Late Monday night, the New York Jets announced that they indeed had a new coach for the 2006 season. So, who would it be? Mike Tice? Jim Haslett? Mike Sherman? No, it would be the “frontrunner” from last week – Eric Mangini. Wait….WHO? That’s right, Eric Mangini, the defesnive coordinator for the New England Patriots in 2005. The Jets are expected to make the hiring official on Tuesday.
So inevitably, the question will be asked: Why did the Jets want Mangini so badly? Do they think this move will work? What happens if this move blows up from the start? The following explains 3 pros and cons about the hiring of Mangini, with the bad news (the cons) listed first…CONS:
- Eric Mangini has no head coaching experience at all. None. Zip. In fact, he was only a defensive coordinator for ONE year under Bill Belichick in New England. He was never a defensive coordinator before the 2005 season. Mangini was promoted to the defensive coordinator position when Romeo Crennel took the head coaching spot in Cleveland. If that had not happened, Mangini might still be in New England working behind the scenes. So, do you honestly think that someone who has been either a head coach or a coordinator for a COMBINED one year will be able to make it? Like I mentioned earlier, the Jets passed over Mike Tice, Mike Sherman, and Jim Haslett, all guys with previous head coaching experience, in order to get Mangini. However, keep in mind that the two previous coaches of the Jets, Herman Edwards and Al Groh, had no previous head coaching jobs in the NFL, and one of them (Edwards) did just fine until this past season.
- Mangini is inheriting a team that went nowehere in 2005, thanks to the number of injuries sustained. Mangini will be coaching a team that currently has quarterback issues (Will Pennington be healthy enough to play? Do they need to draft someone? If so, who?) and the possibility of having a running back (Curtis Martin) who, after he has undergone arthroscopic knee surgery, may not be able to start as many games next year.
- How will the young Mangini hold up under the pressure of the New York media? It appears that, all of a sudden, he is being thrown into the spotlight, being expected to work a miracle – getting the Jets back to respectability. The media will be second-guessing his every move whenever the team loses, which I expect to be a lot if they don’t make significant roster changes in the offseason. We’ve seen A-Rod and Randy Johnson, both future Hall of Famers, receive criticism from the New York media, and even the great Larry Brown was looked down upon when the New York Knicks struggled in the early going. How do you think Mangini will be treated when the Jets go nowhere? Do you think he’ll be able to withstand the criticisms? You know they’re coming. Keep in mind that the last 4 (that’s right, 4) Jets coaches resigned, NOT got fired: Edwards, Groh, Belichick (coach for one day), and Bill Parcells.
PROS
- Mangini comes from the New England Patriots, a team the Jets will see twice in 2006, and in every other year for that matter. Mangini is a so-called “defensive genius” who may know what he’s up against when the Jets play the Patriots. The bigger factor, however, is that the Jets have taken someone away from their division rival, hopefully (in the Jets’ minds) weakening the Patriots in the process.
- Mangini, at 32 years old, is now the youngest coach in the NFL. Sounds like bad news, right? It may be, but history could be on the Jets side. Don Shula, John Madden, and John Gruden were all younger than Mangini when they were hired to be head coaches. All three went on to win Super Bowls.
- Mangini may be inheriting a team who had a poor performance in 2005, but remember this: the Jets have the 4th pick in the upcoming NFL draft. LenDale White may be available if the Jets want a running back to back up or replace Curtis Martin. They may be able to get a good quarterback given their advantageous spot. The point is this: the Jets are in a prime spot to rebuild the team, both through the draft and through free agency. If Mangini is given the right players around him, he could very well succeed in New York.
