Former New England defensive coordinator, Eric Mangini accepted the head coaching position of the New York Jets. Sources say the deal is for five years for between $2 and $2.5 million a year. Mangini was the defensive coordinator for one year with the Patriots and is only 35 years old.
What a country! One year as a defensive coordinator and get a 2000% raise! I liked Mangini and thought he did a decent job with all the injuries he had to deal with this season. But, is he head coaching material? After one year as a defensive coordinator? In New York of all places? All the players think so and give him thumbs up:
"He definitely has the ability to be a great coach in this league," Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour said after New England was eliminated from the playoffs. "He has a lot of tools that it takes. He's very poised. He's a smart guy. He understands defenses and how to take things away from offenses, so he'll probably have a lot of success in this league."
I guess the players that played for him would know better than others. According to the Boston Herald however,
"Despite the deal, questions remain regarding Mangini's readiness to become a head coach. According to Patriots sources, he wasn't always a take-charge type during defensive meetings this season, his first as defensive coordinator after five coaching the secondary. During the first half of the season in particular, a source said, he often acted more like he still had his old job than his new one."
How does this impact the Patriots? Well, the Patriots did not hesitate in naming Dean Pees the new defensive coordinator. Pees has been the linebackers coach for the past two seasons. Wow, very bold ... right after the Jets named Mangini the head coach. It's as if Belichick shrugged his shoulders and said, "So what?" He did, however, have nice things to say about Mangini:
"For over a decade, I had the pleasure of working with Eric Mangini, who is an outstanding coach and an even finer individual. I will always appreciate Eric's contributions. I value our friendship and look forward to supporting Eric's commitment to youth football in the future. Eric worked his way from the most entry-level position to a position of great responsibility during several successful seasons. The opportunity Eric has now earned is truly an example of good things happening to a good, hard-working person and I wish him well."
Smooth. Very smooth.
