New York Jets preview
New York Jets: Brett Favre AdditionAugust 7, 2008
From the tiny streets of Green Bay to the bright lights of Broadway. How’s that for a transition?
We’ve seen other NFL legends finish out their careers unceremoniously with different franchises. But given the folklore of Favre, the drama of this summer and the destination (again, Favre in the Big Apple!) that seems unlikely to be the case here.
Not to mention, the Jets were playoff contenders before acquiring Favre. They’re now playoff favorites. The AFC East division still belongs to New England (to keep it simple, is there anyone out there saying Favre is better than Tom Brady?) but players like Favre can bring magic…the type of magic that…
New York Jets 2008 Preview ReportAugust 6, 2008
Well that didn’t last long. Eric Mangini’s reign as God, that is. After being canonized for leading what was thought to be a moribund franchise to a 10-6 record in his first year as head coach, “Mangenius” quickly fell from Einstein to Frankenstein during his team’s 4-12 ’07 campaign.
Now, Mangini––and GM Mike Tannenbaum, for that matter––is subject to questioning as he enters his third season as a head coach. Does his chilly Belichick-esque demeanor really get through to players? Are his practices too tough? His rules too draconian? What about his game plan? Too conservative offensively? Too complicated defensively?
Sure, it’s somewhat impetuous to raise these questions only one year after awarding a guy the unconditional benefit of the doubt. But Mangini understands––he’s probably asked himself the same thing.
After all, look at the personnel changes made during the offseason. The Jets are a portrait of a team that’s bent on winning now. They signed 31-year-old guard Alan Faneca to the richest contract in offensive lineman history (five years, $40 million, $23 million of it guaranteed). Faneca is still the crème de la crème at his position, but not even the Steeler team that he’d been with for over a decade was willing to consider such hefty compensation.
New York didn’t stop there.
