Mangini gives Jets real discipline Johnette Howard / SPORTS COLUMNIST November 29, 2006 If anything has been highlighted with increasing clarity as the Jets and Giants plow through their 6-5 seasons, it's how all disciplinarian coaches are not the same. There are the cartoonish, arm-waving, tough-talking, military-man models such as the Giants' Tom Coughlin, who scowled on Monday that the buck stops here - forgetting how on Sunday he nearly pulled a hamstring in his haste to run over and chew out Mathias Kiwanuka for failing to throw Vince Young to the turf as the Giants were melting down against Tennessee. Cheesy as it seems, Coughlin is hardly the first coach to lambaste a rookie when he'd really like to ream out some veteran star such as Plaxico Burress or Eli Manning for screwing up.Then there is a disciplinarian such as Eric Mangini, who demands an uncompromising intellectual rigor from the Jets - not just the wherewithal to physically survive a season, or handle the three-hour, two-a-day practices in 100-degree heat they endure in training camp. Mangini insists that the Jets play smart, not just tough - an emphasis that's badly missing, in practice if not theory, with the nosediving Giants. Both teams are still in their playoff hunts, but stylistically they're polar opposites. The Jets are the third-least penalized team in the league; the Giants commit mistakes in droves.When the Jets fail to make plays, it often feels like their limited talent is catching up to them more than some fatal brain cramp. When the Giants self-destruct, mental mistakes or egotism usually do them in. Burress quits on badly thrown balls that become interceptions. Tight end Jeremy Shockey flaps his arms when he doesn't get the ball and Tiki Barber pops off. All of which makes Coughlin the subject of one of those tree-falling-in-the-forest questions: Are you really a disciplinarian if no one is afraid of you ? If you ask a Jets player even an innocuous question, he's likely to see Mangini suddenly hovering behind him and recoil and say: "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about that."Mangini rarely emotes much of anything on the sideline, or in front of the media. But players say it's a different story behind the scenes. There, Mangini is a relentless nitpicker, a detail freak, a total system wonk who preaches that the system is the thing. He's a head coach who wants to be able to adjust and morph on the fly and have a team around him that's smart enough to keep up.He ratchets up individual accountability by making each player draw up personal scouting reports of the player opposite him each week and give an oral report in their position meetings. He's changed the starting lineup at times based on how players practice during the week rather than how they just played the previous Sunday. It's a different, more cerebral kind of discipline. And so far, it's working. Mangini has created an across-the-board fear among the Jets players about never getting too comfortable.But it's combined with a teamwide commitment to knowing the game inside out and accepting given roles.Heading into the five-week stretch run, the Jets have players who have improved as the season has gone on while the Giants have players - even stars - who have regressed, none more conspicuously than Manning. That suggests a gap in coaching and discipline, too. Earlier this season, some Jets players privately complained that Mangini was so emotionally distant and hard to read, they didn't know where they stood. But that's no accident, either. His pedigree reads out of Bill Belichick by way of Bill Parcells, whose latest peccadillo is referring to attention-hungry receiver Terrell Owens as, only, "the player."Mangini has his Parcellichick quirks, too, such as calling his old Patriots organization "the other place" or refusing to have the Jets use their indoor practice bubble in bad weather. But look: Then a game comes along like the Jets' upset win over New England three weeks ago in the fog and mud and rain, and Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas - thinking back to how Mangini made them practice in the driving rain that week - said the victory didn't surprise him at all because "it was like we had already played this game. On Wednesday." It was the sort of result that will make football players run over a cliff for you even if you're not some foot-stomping, old-school disciplinarian. Pro players want to keep their jobs. Teams want to play meaningful games come December. They long ago reconciled the fact that this is the NFL. It's supposed to hurt. > http://www.newsday.com/sports/colum...29,0,6364055.column?coll=ny-sports-columnists
That's one hell of an article! One of the best I've read all season. It really amazies me how much the mood and views on Mangini have changed since the preseason. From the "no emotion, nitpicking prick" to the "behind the scenes a great guy, and everyone buys into what he's doing". I was a bit hesitant when he was sfirst hired, but now I couldn't be happier with the choice!
Yeah me too. I think he's the man. He's doing a great job with this team considering he is so young and it's his 1st season as Head Coach. I guess he learned something up in NE.
