Unknown
10-11-2007, 08:13 AM
BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, October 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
Eric Mangini puts the Jets through an intense workout on Wednesday.
Laveranues Coles walked into the locker room yesterday morning, glanced at the practice schedule on the bulletin board and did a double-take. Suddenly, it felt like August - a case of deja no!
"We just went back (to training camp)," Coles said later.
When the going gets tough, Eric Mangini gets tougher.
Mangini, trying to shake the Jets out of their two-game funk, put the team through an intense, physical practice, sending a clear message that resonated throughout the locker room.
Fighting to save their season, the Jets - in full pads - crashed into blocking sleds and each other, with the first live tackling drill of the regular season. It wasn't quite like two-a-days, but it also wasn't a typical October practice. This should tell you something: Anticipating the tenor, they made safety Erik Coleman, returning from a concussion, wear a red, no-contact jersey, usually reserved for quarterbacks.
"As a group, we need to get back to basics," Jerricho Cotchery said. "Get back to basics, take a deep breath and start from square one - and let's get this thing going. (A training-camp mentality) is what we need right now."
The circumstances are dire for the Jets (1-4), who are facing the Eagles (1-3) Sunday at the Meadowlands. Of course, they've been here before. In 2002, they staged one of the greatest turnarounds in recent history, going from 1-4 to AFC East champions at 9-7.
They have five holdovers from that team - Coles, Chad Pennington, Shaun Ellis, Chris Baker and James Dearth. Coles recalled Herm Edwards' fiery pep talks, his stream-of-consciousness rants that made some players laugh. Hey, it worked, didn't it?
The poker-faced Mangini has a different approach.
"Here, we're going to work harder," Coles said. "We're back to the grind. Different strokes for different folks. We'll see how it plays out."
Asked if it's possible to work harder than before, Coles gave an incredulous look.
"Do you know who our head coach is?" he asked. "He'll get it out of you, one way or another. He'll push and he'll push until he gets the results he wants. So we're going to line it up and bang it around."
The potential risk, of course, is fatigue. Many coaches, trying to save their players' legs, tone it down during the season. If the Jets are sluggish, it could be pronounced against the well-rested Eagles, who are coming off their bye week.
After the Jets were outrushed by the Giants, 188-55, last week, Mangini apparently wants to set a physical tone by cranking up the intensity in practice. Perhaps, too, this is an indication the Jets will re-commit to the running game.
Except for the Week 3 win over the Dolphins, when they unleashed Thomas Jones in the second half, the Jets have been a pass-happy team. It never was more evident than last Sunday. In a tight game, they passed on 12 of the first 15plays in the fourth quarter. Mangini, explaining the lopsided run-pass ratio through five games (42% to 58%), said they've faced more eight-man fronts than last season.
Clearly, the offensive linemen want to get back to a smashmouth approach, defensive strategy be damned.
"A lot of teams get extra guys in the box," guard Brandon Moore said. "You find a way to squeeze it through there and you keep sticking with it and keep calling the plays.... It's definitely frustrating, not being able to set a tone in the game, to take over games and be a dominant offensive unit."
It's not going to be easy against the Eagles, the league's eighth-ranked run defense (74.5 yards per game). Nevertheless, Jones and his blockers would be thrilled if the coaches re-enacted the first preseason game, when they opened with 10 straight running plays.
Hey, you never know. After all, Mangini is back in August mode.
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Thursday, October 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
Eric Mangini puts the Jets through an intense workout on Wednesday.
Laveranues Coles walked into the locker room yesterday morning, glanced at the practice schedule on the bulletin board and did a double-take. Suddenly, it felt like August - a case of deja no!
"We just went back (to training camp)," Coles said later.
When the going gets tough, Eric Mangini gets tougher.
Mangini, trying to shake the Jets out of their two-game funk, put the team through an intense, physical practice, sending a clear message that resonated throughout the locker room.
Fighting to save their season, the Jets - in full pads - crashed into blocking sleds and each other, with the first live tackling drill of the regular season. It wasn't quite like two-a-days, but it also wasn't a typical October practice. This should tell you something: Anticipating the tenor, they made safety Erik Coleman, returning from a concussion, wear a red, no-contact jersey, usually reserved for quarterbacks.
"As a group, we need to get back to basics," Jerricho Cotchery said. "Get back to basics, take a deep breath and start from square one - and let's get this thing going. (A training-camp mentality) is what we need right now."
The circumstances are dire for the Jets (1-4), who are facing the Eagles (1-3) Sunday at the Meadowlands. Of course, they've been here before. In 2002, they staged one of the greatest turnarounds in recent history, going from 1-4 to AFC East champions at 9-7.
They have five holdovers from that team - Coles, Chad Pennington, Shaun Ellis, Chris Baker and James Dearth. Coles recalled Herm Edwards' fiery pep talks, his stream-of-consciousness rants that made some players laugh. Hey, it worked, didn't it?
The poker-faced Mangini has a different approach.
"Here, we're going to work harder," Coles said. "We're back to the grind. Different strokes for different folks. We'll see how it plays out."
Asked if it's possible to work harder than before, Coles gave an incredulous look.
"Do you know who our head coach is?" he asked. "He'll get it out of you, one way or another. He'll push and he'll push until he gets the results he wants. So we're going to line it up and bang it around."
The potential risk, of course, is fatigue. Many coaches, trying to save their players' legs, tone it down during the season. If the Jets are sluggish, it could be pronounced against the well-rested Eagles, who are coming off their bye week.
After the Jets were outrushed by the Giants, 188-55, last week, Mangini apparently wants to set a physical tone by cranking up the intensity in practice. Perhaps, too, this is an indication the Jets will re-commit to the running game.
Except for the Week 3 win over the Dolphins, when they unleashed Thomas Jones in the second half, the Jets have been a pass-happy team. It never was more evident than last Sunday. In a tight game, they passed on 12 of the first 15plays in the fourth quarter. Mangini, explaining the lopsided run-pass ratio through five games (42% to 58%), said they've faced more eight-man fronts than last season.
Clearly, the offensive linemen want to get back to a smashmouth approach, defensive strategy be damned.
"A lot of teams get extra guys in the box," guard Brandon Moore said. "You find a way to squeeze it through there and you keep sticking with it and keep calling the plays.... It's definitely frustrating, not being able to set a tone in the game, to take over games and be a dominant offensive unit."
It's not going to be easy against the Eagles, the league's eighth-ranked run defense (74.5 yards per game). Nevertheless, Jones and his blockers would be thrilled if the coaches re-enacted the first preseason game, when they opened with 10 straight running plays.
Hey, you never know. After all, Mangini is back in August mode.