Mangini rewarded his players with a rare day-off on Monday
In recognition of exceptional practice and preparation throughout the last couple of weeks, Jets players were given the Monday off. But staying consistent with their approach, many of them put in a day of work anyway.
Head coach Eric Mangini granted his players a rare day off as the Green and White enter the eighth week of the season with a 4-3 record. Mangini says Sunday's win over the Lions was a positive outcome, but it was the consistency of work put in throughout the last two weeks that earned this group a mini-leave.
"Today I gave the guys a little break from meetings. They are still coming in to work out, to get their DVD's and start their individual preparation," said Mangini. "I have been happy, especially over the last couple of weeks, with the consistent individual preparation and the consistent level of practice."
Mangini says he only notified the captains of this opportunity prior to kickoff. However, it wasn't a secret to the rest of the team.
"We talked in the captain's meeting. I am sure the captains didn't mention it to anybody. It might have been out there floating in space somewhere," he joked. "The other players sure seemed to know it."
While it technically was a day-off, there was a healthy horde of players in the weight room this morning and even more Jets were spotted roaming around headquarters to pick up game film of this Sunday's opponent, the 1-5 Cleveland Browns.
"There was a good group there when I went down this morning to the weight room," Mangini said. "They were down there and there were a lot of guys coming up to the coach's office to watch tape and get their DVD's to start their prep.
"It's a little bit of a break from the formal setup," he added. "But they were all here."
Such dedication is a true sign of the players' confidence in Mangini's core Jets values – the staple principles the young coach installed into the Jets organization upon his hiring in January.
"Do your job first and trust that the guy next to you is doing his job; communication, focus and finish. Those are the core values that we talk about week-in and week-out," Mangini said. "If you do your job first, you can fix the problems, you understand where if there is a breakdown, how to get those things taken care of.
"Communication," he continued. "We always talk about the fact that it's better to all be wrong together because then you've got a chance. Anything that comes up would be handled through talking about it. Focus, that's been ongoing, and whether it be the five-second rule or not worrying about the past or future. And finish just isn't the game. It the play; it's the practice; it's the meeting. It's everything you do right down to the end."
The down time at Weeb Ewbank Hall should not be viewed as a sign of the first-year head coach softening up due to recent success. Mangini expects his players to storm back on Wednesday and keep their practice routine going strong heading into Cleveland. This time away actually appears to be a bit of a test for his group.
"They earned it; it will be a nice break for them," smirked Mangini. "I'm sure they'll come back Wednesday ready to answer quite a few questions on the Cleveland Browns, which they will get."
