The Jets may have created the 2009 Chad Pennington. Michael Holley of WEEI radio in Boston is reporting that Eric Mangini will be named the new coach of the Cleveland Browns before the week is out. It's a stunning turnaround for Mangini, who has been out of work for little more than a week and who seemed destined to spend a couple of years as a coordinator before he'd get another turn on the NFL's coaching carousel.
The effect on the Jets may go beyond embarassment if Mangini performs a Pennington-esque resurrection on the Browns. They may see several of their assistant coaches make the move Liz Lemon dreamed of making during the first season of "30 Rock." The Cleveland Plain-Dealer, via profootballtalk.com, reports that Mangini would like to bring offensive line coach Bill Callahan, quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll and wide receivers coach Noel Mazzone to the Midwest with him.
The only way that hurts the Jets is if Brian Schottenheimer becomes head coach and wants to keep the rest of the offensive staff in place. Anything that keeps Schottenheimer from getting the job is a good thing, however. He hasn't taken nearly enough blame for the offense's slump down the stretch, and his departure would bring few tears. The Jets could block Callahan from leaving, but it's hard to see why a coach from outside would block him unless there was a close, preexisting relationship.
When the Jets fired Mangini, they made a lot of noise about how pleased they were with the progress that the team had made under his tutelage. If they felt he wasn't the guy to take them beyond that point, it's a real stretch to sell the idea that the coaches he hired and oversaw would be part of the solution either.
