he went out and made the moves all jet fans were clamoring for this offseason… I like the way he has built this team. I won’t be mad if we get Cowher at all… But I have serious reservations with a guy having total control, especially a guy with no real record of drafting players, especially a guy who may just up and leave us in 2 or 3 years…
Sackdance – I hear you, I’m questioning the move more as a GM then as a coach… as a coach I think he is overrated but defintiely one of the best available and we could do way worse… I just don’t want him calling the shots in the front office, I’m sorry… I also agree heavily with everything Seanmac31 said
oh and also sackdance… I agree with the notion of him being better with an owner willing to spend instead of letting a lot of their homegrown young talent walk
jlwells, the difference between the Jets approach and that of Dan Snyder was that the Jets did not spend in the two previous years, and instead front loaded and restructured contracts so that they had the cap space to make the moves and most of them can be gotten out of after either two (eg Woody) or three (eg Jenkins, Faneca) years if they don’t pan out.
The Favre deal was obviously a move which did not fit into this plan, but they clearly felt it was a chance to upgrade and therefore worth the sacrifices they would have to make at other positions in the future. The longer he stays the greater these sacfrifices will need to be. So far, this looks like an error.
Snyder was already over the cap and did things like trading a 2nd and 3rd rounder for Brandon Lloyd who lasted a year and giving a 5 year deal to a washed up Adam Archuleta. As a result their talent base has suffered, hence their continued struggles in the NFC East.
Seanmac- I think Dungy deserves some credit for his coaching this year. I believe he is upper echelon. I do have a soft spot for Indiana in my heart though. Why do you question his ability to match up with BB?
On an unrelated note, I thought the Jets WRs were exposed this season as being mediocre. I thought their mediocrity had a lot to do with Chad, but their inability to create separation was a season-long problem. Football Outsiders has their rankings and neither Coles nor Cotchery were in the top 25 and, even more disturbing, they were barely better collectively that a “replacement” level player. Here’s the link:
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/wr
Of course, Favre was 21st in the same rankings, which is not good. But, don’t you have to wonder what could Favre do with better WRs? Or, with an HC that ran the ball more, because TJ was no. 5 and Leon had a DVOA that would have put him, with more carries, in the top, too. And, Keller was barely better than replacement level at TE. So, while we continue to bash Favre, maybe his weapons weren’t as good as we thought.
Anybody can be great with a surrounding cast. Look at Cassell, but I think Cassel would have protected the ball better for us than Favre. I don’t care about his yards, TDs or completion percentages. 22 INTs are unforgivable. 9 in a 5 game playoff stretch. We would have hung Chad from the rafters.
What good is having Bill Cowher, if you don’t get Dick Lebeau? That’s like getting Parcells without Bill Belicheat as your DC…and we know how THAT turned out in Dallas, don’t we? My point is that Bill Cowher isn’t as great as he’s made out to be, much like Favre was overhyped. It’s not hard to win with Kordell when you have Bettis, Hines ward, and Plaxico going over 1000 yards apiece, and Casey hampton and kendrell bell were fighting for rookie of the year status with a defense that had Jason Gildon and Joey Porter sacking everything in sight. Cowher is good, not great. I like him, but I’m not so sure I like him for what he wants(stupid money and total control).
Know-what-I-mean-Vern?
seanmac, I disagree. Cowher beat Dungy and Shanahan on their home fields to win his Super Bowl and your statement that the Steelers didn’t get worse…maybe that’s because of the infrastructure that Cowher built. By your logic, Jimmy Johnson was no better than Barry Switzer and Gruden is better than Dungy because he took Dungy’s team to victory in the Super Bowl. Cowher won with a deficit at the QB position and an ownership unwilling to spend money. Shanahan, Dungy and Holmgren were all made a lot smarter by HOF QBs. IMO, Cowher is as good, with the caveat that he hasn’t replicated his success elsewhere, which I’ll agree is the true test of a great coach.
yeah, and Mangini wasn’t made a lot smarter by a HOF QB, was he? you know, the same one that made Holmgren so brilliant…
To add to sack’s argument (although I am not as sold on Cowher as he is), that’s also like saying Bill Callahan is better than Gruden because he took Gruden’s team to the Superbowl.
