During the final press conference of his inaugural season as head coach of the New York Jets, Eric Mangini maintained the same approachable persona he brought with him to Hempstead last January. Less than 24 hours following a season-ending loss, Mangini thanked the media.
"I want to thank all of you guys," Mangini said to the crowd of scribes and flashing lights. "I know it's been a long season for you. I appreciate your patience with me. I know I haven't been Don Rickles in here. I'm trying. I think I made some progress; I'll continue to try to make progress. I think the things that you guys do are extremely important. You're the conduit to the fans."
Mangini also addressed what his message was to his team earlier that morning. This being his first group of players, it's fitting that this team and season will hold a special place in the young coach's heart for years to come. They gave their all for him and his staff, just as he did for them all season long.
"I thanked them for their commitment throughout the season, for their hard work throughout the season," he said. "We've talked about that in here quite a bit, how they worked extremely hard from organized team activities, the off-season program, training camp... I appreciate and respect that."
Read below for Coach Mangini's final press conference transcript of the 2006 season
New York Jets' Head Coach Eric Mangini, 1.8
Opening Statement
I spoke to the players this morning and I just talked to them a little bit about the game. As we had talked throughout the course of the week I knew that playing a team as good as New England, at their place, it was going to come down to execution. Our toughness was good, our effort was good, our level of preparation was very good and in the end it just came down to them executing better then we did and they made more plays then we did. With any win or loss, the important thing for us now is to take some lessons from this game, to learn from the mistakes we made and to make sure that doesn't happen moving forward. They are all things we could have all done better in all three phases, coaching. We need to learn from that experience. It really comes down to such a small margin of error. Such a small margin of error in a playoff game, you really have to play your best football. They just executed better than we did yesterday.
I thanked them for their commitment throughout the season, for their hard work throughout the season. We've talked about that in here quite a bit, how they worked extremely hard from OTAs, the off-season program, training camp. I appreciate and respect that.
We need to collectively understand we're no longer 10-6, we're no longer in the first round of the playoffs. Where we are right now is we're back to a clean slate. Each season is its own unique season. The things that happen in any given season are based on what we do, what we collectively do. It's not a function of just picking up where you left off; it's a function of doing all the same things that we did prior to this year and through the course of the year which is going to lead to success. That's got to be our position and the way that we view things moving forward. It's 0-0. We now control what happens based on the things that we do.
I told them to relax, enjoy the off-season. It's been an extremely long season. It's been a season where we've all worked very hard and need some time to recharge the batteries. I told them to appreciate their families. We spend a lot of time away from our families during the course of the season. This is the time where they can get to spend some more time with their families.
Also if they had any questions or feedback, anything they wanted to talk about, I would be here, would appreciate that. Anything that they can help me learn from so that I can be more effective as a head coach and our staff can be more effective, we can give the players the best possible chance to win, I would appreciate that. My door is open for that.
I want to thank all of you guys. I know it's been a long season for you. I appreciate your patience with me. I know I haven't been Don Rickles in here. I'm trying. I think I made some progress. I'll continue to try to make progress. I think the things that you guys do is extremely important. You're the conduit to the fans. I just appreciate your patience with me and your understanding and your support throughout the course of the season. Just wanted you guys to know that.
On finishing second in the coach of the year voting…
Whether it's Chad's (Pennington) award, Pro Bowls, coach of the year, any of those awards, they're all very nice and they all recognize the effort people put in. Those things are great. I really do appreciate and respect those accomplishments. Our goal collectively, and this is something I talked about in my first meeting with the team, that pro football can make you rich, it can do a lot of things for you, but you can't buy a championship. There are so many people that have a lot of personal accolades but don't have what ultimately everybody is trying to get. That's a really unique thing. What to me is most meaningful is the way that the team played throughout the course of the year and the progress we made. That's the most meaningful thing to me and I really think the most meaningful thing to the players in the room.
