Transcription of the news conference with Woody Johnson, Jets chairman/CEO, and Mike Tannenbaum, executive vice president/general manager, on Monday morning:
JOHNSON: It's a good morning and an important morning. This is about the most difficult thing that you can do as a franchise owner and that is making a change of position of [one] of the most important persons in the building and that is head coach. Eric [Mangini] has been our coach for three years. He's done some amazing things. Nobody has worked harder. He knows his Xs and Os. He's a good teacher. But Mike and I felt in our judgment that it was time now to make a change. This is not a decision that we reached yesterday or 10 minutes ago. This is a decision that was running through the season.
Mike and I talk every day. One of the things that we talk about is the performance of the coaches, the team and how we're doing with our fans who we represent. We don't take this decision lightly. We respect Eric for what he's done, but we want to build on the successful foundation that he's laid. We will, very quickly, start a process to find, as Mike often puts it, "looking under every rock," for talent. That's the talent to lead this team on to the next successful level. This process has started right now. We will be very, very thorough and select somebody that can succeed Eric and build on the good foundation that he and people in management have built.
TANNENBAUM: I want to publicly thank Eric for everything that he has done for the Jets for the last three years. He had winning seasons in two out of three seasons which is a remarkable accomplishment. We don't take it lightly. No one has worked harder than Eric and been more loyal. I have a close personal relationship with him and that makes the decision for Woody and I that much harder. At the end of the day, Woody and I had to make the decision we felt was the right one, not the easy one. We want to take the foundation that we started here and move forward. The search [for a new head coach] will begin today. It's going to be a thorough search. It's important that we make the right decision.
On why they decided to make the change…
JOHNSON: It's one of those things that is a judgment call — Mike and I looking at this organization now and trying to see if Eric was the right fit or whether we should move on in a different direction. Eric will be a successful coach in the league, but the current New York Jets organization has made the decision to move on.
On the trade for QB Brett Favre…
TANNENBAUM: The Favre trade was an important transaction. We win as a team and we lose as a team. It's about 53 players and the coaching staff. Woody and I, in our collective judgment, felt like this was the right decision. Eric has done a lot of great things. He built a really good foundation and had two winning seasons in his three years. It wasn't based on any one transaction or any one player.
JOHNSON: Brett Favre was a huge positive for the franchise. We don't like to lose any games. I don't go into any game thinking I'm going to lose. I'm sure Mike has the same feeling. Brett has added a lot. Mike is right. There are 53 players that are responsible, it's not just Brett.
On if Favre will return for another season…
JOHNSON: I hope so.
On if he has spoken with Favre about returning…
JOHNSON: It's too early. We have to decompress for awhile.
On how much the perception of the fans played into his decision to dismiss Mangini…
JOHNSON: We respect the fans and we work for the fans. We're trying to put out a good product on the field for the fans. We have to make our own judgments in terms of the talent that we believe will be successful in the building going forward.
On if the Jets will consider Bill Parcells if he opts out of Miami…
JOHNSON: At this point we're considering all the talent, anywhere it exists. We will look for the best talent to lead this team forward.
On when the final decision was made to release Mangini…
JOHNSON: We made the final decision last night, but the decision tree had been going on for a very long time. Mike and I talk all the time. We talk to other individuals that have knowledge and sophistication in this area. We met with the coach this morning. We thanked him for all the good things he's done for us. We thanked him for his dedication and loyalty. He understood.
On if a playoff berth was the standard for success this year…
JOHNSON: No. Mike has done a very good job in trying to get talent and trying to fill all the positions with talent and backups, something that is difficult to do. Last year we did it, we had an opportunity in free agency that we hadn't had. We took advantage of that. I think it was successful.
On what disturbed him the most about the performance of the team over the last five weeks…
JOHNSON: I don't think it was one thing. It was our judgment that we had to go in a different direction. There is nothing specific. It's a call that we made and hopefully it's correct.
On saying in March that Mangini and Tannenbaum would return in 2009…
JOHNSON: That is something that I will continue to do. We believe in supporting management, coaches and players. I will continue to do that. We want to let the process work and give everybody an opportunity to succeed. We've done that.