JAGG, Chad had late-season collapses in 2003 and 2004 and Vinny T. in 2000. In 2000, everyone blamed Groh. In 2003 and 2004, Chad was given a pass for injuries and his post-season “success.” Favre, on the other hand, has been excoriated by the fan base. Favre is like A-Rod, a lightning rod for criticism and, like A-Rod, he brings a lot of the criticism on himself. But, he’s not the sole reason the Jets collapsed. The defense and special teams also weakened substantially. When the collapse is in all 3 phases of the game, maybe it’s more of a coaching issue? I mean, let’s try to be a little fair and balanced here.
In the FO stats, (unless I’ve grossly misinterpreted them) Stuckey’s numbers are 2nd best among receivers thrown to less than 50 times and similar to Coles overall. Food for thought.
Bubby, I agree, that’s why Mangini got to 9 wins.
Cowher is good, not great. He would be nothing without Lebeau, just like Parcell’s wasn’t as great without BB as his DC when he coached in Dallas.
Sack, who made Shula so smart? Unitas or marino?
Sack- 2004 does not count against Chad. He played with an injury that sidelined many others. He still had us a kick away from the AFC championship. Favre on the other hand couldn’t lead an 8-3 team to the playoffs. Ditch the ruby glasses. Favre scored the deciding score for the Dolphins. He is horrible. He gave the defense a short field to defend too often and many times couldn’t hit an open reciever. Is it all his fault? No, but name me somone else who got paid 12 million this year, can leave the team without killing our cap, and contributed so much to our collapse?
To think he won the SB with Earl Morrall
So when Mangini got Ten wins with Chad. Chad made him smarter than Favre?
Bent, I saw that and I think Stuckey’s numbers further show the weakness in the starters…Favre was more comfortable and the Jets more productive with Favre throwing to the slot WR…of course, Stuckey also committed the cardinal sin of not looking the ball in his hands and not running out his patterns, which resulted in 2 INTs, but he also caught that prayer in Miami, so his plays washed out.
I think Clowney and Cotchery, with Stuckey in the slot and Keller at TE is a better pass-catching group, but I guess they would make special teams weaker. With all due respect to Mangini, that was one of the all-time stupidest reasons for not integrating a WR into an offense that I’ve ever heard.
I think Cotchery is a very quality number two receiver, and he could conceivably be a solid number one under the right circumstances. He happened to be up against a very difficult slate of corners this year and my expectations for his performance were fairly low. The offense clearly needs a speed receiver opposite Cotchery, and I’m hopeful that Clowney can fill that role, rather than us needing to go outside the team to fill it. Stuckey was good in the slot role. Keller’s DVOA would have been higher if Favre hadn’t started forcing so many throws to him late in the year.
Sadly……I have to agree with Sackdance on the Bill Cowher issue. From time to time when Sackdance is drunk makes some good points. I think he was the only one who hated Mat Ryan.
Bubby, I think I said a lot SMARTER with an HOF QB and Shula had Unitas and Griese, but he really had two phases to his head coaching career…the brilliant young guy (3 Super Bowl victories in 6 appearances in 7 years with 2 different teams…amazing) and the mediocre old coach who couldn’t win with Marino.
JAGG, I think if Chad had QB’ed this Jets team, he would’ve gotten either injured, replaced or led the Jets to a 6-10 or 7-9 season. If coached better, maybe 9-7 or, even, 10-6. Ironically, the only good thing that would’ve happened if Chad stayed is that he would never have gone to Miami!
Nikolas, LOL…you know that I was the only one that wanted the Jets to sell the farm for Matt Ryan, so I had to respond to that one!
