Mangold looks at a teammate before the snap
Thomas Jones had a career year in 2008. Did he treat his O-line to anything?Yeah, he got us a watch, which was very gracious of him. As an offensive line, we appreciate it.
If you're teaching a kid to play center, what's most critical to his success?Make sure the quarterback gets the ball.
Anyone who follows you on Twitter knows you're a huge Dave Matthews Band fan. Is it safe to say they're your fav?They are tied for the fav. It's them and Metallica.
Do you prefer their older, jammier stuff, or their more recent stuff?Both. I like a good jam but some of the new stuff has been fantastic.
Martians abduct you and say they've been watching you put on your second head and your green and white skin every Sunday. They want to know why 80,000 people come to watch you every week. What do you tell them?Football is America's game.
Do you have a funniest moment from inside the huddle?
Yeah, my rookie year we were down in Miami and it was an intense part of the game and somebody had said something. I forget who it was, but it was directed at Chad [Pennington], and Chad fired back with "Hey, this isn't my first time at the rodeo," and we all kind of just cracked up there a little bit.
What does it mean to have the O-line return completely intact?
Oh, it's fantastic. I think it's a great asset to the team.
Last year, the line had two new starters in RT Damien Woody and LG Alan Faneca. It also happened to be Bill Callahan's first season as your position coach. Now with everyone returning, how will that continuity help?
The ability to be together, and at the same time the ability to dive deeper into things. We started off with the basic stuff, but now that we're together and we've been together, you get deeper into the depths of O-line play.
When was the last time your hair was shorter than shoulder-length?
Shoot, freshman year of college or so.
Who's the best defensive tackle you've faced?Because I've gotta play him two times a year, I'd have to say Vince Wilfork.
What do you miss most about college?Not having a mortgage payment [laughs]. No, what I miss most about college is the lack of responsibilities as you go through school.
What would you be doing if you weren't involved in professional sports?
Crying. I would probably be working in real-estate development.
How did you prepare for the business side of football when you were coming into the league? Is there anything that surprised you once you got into the league about the business side?
No, you can't really prepare for it. You just kind of have to learn it as you go. You kind of learn on the job and it takes a while to fully understand it.
Can the Jets have the best O-line in '09?
I would expect so. That's our goal.