On Curtis Martin saying this was the best coaching job he'd ever seen…
I really respect Curtis. Curtis has been a great asset to me both personally and professionally. He's a really good sounding board when you have a question, whether it is from a player relationship standpoint or on scheme or a way that you're viewing practice. He gives you great insight into what the players are thinking; into a player's thought process. He's just a really good person. To hear him say complimentary things is meaningful because I respect his opinion.
On whether this year is a foundation…
It really goes back to the message I told the players. This year was this year. This year is unique. It's what we've talked a lot about in here. It really doesn't matter what happened last year. Now at this point the season's in the books. We're 10-6. We had the first-round loss. That's 2006. Now 2007, whatever is going to happen there is a function of how we collectively work, how we collectively prepare and how we learn from the things that we didn't do as well as we could have. That's going to be unique because injuries could take place. So many things can change within the course of a year. What happened in the past really has no bearing on the future.
On having a second year with his system in place…
Having the system for a second year, having familiarity with the players, them having familiarity with the staff, all those things are positive. But the season itself is going to be a function of the adversity we faced and the approach that we take. You see it every year where a team doesn't do very well, and the following year does really well, or does very well, doesn't to very well the next year. It's just unique periods in time where you can't point to the past and say, Because of that, this is going to happen.
On how close the Jets are to the Patriots…
I thought throughout the course of the game, it was close. I don't think the score is completely indicative of the level of competition throughout the game. But it is, to quote a thousand guys, what it is. It's really a small margin of error between a lot of plays that will make the difference in those games. They're very good at what they do. They execute extremely well. They've got a lot of good players and good coaches. But there's going to be a lot of other good teams that we're going to have to play and win against in order to just get back into contention, into the playoff mix again. It really goes back to the original comments; we have a lot of things we have to do in order to be successful next season.
On competition at quarterback…
Well, you saw throughout the course of the year, every position was open throughout the year. You saw guys that were starting one week that didn't start the next week. The one thing I'll say is I have a lot more information on the players that are here now than I did when I first started. I think that Chad has done a terrific job. To come back from the things he came back from, to lead us the way he did, to be as effective as he was, is a real testament to who he is. Any competition that's there is based on a body of information. I have a very good body of information with Chad. But I essentially believe, as a core philosophy, competition is a positive thing. Regardless of your draft status, your contract, any of those issues, it's important that everybody knows they have the opportunity through hard work and those things to play.
On his view of Chad Pennington…
With all the different positions, we're a little ways away here, so we'll take the whole off-season. What I will say is I know Chad Pennington now. I didn't know him that way when I got here. I like so many things about Chad. I have that benefit now as a head coach, going through a full season with him. He did an outstanding job.
On Pennington being a championship quarterback…
Before we even get to any of those things, we have a lot of things that we have to do just to get back into the mix, into the tournament. Collectively we have to do things and start over and build back up again. But he won a lot of games for us this year. I thought he did a great job.
On his philosophy about position competition, even at quarterback…
I think Chad did a great job. Like with every position, we're going to evaluate it as we go. But I really believe in Chad. I just think as a core philosophy, that's what we believe in. In terms of competition, this is no statement one way or the other, but I believe in competition. Furthermore, I really like what Chad did and who he is.
On altering anything for next season…
I'll go and look at the things we did during training camp, just like the draft and free agency. I've got quite a few notes to review. We changed the practice schedule throughout the course of the season. I'm not opposed to changing anything if it helps the team win. I believe in learning from the things that we have done and try to make it better the following year. What changes will be made, I couldn't tell you. But I know anything that I think will help us win, I'm more than open to.
On what changes will come in the offseason…
We'll meet as a staff over the next few days and go through not just scheme but through the players and discuss the players that we have currently on the roster. Mike (Tannenbaum) and I will meet. It's all a function of the evaluations and what's available. It's not just one element; it's a group of elements. Mike and I will talk about that quite a bit.