Sack- I think you underate Chad Pennington. Believe what you want, but Favre has never been called a brilliant mind. He could have called an audible. His head should be rolling right down the street with Mangini’s.
Bubby, Cowher got to the AFC Championship game with Kordell Stewart and went 13-3 and, then, went 10-5-1 with Maddox and Amos Zeroue as his lead rusher in, respectively, 2001 and 2002 without LeBeau. I’m not saying that LeBeau didn’t help, but Cowher almost took Kordell to the Super Bowl without him!!!
Sack,
Cowher beat Dungy two weeks after Dungy’s son killed himself. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that had the Colts gone into that game with their normal focus, they would have demolished Pittsburgh just the same way they did during the regular season.
As to my logic, I’m not playing Beatpaths or anything- I’m simply looking at how the teams play as well as what the results are. And Cowher’s teams often looked outcoached when up against good competition, particularly in the playoffs. I understand that Cowher didn’t have any great quarterbacks, and yes that does make his accomplishments more impressive. That said, I think he generally had superior personnel at most other positions. He had the better overall team in 94, in 97 and in 01 at the very minimum. To be perfectly honest, I thought he had a better team than Dallas in 95.
I think Cowher is a good to very good coach, but I think he needs very good assistant coaches and a good front office to succeed. I prefer a more cerebral approach in my coaches- I’m very much a Bill Walsh style over Mike Ditka style.
If the Jets “sold the farm on Matt Ryan”, he would still be in the infirmary like all the other Jets QBs…. :-)
Silly Question, do you think Mangini believes that the “favre on Madden cover” curse is for real? Hmmmm.
Sack – he had Bettis, Plaxico and Ward with 1000 yards a piece, and a monster defense. What more do you need? Even Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson can win with that!
JAGG, I called Holmgren smart, not Favre. Chad has a much higher football IQ than Favre and Favre has much more natural ability. They both have incredible mental toughness. I think it’s ironic that people here think I don’t like Chad. I like Chad and if he wins a playoff game with Miami, I’ll think even more favorably about him. In fact, I’d like to see him win because I think Chad’s a better role model than Ray Lewis. But, let’s not over-rate Chad. He still doesn’t have the arm to throw medium to deep outs , he’s still had an injury-prone career and he’s still very susceptible to the blitz. And, I don’t wish he were the Jets’ QB. It was time to move on.
We have the three top stories on ESPN.
Mangini has an interview in Cleveland.
Don’t we all think there was a Madden Curse. Green Bay just had their Jersey on the cover and went from 13-3 to 5 -11.
It was time to move on to the future not the old folks home.
I agree Chad is flawed, but how come since everybody had watched and seen his weaknesses did he pull out the year he did. He threw the ball well this year. I think he would have got us to 10-6 along a different path of wins.
With the successes of Kordell Stewart and Antwan Randel El, I wonder if Brad Smith will see a Cowher hire as a chance at redemption?
I agree with you, JAGG. The different path you speak of would no doubt include the playoffs, no? Although there is NO WAY the PATS lose to a Miami team without Chad running it, so they might still have won the division. all conjecture…much like deciding who our new coach is gonna be…
Would have been a completly different season. Miami wouldn’t be the division champions though.
Quote from Bears management
“I think we have to have competition at that position,” Angelo said. “We have to get that position right. I know there’s going to be a lot of talk about a No. 1 receiver. Guys, it starts with the quarterback. It’s all about the quarterback. You don’t win because of wide receivers. You don’t win because of running backs. You win because of the quarterback. We’ve got to get the quarterback position stabilized.”
Screw Brett
Interesting Bent. Well, we know for sure we have the opposing defenses set up for a pass by Smith – despite him being a college QB and running countless option plays here, he has had TWO pass attempts in his whole career. And one was the last play of the Miami game so that doesn’t count. No wonder the defense is all over him in the backfield. That is mind-boggling to me. The other attempt was an incomplete in 2006 I don’t remember.