On the criteria used in their judgment…
JOHNSON: Judgment is a combination of everything that you know. If you go into the process of looking for a coach, I don't think you can say, 'I want a red one or a green one,' because it depends. Everybody has different skills. Everybody has different personalities and everybody has a different array of different experiences. What you're looking for, and what Mike and I will actually select, is somebody that we feel, after an exhaustive interview process, can add to the assets that we have in the building. The assets that we have are the 53 players, the practice squad and the coaches.
On what bothered him about the way Mangini coached the team…
JOHNSON: It was very positive in many, many respects. We just thought that we could get a better fit with somebody else moving forward at this point. That doesn't mean Eric is a bad coach or won't be a great coach at some point.
On if he feels Mangini lost the locker room…
JOHNSON: The definition of that is very hard. That's a question that we've asked ourselves. We ask ourselves "What kind of passion?" If you see people jumping up and down in the tunnel as they're going out to the game, does that mean they have passion for the game or they're just jumping around?
TANNENBAUM: If you look at the way the team played last night, they played hard. You saw a lot of guys running to the ball. Special teams played with a lot of energy. Yesterday's game, going into the fourth quarter, was a close game. It was a handful of plays. I don't think Eric lost the team from that standpoint. The guys played hard. You look at our injuries. We had very few missed practices. I don't think anybody was trying to milk injuries. From that standpoint, the team played hard throughout the whole season.
On if the Jets are considering hiring a veteran coach…
JOHNSON: We're going to look at each individual and take a look at their talent, strengths and weaknesses and assess those and try to make the best choice whether they're a first-time coach or an experienced coach.
TANNENBAUM: It's about the process. It will be led by Woody and me. We have a lot of good people in this organization. They're going to help us make the right decision. We're not going to rule anybody in or anybody out, but it's an important decision. We have to make the right one. We're going to move quickly, but we're going to be thorough. That's the most important thing.
On if the Jets will consider Bill Cowher…
TANNENBAUM: The process will begin today. We're not going to comment on anybody specifically today. Woody and I will lead the search and it will be thorough.
On if he would be willing to scale back his general manager responsibilities if the Jets hire a coach who wants more control over personnel decisions…
TANNENBAUM: We want to get the right fit for the organization and we'll address those hypotheticals down the road. It's really about the search.
On the negatives of Mangini…
JOHNSON: I like to concentrate on the positives because of what he brought to the building, his work ethic. He wanted to learn his craft. He wanted to be a good football coach. There was no mistake about that. There is nothing more in terms of energy that he could have put into it.
On if they considered extending Mangini's contract when the team was 8-3…
JOHNSON: That's something that we wanted to reserve. We wanted to reserve that. Yes, we discussed that topic. We discuss a lot of topics.
On if there is a sense of urgency to have a winning team because of the investment in the new stadium…
JOHNSON: I don't think that factors in. Our obligation is to put the best team on the field that we can. That's an obligation that I felt when I started, and hopefully we're getting better at fulfilling that now.
On Mangini's in-game coaching decisions…
TANNENBAUM: Eric was always meticulously prepared. Obviously, hindsight is always 20/20. We looked at this over a three-year process. We talked about it a lot. It wasn't about his demeanor and it wasn't about any specific decision. In the NFL, you see a lot of different people who are successful and you see a lot of different styles that are successful. It was our collective judgment. It wasn't any one call in Seattle or San Francisco. It wasn't because of Eric's demeanor. As we see in the league, there are a lot of different ways to be successful. It was just based on our collective judgment. Again, Eric has left a really good foundation here and we're looking forward to building on that foundation.
On the pass rush…
JOHNSON: We didn't do as well in the pass rush as we could have. That was something that ran through the season.
On if it is realistic for Favre to return…
JOHNSON: I think it is realistic. It depends on what Brett wants to do. He hasn't been through a camp yet. This would be another year for him to get more comfortable with the system that we have.
On Tannenbaum...
JOHNSON: I've been working with Mike now for quite a few years and I'm very comfortable with Mike. Mike is another guy that works around the clock and he's very smart about it.
