Week Two of Jets Coaching Search Begins

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 12:51 PM EST, Mon, Jan 5, 2009

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It's funny that Eric Mangini used to preach about the process when he was coaching the Jets. He'd hammer the point home, to the point of ridiculousness following bad losses, but it was clearly something he believed in to the fullest. It may have rubbed off on owner Woody Johnson and G.M. Mike Tannenbaum.

The Jets have been all about the process in the first seven days of their coaching search. After consensus first choice Bill Cowher passed on returning to the sidelines, the Jets lined up almost every other qualified coaching candidate for discussions and interviews. They've already spoken with Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and had formal interviews with two of their own assistants, Bill Callahan and Brian Schottenheimer. Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski will put his current job at peril to interview on Monday. Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks, Cardinals assistant head coach Russ Grimm and former Ravens coach and Super Bowl winner Brian Billick are some of the other names in the mix.

That's the perfect way to run a search without a clear-cut number one choice. Turn over every rock, shake out every tree and see what you find. All of these men are qualified, so find the one who best fits the objectives you hope to achieve. Even if someone blows you away, move on and interview the next guy because they may do even better and, when all is said and done, feel secure that you've overlooked nothing before making the choice.

You could put a negative spin on this and say that Johnson and Schottenheimer don't have any idea what they're looking for. Or you could say that they haven't shown the ability to make the right choice. Both are valid, but it's better to not be sure and to be thorough, than to rush blindly into the wrong decision.

The only way that this positive feeling will disappear is if Schottenheimer, rumored to be the favorite right now, gets the job. The only positive thing you can say about Schottenheimer's performance this season was that he did okay with a quarterback who wasn't a fit for his system. Then this all becomes a grand facade meant to make it seem like the Jets didn't just hire the guy they wanted to hire from the get-go.

We'll assume that he's the favorite among people who stand to lose their jobs if Schottenheimer doesn't get the promotion, though, and continue believing the Jets are conducting an exhaustive search for the best guy.