Ironically, I thought one of Mangini’s shrewder moves was his last one as Jets coach, having Smth as QB for that play and not Favre. You figure you have a better chance in a multi-lateral prayer if you have as many elusive guys out there as possible. One of those little decisions that go unnoticed most of the time because they end up not making a difference. Seems obvious really, but I know Herm doesn’t think of that.
seanmac….’01? Kordell?!? Stewart throws 3 INTs and the Steelers still almost beat the Pats. Switch Brady for Kordell and do you think the Steelers lose? In ‘04, which was Big Ben’s rookie season, the Steelers beat the Pats in the regular season (which was the difference in their records) and, then, the Pats beat the Steelers in the AFC Championship game. In ‘05, the Pats didn’t play the Steelers (so, we don’t know how a 3rd meeting with Cowher/Big Ben would’ve gone against BB), but I wouldn’t downgrade the win over Shanahan, who lost the AFC Championship game, decisively, on his home field.
I agree about 1994, his team had the AFC Championship game won and the Chargers scored on 2 40+ yard pass plays…although, that was pre-Bettis and I thought Barry Foster stunk. But, in ‘97, the Steelers lost to the Elway-TD team, barely. I can’t give you that one, the Broncos had the best team or, at least, the best offensive team, while Cowher still had Kordell at the helm (I thought Kordell was awful and hampered that team from making the Super Bowl).
As for cerebral, I think Cowher is much more thoughtful and cerebral than I thought he was. His pre-game comments are often very insightful, not the clownish comments of a Ditka. To be fair, I think he’s somewhere between Ditka and Walsh.
As a coach, Cowher got too emotionally invested with his players. Hence, the love affair with Kordell. But, that emotion also got his players in an “us vs. them” camraderie against management. His teams played hard and with passion for Cowher. His defenses beat up other teams and his offensive lines almost always controlled the LOS. With TJ, Leon and the Jets OL, Cowher’s system would be a glove fit. On defense, we would see an identity,,,a blitzing defense with the SS actively involved. How good could Rhodes be in his system? Also, he developed OLB after OLB. Again, if VG ever does anything, Cowher would be the guy to coach him.
Bent, Randle-El threw a lot of WR passes. I don’t think that Brad Smith ever threw a WR pass, despite the fact that I saw the Jets practice that play in training camp. Plus, Stuckey also played some QB, right?
As for the never ending conjecture about Chad as a Jet, Favre took some hard hits this season. Chad would’ve been blitzed even more than Favre. Remember, the Jets’ offense is WR-centric, which means it takes longer for plays to develop, increasing the odds of a sack. Chad could’ve gotten injured. The Fins’ offense is much more TE and RB-centric and their home field is natural grass, so Chad stayed healthy and was sacked the fewest times, on a per game basis, since 2004 (and, even with those fewer sacks, in the Meadowlands, Chad got injured on a scramble against Buffalo, probably something that Chad would avoid now). So, I think Chad would’ve gotten injured and have been replaced by KC…a 7-9 season.
Smith’s thrown a few, but (as I posted many times) has an awful arm. Stuck was a high school QB (as were Nuge and Rhodes, btw) and probably does have a better arm – I doubt it’s any worse.
Those FO stats you linked to earlier had Smith pegged as a horrible WR but the 3rd best runner among wideouts in the league.
I’m not a huge fan of the option pass anyway. It mainly works when the running game is working and if the running game is working, keep pounding the ball downfield and wearing the defense down, don’t give them a break when you were going to end up with the seven points anyway – especially when such plays can be risky.
So, while the WR option pass is a nice gadget once in a while, what I’m interested in is getting him to carry the ball. At Missouri, he showed he is a fantastic runner and it seems to me that is the best way to get it in his hands. Even if he only runs for one or two first downs a game, that’s still a weapon. (I’d have created a red zone package for him). He may struggle to make the roster next year, but with Cowher, he may luck into someone who would not be opposed to finding him a role and getting another chance when it seems he has fallen out of favor.
