The Oakland Raiders, a team currently on an eight-game slide, will end their season Sunday at the Meadowlands against the Jets. There figures to be a number of off-season changes for the 2-13 club, and a number of players could be playing for their jobs.
"You want to do well, and there's a lot of evaluation that goes on at the end of the season," said Jets head coach Eric Mangini of the Raiders' situation. "You usually start from the last game and work back. You know, that's the best argument for your position moving forward is the way that you play."
Read below for Coach Mangini's complete press conference transcript
New York Jets' Head Coach Eric Mangini, 12.27
Opening Statement
We released Vaka Manupuna and signed Zarnell Fitch to the practice squad. Zarnell is a nose tackle-end type.
It's going to be a typical Wednesday like every other week. We will work on first and second down, focus on that, and also the corrections that we have from Monday night. We'll hit both those elements, and that will be part of the film work, as well.
In terms of Oakland, they are very good defensively, very opportunistic. I worked with Rob (Ryan) for four years in New England. He's a close friend. What I've always respected about Rob is how innovative he is, how well he adjusts to things and how good he is at honing in on tendencies. That was one of his jobs there in New England, and he brought a lot of things to the system that weren't really a part of it prior to him getting there. He brought the whole 46 family into that scheme. He does an excellent job, and I have nothing but respect for him. You can see that in the way that they play and the way that the players have played for him.
Offensively, I know John Shoop a little bit. They've been doing a good job in terms of moving the ball down the field. They out-performed Kansas City offensively throughout most of the game. It didn't translate into points. There were some turnovers, but they had been moving the ball very effectively. John was a coordinator at Chicago and he did a good job there and is doing a good job now.
On special teams, their return game presents some serious problems and it's something that we're going to have to deal with. There are some things we need to continue to work on and get better in terms of special teams and we'll focus on that throughout the week.
On if Rob Ryan was interviewed for the Jets defensive coordinator position…
No, I didn't interview him. He was under contract when I had the position, so it wasn't a situation where it could be asked for.
On the special teams turnover Monday night…
Mike (Westhoff) did a really good job. We were two deep in that situation, which means we had Leon (Washington) and Hank (Poteat) back. If the punt had been staggered you've got two different guys that can field it. It just fell shorter than we had anticipated, and we have a code word there to warn everybody to get away from the ball, which they were yelling, but it was just a bad bounce in a bad spot for Brad (Kassel) to be in at that point. Brad was doing everything possible to set up the return, and it's just one of those plays.
On Oakland's 2-13 record…
A lot of the things that we'll do in terms of game planning will be like we do for every opponent. As you put on the film it's a different picture, especially defensively. They've been dominant at times, and they've got a good front group, (Derrick) Burgess and (Warren) Sapp create a lot of pressure, very opportunistic in terms of interceptions, especially per pass play and sacks per pass play. The running game is the same thing. It's the same approach in trying to exploit weaknesses, take away their strengths and really play to our strengths. I've been around a lot of teams that haven't been as successful as we'd like them to be, but sometimes it's a bounce or two away, and they've lost four games by a touchdown or less. If a few things happen differently those numbers look different.
On comparing preparation for Oakland to Minnesota…
They are number one now in passing defense. It's not like they're just dominant in one area. They've been very effective in a lot of areas; third down, red zone. Rob (Ryan) will tell you about it, too, when you talk to him.
On approaching a must-win game…
It's been a one-game approach, and before Buffalo it was a one-game approach. If you start worrying about next week or last week, that's when the problems happen. That's why it's so important to look at these as a series of one-week events, and pouring everything you have into that week. You can look back at games that happened months ago and you win one of those games and things are different now. It's just taking care of that challenge at that time.
On addressing what this game means…
There's a very strong awareness by everybody as to what it means, but it goes back to the core values of finishing, and this is finishing the regular season. It's finishing the week. It's the same approach that we've taken to get to this point and that will be the same approach that we're taking through this week. And next week will take care of itself. We have mechanisms in place to prepare for that, and that's being done, but that's not what anybody who's playing the game needs to worry about.
On learning from the Buffalo game…
It goes back to our discussions prior to that with the schedule and what the schedule meant and all the different things leading up to that point, and really none of that mattered at that point. What mattered was us playing well against Buffalo, and we gave them plays that we'd like to have back. This is the same exact situation. What anybody else does, it doesn't matter, just take care of our job, our responsibilities, the things that we can control, and everything falls into place.
On if the biggest challenge is focusing…
No. One of the nice things we have going for us is the film, and as you put on the film and as you watch the players and as you see the team over the next opponent and the things that they've done, it becomes very clear as to what the challenges are and what we need to do.
On Oakland being motivated to end the Jets' season…
I know when we were in New England in 2000 we were 5 -11. We were playing in Miami, and Miami had to win to get in. Nothing would have made us happier than beating them that day, and we fought and we competed throughout the whole game. It's one of those things where you know you're not going to be playing competitive football for a little while, so this is your opportunity to finish that out. That was good focus that week from the team. Baltimore, the inaugural season. We weren't very good there, but you want to do the best job you can every week, and that's always your focus. Being able to ruin somebody else's New Year's or Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever the case may be, there's some pleasure in that.
On telling the team about being in New England in 2000…
A lot of guys have gone through similar experiences, where they've been in tough seasons and where you're in that game and you want to play hard. You want to do well, and there's a lot of evaluation that goes on at the end of the season, and you usually start from the last game and work back. That's the best argument for your position moving forward is the way that you play.
On if Mangini thought he would be in this position at the end of the season…
I haven't done much reflecting. There really hasn't been a lot of time for that. That will be something for the off-season. The days are pretty full.