On if there was a specific point in the season when they started to consider bringing in another head coach…
JOHNSON: No. I think it's just getting back to the word "judgment." Our judgment now is that now is the time to move for us. We've made that move.
On if they have discussed the coordinator and assistant coaching positions…
JOHNSON: No. We have a lot of talent in the building. There's no question about it. That will be all part of this process as we roll this forward.
On if the players were consulted in this decision…
JOHNSON: No.
On some of Favre's interceptions this season…
JOHNSON: I'm sure Brett would say that he wishes he hadn't made those. He's a Hall of Famer. He has made those in his career, but he has made the other ones too. I think that if you look at the passes he made yesterday, there are other factors. It wasn't just Brett.
On if he believes in separating player personnel decisions from regular coaching decisions with a strong general manager…
JOHNSON: I feel that's the case because I've watched this, from a business standpoint and from a football standpoint. It's too much. There's no way that you can do it, in my opinion, and really do it, because you're always relying on somebody else. You may think that you have the power, but you can't make those discerning decisions. There's just too much work to do and be a coach.
On Chad Pennington and the Dolphins beating the Jets at home…
JOHNSON: I'm happy for Chad, because I actually like Chad. I'm unhappy to lose, obviously. Those are just the vagaries of football. It was an exciting game all the way to the end. It didn't go our way.
On why he is supportive of Favre…
JOHNSON: I just think he adds a lot to the team that's positive.
On if they want Favre to return…
TANNENBAUM: Yes. We, as an organization, want Brett back. I think that will unfold over the days and weeks from now. We're really focused right now to start a thorough search for a new coach. We'll go on from there for players.
On winning organizations having continuity…
JOHNSON: That's something we're always trying to get.
On if the organization is floundering…
JOHNSON: No, I don't think we're floundering. We're being decisive. This decision was a decision to build on our successful foundation. We'll continue to do that. We'll continue to try to win on the field and try to put the best players on and try to get the best coaches coaching.
On if Mangini could have saved his job by beating the Dolphins…
JOHNSON: We can't speculate on that. The decision has been made and here is where we go.
On if it was difficult to tell Mangini…
TANNENBAUM: It was hard. It was really hard. One day I hope we can remain close, personal friends. I respect him. I like him. I admire him. He's loyal. He's smart. I think the world of him, but at the end of the day, when I sat down with Woody, we have to make the right decision and not the easy one. I am human and it hurt from a personal level. It's what's best for the New York Jets.
That is the object of the exercise: what is best for the New York Jets. We made that decision and now we're going to move forward and build on what Eric did. Eric did a really good job. If you look at his record of his first few years against some of the best coaches in the league, he measures up quite favorably.
On if the new coach decides not to have Favre as the quarterback…
JOHNSON:Once again, I can't speculate specifically on that, but we will have to deal with that as it comes.
TANNENBAUM: It's not just about Brett. I think we've got to cross those bridges when we get there. Every time we get to January and February, we have a lot of complicated decisions to make from the salary cap, from free agency, where we are from a collective bargaining standpoint with the labor agreement. Obviously, Brett is an incredibly important decision, but there are 52 other players on this team. We want to hire the right coach for this team and it's not going to be based on any one player or any one situation. We've got to get somebody that's going to come in here and build on the foundation and we'll attack the roster at the appropriate time.
On Favre's future…
TANNENBAUM: I've had no conversations with Brett recently about the future. We have a number of players going through MRIs and physicals. I'm sure he won't be the only medical issue that we'll have to address.
On why Favre didn't get an MRI done earlier…
JOHNSON: I think it's up to Brett whether he wanted an MRI or not. When he gets it, we'll find out.
On looking at Favre's shoulder…
JOHNSON: It's up to the athlete. He was throwing great in practice.
On the future of Favre…
TANNENBAUM: We haven't put a timetable on it. To me, the natural course of events is to get the head coach in place, fill the staff. Then we've got to address all the roster issues. Obviously, Brett is prominent, but there are other important roster decisions we need to make.
On Mangini's performance…
TANNENBAUM: He did a great job for us for three years and he helped lay a great foundation. We felt in our judgment we want to build on that and go in a different direction.