Re: “I truly believe that not getting his say on personnel and being a second class citizen to the Rooney family and Kevin Colbert chafed at Cowher and was a large part that Cowher left the Steelers.”
I am sorry but that makes no sense. As a Steelers fan, I honestly think Cowher left the Steelers because his contract was up, not because of his “say on personnel”. In any case, I don’t see how Cowher would have anything to chafe about because Colbert is definitely one of the best in the business.
I think Cowher retired because of the reasons that he already gave to the media repeatedly. He wanted to spend more time with the kids. He had been coaching for a long time and he had finally won a Super Bowl. He wanted to go out on top. And the Rooneys, remember, actually extended Cowher’s contract in 2004, when the Steelers had a 6-10 season. I really don’t see a reason Cowher would be exactly “chafing” over the Rooneys, considering the fact that he coached the Steelers for 15 years.
I think he probably wants more say on personnel decision not because of anything he might have carried over from the Steelers but because the Jets personnel decisions, in my opinion, just haven’t been that good. They got Favre but then dumped Pennington. They drafted Gholston and dumped Vilma. Maybe it is just as simple as Cowher wanting some say in the process, which any NFL coach would want.
In 2001, Kordell Stewart was a better player than Tom Brady. (And in any event, it was Drew Bledsoe who won that game.)
seanmac, kordell was a ticking time bomb in ‘01. And, okay, Brady was knocked out and won the game, but my point was that Kordell was not in Brady’s (or Bledsoe’s) class; yet, the Stellers under Cowher and without LeBeau nearly went to the Super Bowl. BTW, Brady had more TDs, a higher completion percentage and higher QB rating than Kordell in ‘01. I guess there’s some FO metric that you’re citing, but from a football perspective, Brady was better, even as a first-year starter.
I meant “Bledsoe won the game.”
Cimini: “…In the end, Johnson, suddenly acting like a football guy, caved to the media and fan pressure. If he truly believed in Mangini as much as he said he did, if he was considering a long-term extension only five weeks ago, he would’ve come out late in the season (maybe after the Seattle loss) and given Mangini a vote of confidence. It wouldn’t have stopped the fans from spewing their bile, but it would’ve stopped the speculation.
On Sunday night, after the Miami loss, a visibly upset Johnson told a few reporters he was going to take some time to make a decision, that it wasn’t going to be a heat-of-the-moment call. A little while later, like maybe an hour or two, he decided to fire Mangini. If that’s not heat-of-the-moment, what is?”
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2008/12/hey-woody-wheres-the-plan.html#comments
Very true. Johnson not only repudiated his word on this critical occasion, but also his committment to the type of program that Belichick had brought to New England….which Mangini was trying to replicate here.
Problem. Belichick had Scott Pioli idenifying the players, Mangini mostly had Terry Bradway. (With Tannenbaum to do the contracts and cap work.)
Second problem. According to Cimini, Johnson also decided to inject himself into talent evaluation:
“Mangini never wanted Favre, it was learned yesterday, but he welcomed the future Hall of Famer and tried to make it work. I don’t think GM Mike Tannenbaum wanted him, either, but Johnson, trying to market his new stadium, was infatuated with Favre and essentially told Tannenbaum, “Go get him.” So he did, adding a last-minute wild card and changing the way they played offense.
But, hey, they sold tons of “4″ jerseys.
In the end, Favre cost Mangini his job, throwing nine interceptions in the final five games. You name me a coach that could overcome that many mistakes.”
According to this AP report, Pioli has a meeting with Randy Lerner tomorrow…but the new Ceveland owner is meeting with Mangini today in New York.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/browns/2008-12-30-interviews_N.htm
So, Lerner, not Johnson, may have the best chance to try to replicate the Patriot’s model…with either Mangini or Josh McDaniels (also scheduled for an interview).