On if the team can be playoff contenders…
What I've liked, and I've said this over and over again, is how hard these guys have worked and their approach. When I first got here, seeing the off-season program, seeing the organized team activities, seeing them in training camp, the way they were constantly trying to get better. When you have that element in place, it's very encouraging for a coach, it's very encouraging for a staff, it's very encouraging for a team, and I've been pleased with that for a long time. Any time you marry hard work with consistency, you've got a real shot to be successful.
On an update for Andre Dyson and Laveranues Coles…
I'll talk to John Mellody (head trainer), usually right before practice, and get the latest update. We'll monitor both.
On players from last year wanting to lose their losing image…
The one thing I found were a lot of hard working guys that wanted to win and wanted to do all the right things to win, and that's what they've done. Chad (Pennington) is an excellent example of that; Jon (Vilma) is an excellent example of that and Pete (Kendall). They care. It's more than just a job. It's a passion. That's what we're looking for.
On speaking to the veterans about last season…
I'd say there were some elements of that as I was trying to learn about the team and the different people involved, but it was more laying out the program, the vision, the thought process and conveying the things that I believed in and that Mike (Tannenbaum) and Woody (Johnson) believed in and the direction that we were heading.
On Leon Washington as a receiver…
He was pretty impressive on tape, although he had a little bit of a down year senior year. Prior to that and even to some degree his senior year he had some dominant performances, and it just wasn't in the running game, it was in the passing game, and you saw those elements. It's always the transition; you have to see how they're going to transition to the next level. The speed increases, the quality of players increase. He was Mr. Florida and I think he was Mr. Everything. I'm just happy he can run the screen pass (laughter).
On the screen pass play Monday night…
I think Stacy Tutt was down the field and might have laid a paw on somebody, but it was a lot of Leon. We had guys out there. They were getting in Leon's way (laughter). The screen pass is something that we've been working on for a long time. Screens are very difficult defensively because when you bring pressure, if you've got a bunch of guys behind the line of scrimmage and they get that separation, now it's big bodies, a quick running back and the secondary, and there's a lot of space out there. It's almost like a punt return, but the timing is something that isn't easy to get the timing down. There's a lot of different elements, classic, tear screen, there's several different ones that you like to incorporate involving the receivers, the tight ends or the backs.
On if Andre Dyson will practice today…
I have to talk to John (Mellody) and we're going to see how it goes. It'll be like any injury where we make sure that he's getting the work that he needs but not putting stress to set him back. We don't like to make any decisions until the last minute, like the game day deactivations, you always want to give him as much time as possible and see where they are.
On the in-game procedure for head injuries…
That is a situation where we have him come off and the doctors will look at him. If the doctors clear him, then the coaches will go through game plan questions with them to make sure that they can process that information, things that they should be able to recall easily. Then we confirm that he can play. With an injury like that you want to have as much safety as you can and just be sure that they have a clear head, and then when they're going in that they're safe, they can process everything, they can protect themselves. I don't think you can be too cautious with that.
On if Coles went through that process on Monday…
We talked to the doctors and talked to the coaching staff, and that's when you get the green light.
On Pittsburgh's run to the Super Bowl last year…
We have Kimo Von Oelhoffen who experienced it, so if you have questions he's a great guy to bounce it off. I was fortunate enough to have three different experiences where we went to the Super Bowl and then another one where we went to the playoffs, so I've seen it work and I understand that it works. It's a proven system that I believe in. Kimo has been a part of that. There's a lot of guys on the team, Bobby Hamilton or Matt Chatham, different guys who have been through the process. That's the best approach.
On Washington…
When he first got here, he probably put the ball on the ground more than anybody else. Whether it was him as a receiver dropping a pass, him as a running back where they'd rip the ball out, him as a punt returner. He ran more laps than anybody. He could have run the New York Marathon after just the rookie mini-camp. But what Leon did is he's worked at it, and he has good hands. It may have been a function of the adjustment, the transition. It's not like his hands have gotten any worse from college to pro football. He had a little rough spot. But what I like about him is his work ethic, the way he's embraced Curtis (Martin) and the things that he can learn from Curtis and Jimmy Raye. He's coached thousands of running backs, and Leon does a good job just absorbing that information, taking the coaching, making progress. I'm happy with him.
On Washington's progress…
The reason we drafted him was there were a lot of qualities. He has good hands. They didn't disappear; they weren't cut off. I think he just might have been a little bit of the excitement, but I give him credit. I was on him every single day. I got sick of saying his name, he got sick of hearing it, and I've stopped saying it for the most part.
On Washington having only three carries in the Minnesota game…
That was just a function of the types of runs that we're running. They were a little bit geared in a different direction just because that's what we liked, and you'll see that each game where one game a guy gets a ton of touches and the next game he doesn't, and it's based on what we think is going to be most successful. That's another thing about the running backs as a group that I like is whoever is up, the other guys are cheering for him. There's not a sense of 'I should have it, that should be my carry;' it's more helping him through, and even as they come to the sideline, guys who have been inactive, whether it's Cedric (Houston), Kellen (Clemens), looking at the pictures, talking through what they saw, I think that's positive.
On defining Washington's style…
That has to unfold a little bit. One of the things that's compelling is as he gets opportunities, he's taking advantage of them. You want to give him more and you want to do it in a way that's smart because he also has a role on special teams, so you incorporate all those elements into it. But to me it's create an opportunity, get an opportunity take advantage of it and more will be given.
On what Manigini will be thinking on Sunday…
I honestly haven't thought about that element of it. It's been a long couple of days here with getting home at 5:00 a.m. yesterday.