On upgrading the speed or physicality of the team…
As I say, we're really going to do a thorough look at the whole team. That will be not just the coaching staff but the whole personnel department. It will be a lot of different areas. It will be from head to toe. It will be strength and conditioning, the training room, how the players were in the games, in the classroom, in the walk-throughs and what their leadership ability was. It's really a comprehensive overview of our guys. We'll review that and see what's available, really target things after that research has been done.
On what team he was addressing this morning, 2006 or 2007….
It's the 2006 Jets. It's the team that we have. I've just been involved in too many circumstances where if you look at what you did last year in terms of what you're going to do next year and that's never really the case. It's all based on what you do at that time, that's how you're going to be successful. It was more recapping the game, recapping the season, then addressing the fact that we need to learn from this past game. We need to understand that moving into next year, you want to build on the things that you did, but it doesn't necessarily mean that without hard work and commitment and making progress that you're going to have the same level of success.
On considering the season a success…
There were a lot of positive things. I can't stress enough (the players') hard work. They worked extremely hard. They worked hard for a long time. I thought they supported each other well. I thought that they played really good team football. I thought that we made a lot of progress in terms of situational football, just the moving forward week to week. To me, that's what was most successful, is continuing to build on a weekly basis. That's what I was extremely happy with. That's what I thanked them for.
On what's next and how he feels…
Just a little tired, to be honest. It's kind of like every other phase. It's not like I went into yesterday thinking, "Okay, well, here is my speech for when we lose the game." I really didn't have any notes or anything prepared for any of this. I mean, my thought process was, "Okay, who do we have to get ready for the next week?" It's like every other phase of being a head coach for me. This is the first time I've experienced this. Trying to gather information and put together the best sort of answers for this time period. There's never a point where the mindset was, "What a great season. Okay, now, Mike, let's talk about what happens when we lose the game."
On it being harder to lose a game as a head coach…
Losing stings at whatever level really in whatever you're doing. I don't think anybody is happy losing. That's why being competitive is one of the key things we look for. If it's ping-pong, Parcheesi, whatever it is, we look for guys that don't understand to lose. If you're okay with losing, if it doesn't really hurt, then you really want the guy that it does hurt.
On change affecting the team…
You're always looking for that closeness of players. It's one of the difficult things about the job. Coaches leave, players leave. There have been different times where it could be guys on the staff I was extremely close. (Rob) Ryan would be a good example, Romeo (Crennel), Charlie (Weis), any of those guys, where these are good friends, you've known them for a long time. They move on. You're really happy for them at that point. But you spent a lot of time with them. That's difficult. I think it's the same from the players' perspective. As transition takes place, which it always does in the NFL, it's difficult. It's one of the things that are just part of the business that we all know.
On making changes to the coaching staff…
We're looking at everything. This the time of year where a lot of activity takes place. I'm not anticipating one way or the other. It's more just kind of seeing where we are collectively.
On the coaching staff…
I thought the staff did a really good job throughout the course of the season. This was a transition for all of us, too. We're getting to know each other, getting to know the players, implementing a system. They did a good job. We'll look at the group collectively, make evaluations once we have the full body of work.
On young players growing into roles…
I've seen a lot of young players grow into bigger roles than maybe you anticipated them having when you initially got them. It's a function of gauging that. As you go, you may think that a guy's a 10-play-a-game guy. As he takes more reps, he actually does a great job. You just keep building the role. That happens quite a bit at every position where maybe initially this is your mindset, but they create something bigger by what they do.
On needing to win to have his message accepted…
When I talked to the team in the first meeting, I outlined the things I believed in philosophically. The reason I believed in them was because I've seen them work, that's what I committed to. That hasn't wavered. It's good that when you do have success, it definitely reinforces the philosophy. That's positive. I think regardless of how we finished, the philosophy would stay the same because there were core things over time that I've seen work, and that's what I believe in.