Of course, only Belichick has the track record of genius. Not just for his 3 superbowl rings and unbelievable consecutive winning streak. I’m talking about his work as the defensive cordinator for the Giants.
The only time Parcells ever got to the Super Bowl was when Belichick was behind the scene scheming to defeat high powered offenses.
(Mangini certainly learned at his knee, but you also need the personnel –talent and brains– to properly execute complicated schemes.)
The pity of all of this is that Johnson rejected his chance back in January of 2000 to bring Belichick back on board after Belichick lost his lawsuit to take the New England job.
According to at least one published report, Belichick asked if he could have his job back…but was rebuffed, with the lame excuse that the Jets were in contract negotiations with Al (9-7)Groh.
When Leon Hess was paying Belichick a million dollar bonus to stay as defensive coordinator with a contract guarantee that he would succeed Parcells, this wasn’t because he was in love with Belichick’s personality. Leon knew what Belichick had done with the Giants.
It strikes me that if Woody Johnson was a student of the game instead of a Dan Snyder or Jerry Jones wannabe, he would have shown the patience he claimed he had to build the team into a quality product.
After his recent firing, Romeo Crennel had this pertinent observation:
“As it turned out, we were both held accountable, both Phil and myself for our record and we’re both out of a job and that’s the bottom line,” Crennel told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Whatever the reasons are, no one really cares. It’s just like on Sunday — did you win or lose? That you’re playing with the fourth quarterback doesn’t matter. We’re both accountable and we have to answer for that.”
Giving credit to Cimani’s report, Mangini didn’t want Fauve, but tried to make the best of it.
Would a (relatively) healthy Chad put up the same numbers for the Jets under Schott Jr as under Dan Henning? It’s probably more likely than trying to insert Mr. Cannon Arm in a successful way into an offense he didn’t understand and didn’t like.
With Chad’s completion numbers, the Jets would easily have made the playoffs.
There are a lot of culprits at whom fingers can be pointed to explain this season. IMO, by far the biggest is Woody Johnson.
Sack,
so based on that rationale (chad likelihood of getting injured), the favre trade DID set the franchise back by preventing the Jets from seeing what they have in KC/Ratliff? (tying back to our previous discussion)
It took you a couple of days and a few different posts, but eventually you came around.
You already pretty much acknowledged that KC was miscast in the Chad-oriented offense, but may have been OK in a west coast scheme – would that be fair to say, Sack?
If you’re willing to accept that Favre may have a good year next year if the offense is set up in such a way that it suits him better, are you prepared to rethink your comments about KC being a dead loss too?
OK enough already, and thank you Basset for letting me back on.
I say we go after Jimmy Johnson. After all he can always use hairspray on Brett’s arm to stiffen it up and force him to hand the ball off to LW or TJ.
And as long as I am back….what is with all the Coles bashing? Was he not our number one receiver, and if he caught the 22 interception Brett served up….well he might have made the pro bowl. Sure he dropped a few….so did the rest of the team. Face it the guys with the best hands played conerback for the other team.
Brett threw 9 interceptions and 2 TD’s in the last 5 games. He is the reason we are not in the playoffs. Sure Mangini is a dull, lackluster, monotone, Belichick wanna be scapegoat, and Snotty a brain dead space cowboy with not a clue, and Sutton is well…just stupid, limited, uninspired and working for the other team, and Big Jenkins got tired. and Hollywood Rhodes took the season off, and Leon was under used….but Brett stunk the joint up and cost us the playoffs.
And Tranny failed to draft a franchise QB when he had a shot at Cutler, and Ryan and Flaco. He handed Chad to an arch rival and is not anything more then a lawyer/accountant back stabber who with the Big Woody and a worship of money destroyed our team.
[...] course, as TJB noted (and I’m actually of the belief that a “high ranking Jets official” might really [...]