Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 17 2008

Who knew Woody Johnson reads this blog?

I am actually surprised Eric Mangini was fired after the Dolphins game capped off another epic Jets late-season collapse (the Daily News did a recap of all of them - read if you want to be amused/depressed.) I didn't think they'd actually go through with it.

I obviously agree that Mangini had to go - I said so last week, his decision making and play calling have been terrible for most of the last two years. Not to mention the following other reasons:

- Drafting Vernon Gholston, one of the most obvious going-to-be-a-bust picks ever
- Failing to develop Kellen Clemens
- Punting far too often inside the opponents 50
- Conservative play calling in crunch time, which has been an issue all year (read this recap from the first game of the year, and I'm complaining about it then, too)
- Fouling up the Pete Kendall situation last year, which cost the team at least 4 wins
- Creating a weird police-like-state around the team, forbidding coaches and players to talk to the media, and playing dumb games with the injury report
- Not making effective halftime adjustments
- Being at the helm during an unforgivable collapse at the end of the year this year

The last one is key. The Jets were 8-3, coming off two huge road wins. You can forgive losing to Denver in the rain, since that was a trap game. But the losses to San Francisco and Seattle were unforgivable. Not to mention losing to Oakland.

Once you have a collapse like that, though, you can't come back. If they start out slow next year, then everyone says "why did you keep him?" If they start out well, everyone says "yeah, but the collapse is coming, just wait." It's a no-win situation.

Hey, I wanted Mangini to do well. When they hired him, I was glad that they went with someone like him instead of a failed retread like Mike Sherman or Mike Tice, both of whom they considered at the time.

And I have a feeling Mangini will do well at his next job. He was a bit over his head with this one, and had a bit of bad luck along the way (this year wasn't all his fault, by any means.)

But after how this season ended, he couldn't come back.

Speaking of people who don't need to come back, please, go ahead and retire, Brett Favre.

He was beyond terrible in the Dolphins game. He threw three picks that were all 100% his fault, and that cost the Jets the game, since the rest of the team played reasonably well, well enough to win if Favre played like, say, Chad Pennington.

Okay, I'll remind everyone here that I was against the Favre signing from the beginning. But that didn't mean I thought Pennington was the right guy, either. In fact, I said that back in March. So, sure, Pennington had a career year, but I think he had to go to another team to do that. And, class guy that he is, I can't help but feel good for him, even though he did it for the team I hate more than any other. The point is, no revisionist history here - the Jets shouldn't have kept Pennington, but I didn't think Favre was the answer, either.

Back to Favre's three terrible picks against the Dolphins.

One was just a lollipop heave on a double move by Leon Washington. Leon had absolutely no chance to catch it, and the Dolphins DB just had to ease back and catch the duck. Horrible throw.

The second one was right to the Miami defensive lineman. Favre tried to throw a screen, but it was covered. Favre needed to, you know, actually look before he threw it, and he would have seen the guy. He didn't, and Miami gets a cheap TD.

The third one, he threw way high on a quick slant, on the most important drive of the game, at the end, which led to the game being virtually over.

All three, all Favre's fault.

He's old, he's washed up, he can't play a full season at a high level any more. I don't care if he was injured or whatever. He's going to be 40 next year. Fucking retire, and spare us all the frustration of watching him as a shell of his former self.

So, yeah, anyway, it was fitting that they lose to Chad's Dolphins on the last day of a particularly frustrating season. Just to twist the knife in a little deeper, with lemon juice.

The only positive thing that came out of this game was that with Miami and Baltimore both winning, New England got to be 11-5 and miss the playoffs. This was arguably Belichick's most impressive coaching job, with all the injuries they had to key guys, and he gets bupkus in return. That makes me feel just slightly better.

I'll do a full season wrap-up next week, and look at where this team is and where it seems to be headed (though I don't think I'm going to like it.) By then, there may already be a new coach. Probably not, knowing how this team does things, but who knows anything anymore, other than that this season is officially over?

Actually, I know this, as a lifelong Jets fan: in December, there is always pessimism and bitterness. In August, we always trick ourselves into forgetting December. Next year, I'm sure, will be no different, on any level.