Over at The Jets Blog, Brian Bassett has a great line to sum up what's been going on at Jets camp the last couple of days. He asks "Are we re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic now?"
It appears that way. The Jets signed a safety named J.R. Reed to shore up their bottom-dwelling pass defense. That seems sensible on the surface. When you realize that it is Week 15 and Reed was jettisoned by the Eagles a month ago, however, it becomes clear that the only answer this provides is a "no" if someone asks if it is the same J.R. Reid who played his college basketball at North Carolina.
At least that happens under the guise of being productive. The Jets also spent Monday working out a punter and a placekicker at their practice facility. The kicker is a complete joke, they've already got two of them on the roster and that position isn't even on the radar screen of their problems. Reggie Hodges is a poor punter, on the other hand, but Eric Mangini already admitted that the team won't make a change for this week's game.
That's the same Mangini who was espousing the urgency of the moment while speaking with reporters on Monday. Nothing's more urgent than spending time working out a punter who you have no use for at the moment?
Brian Costello of the Post wrote a column Wednesday arguing that Mangini isn't emotional enough to get this team back on track. It's argued decently enough, especially in light of the overly laid-back style the Jets have deployed of late.
That's not the problem, though. Herman Edwards was an emotional chap but he couldn't manage the clock nor did he translate that emotion into an aggressive football team. The problem, as these roster noodlings illustrate, is that Mangini seems to be incapable of addressing the real needs of the team, whatever his style. It's the iceberg that sinks the ship, just as it is the offense or defense that will sink the Jets. Pick whichever one you like, but it certainly won't be the punter.