On the players placing more stock in winning or his pedigree…
Players respond to knowing you can put them in a position to be successful. That was my experience, whether it was an offensive assistant, defensive assistant, a DB coach, a defensive coordinator. There is no age, experience. None of that matters if you can help them be successful.
On the running backs…
I think that all three guys did some good things. I think that Cedric (Houston), when he had his chance, did some really positive things. He had some impressive games. With Leon (Washington), growing into not really having much of a role to getting some carries, the screen play against Miami, different plays throughout the course of the season where you want to get him the ball more. But it's guys like Brad Smith, there are so many guys like that, where they go out there, this he do something really well, help the team. You want to give them the chance to do that again.
On how Kellen Clemens shows progress…
That will all be a function of his continued growth, how well he does in the off-season program, continuing to learn the system. He'll have great opportunities in the pre-season, training camp. It will be a function of how much progress he makes.
On carrying over this season's success…
When we head into the next season, we start over at 0-0. I really believe that. I think this season's in the books. Where we finished is really no indication of what's going to happen next year.
On the players using his open-door policy more as the season went on…
It didn't become like a lounge (laughter), a lot of guys stopping by to see how I was doing think some may still feel it has the air of the Principal's office. But it's very open. I think that comes with time and experience. I've learned a lot from the captains' meetings. I think those have always been very positive. Even talking to guys in the field, wherever you have the conversation, even if it's initiated by me, just to solicit that feedback. I think with any feedback, some you take, some you don't. But it's good to hear new ideas, be exposed to different viewpoints.
On players being in his office more when he was an assistant…
It depended. Some guys more so than others. Troy Brown and I spent a lot of time together because he was in other meetings. That was really our only time to kind of get caught up on the defense. Different guys. It's different each place as to how much interaction you have in the offense.
On seeing what Kevan Barlow could do this season…
I think the decisions that we made with Kevan were based on the decisions we made with all the running backs. (It had to do with) how well they practiced and whether or not we thought they could give us the best chance to win. I thought him taking the initiative to try to get involved with special teams was positive. But the decisions we made were coaching decisions.
On Kellen Clemens building a body of work to be evaluated…
It usually starts with the off-season program, OTAs, his initiative to continue to grow in the system, to really understand and grasp the nuances of the system. It will transition into training camp, the pre-season games. There will be plenty of opportunities for him to show his growth.
On Clemens not being able to overtake Pennington during training camp…
It's one of those things where Kellen has to continue to grow in his position. That's a tough, tough position to play, going from a college quarterback to a pro quarterback, all the things that go with it, not just from learning the system and competing at this level, but just operating the system, the presence, the leadership qualities.
On D'Brickashaw Ferguson…
I couldn't tell you his exact weight. We didn't have a weigh-in this week. I think it's like with all these rookies, the strength program is so critical in the off-season. You see jumps in rookie performances based on really good off-seasons where they get that much stronger, they have a better comfort level, and they're a year more mature. That to me is such a key part of progress, is continually getting stronger and faster and bigger - in some cases smaller. That's going to be key for all those guys.
On Ferguson needing to get bigger…
I can work with him there (laughter). I'm on the get-small program. I think especially offensive and defensive linemen, the strength of pro defensive linemen or pro offensive linemen week-in and week-out is just so different than college where you may get two or three weeks where you're just dominant compared to who you're playing against. But here, even if the guy isn't necessarily a marquee guy, he's usually pretty big, strong, fast, a good challenge.
On taking time to relax…
I'm definitely going to spend some time with the boys and with Jules. I'm going to go to Jake's swimming class at some point. That's got to work out with his schedule. He's got a lot of stuff going on that I don't know exactly what the times are, but I'm going to find out. He's fixated on going to Disney. When we went to the owners' meeting, we went on 'its A Small World.' That's a big focal point of his.
On fixating Jake on something else…
I'm trying. He's hit me on it four or five times in the last week. If he wants to do it, let's go.