It is interesting that they compare Mangini to Coughlin. Coughlin's team shows that it is displined on the field commiting the 7th least penalties of any team in the league while Mangini;'s team shows little to no displine on the field. Mangini inherited a team that generally was one of the legue leaders in least penalties commited (top 3 least penalized in 2003 and 2004) but this years Jets team has commited the 3rd most number of penalties in the league. We would probably be 1st in penalties if we didn't have the softest schedule in the league. Far from disiplined rather this years team has played about as sloppy and undisplined footbal as a team can. Its good to talk about how disiplined you are but it would be better to see the team actually play that way.
That article was too long to read but Mangini is great. But he needs to lay off the donuts or he's going to give Andy Reid a run for his money as fattest coach in the league.
Sorry Herm-lover, your grasp of facts is about as shoddy as your command of the English language. Acording to NFL.com, the Jets are tied with the Browns for third LEAST penalties and have the third LEAST penalized yards. http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/OFF-TOTAL/2006/regular?sort_col_1=13&_1:col_1=13&_1:col_2=13 The Giants have the 12th MOST penalties and the 7th MOST penalized yards. And to be fair, your beloved Herm's Chiefs are second with LEAST penalized yards and 5th in LEAST penalties. Get your Goddamn facts straight.
Blind Herm-lovers dislike facts. You should atleast do some research before you start talking out of your ass. We know you'll do anything possible to praise Herm and trash Mangini, but please, this is just too much.
You know I completely get Junc's defense of Herm while here in NY, and even partially agree with him about parts of it as well. Herm was a decent coach, ok/good, who with a decent team and perform well enough to stay in the mix year to year. But the crap you keep coming on here and preaching is just mind boggling. You bloody forgot to get off the freaking bus when it went to KC. :rofl: If you can't see the value that Mangini's coaching has had on this team then there is little hope for you honestly. Lately, you even look less reasonable than Champ. Something I didn't think I would see. If you didn't notice, the other day when the Jets played they committed only ONE penalty in the game for 5 yards. Hello? That is damn near perfect there. :breakdance:
Great article. Buttle's factually inaccurate post made me go back and reread it because I thought it had said that Mangini's team had very few penalties. Glad my memory isn't slipping. TBTF
:lol: :lol: :rofl: That is one marvelous error. I guess we won't be seeing that arguement brought up, since it appears that Mangini has actually improved on the discipline on the field.
My humble apologies. It was not my intention to mislead. I used this source (http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/DEF-TOTAL/2006/regular?sort_col_1=4&_1:col_1=13)and misread the data using the defense. I have no problem admitting I am wrong. Unfortunately it happens more than I would like. But I think we can all say that. Regardless of my mistake I stick to the middle ground rather than the extreme view of Mangini and Herm that many of you share that there are good and bad with any person. The world is not black and white in fact 99% of it is in grey areas, This board is for the most part is bipolar and over reacts to everything. Eitehr one is Satan or one is a hero with no flaws. There is no such thing here as a middle ground. Just as people overreact to losses they overreact to wins. But I am rambling. I came here to apologize not to argue. Best wishes.
I really dont have a problem with buttle and his message...its his damn avatar that sends me on all fours to the toilet. Herm has that look as if hes thinking "damn...I really could have used that timeout right about now".
Most of you love him now...wait until they lose another game...and Most of you will start bashing him, & you know it's SO true...never satisfied (most of you not all)
Nice post. And I completely agree with you about the middle ground thing. I too liked Herm, still do. Think he was a good HC (notice the word "GOOD" everybody NOT "GREAT") and agree he had his faults. Though to push this a bit anyone who's gone to a sports bar and seen the Chiefs play have seen that while some of the faults might still be there, the Chiefs offense has been quite open (even with a backup QB) and they've beaten the top 3 teams they've played so far (splitting there season matchup with the Broncos). That all being said there's no reason one has to bash Herm to praise Mangini nor that I like Mangini and think he's good for our team and still like Herm. That to me is a bit of what Buttle is talking about though Buttle sometimes lately you have gone to some extremes yourself Mangini has looked good and it's good to see the team continue to be one that committs few penalties. I was worried in the beginning because we did seem to be making more mistakes and getting flagged for it but lately everything has seemed to click a bit more on both sides. I wasn't happy to see Herm go but I've said it before I think the way it worked out is best for everyone. We got an up and coming HC who probably has a bit more potential then Herm did, Herm got the job he wanted and no longer has to deal with the NY media/fans, and KC got a pretty good HC. Win - Win for everyone in my book, especially since the extra pick we got for Herm is looking pretty good.
