Washington extends for the line
After leading the New York Jets to 10 wins and a Wild Card playoff entry, first-year head coach Eric Mangini has a lot to celebrate this New Year's Eve.
"I will go and spend New Year's with the family," Mangini said. "Tonight is New Year's, right? My brother is here from Australia, and my sister is back at the house with the kids. It will be a special time for us to appreciate the past year and all the things that have happened. We've had a baby, we've switched teams. There have been quite a few things - from a family perspective - that we will appreciate and enjoy."
Read Mangini's complete press conference transcript below
Opening statement…
On talking to the team, I just told them how proud I was. The amount of hard work we have done, collectively, to put ourselves in the position we were today and then coming out and playing well, in all three phases. We were able to finish the season. Finishing is something that is a core Jets value and it goes back to the day-to-day finishing and then the season finishing. This is exactly what we have been talking about for a long time. I'm really proud about the way that they worked.
On making the playoffs as a first-time head coach…
I've been looking at it the same way the players have been looking at it in terms of focusing on consistently winning games and doing that while also getting better. That has been our goal since the first day I got here and that is going to remain our goal. That's the way I've been, it's the way we all have been. That's what has helped us so far.
On feelings on making the playoffs…
I'm extremely happy. Since the off-season program, the OTA's, since training camp, they have worked and they have worked together and have collectively gotten better and better each week. They have played more as a team each week and that's what helped us week-in and week-out, consistency. All those things that we have talked about they have done and they have earned this opportunity through the way they have worked. Nothing was given to them, they have earned it.
On the mood in the locker room…
It was pretty happy. It was exciting. It is exciting because it has been a long road for us and believe me, they will tell you how hard the work has been. I am proud of them. I am really happy for us, collectively.
On one stand-out characteristic of the team this year…
In terms of the group: hard work, across the board.
On QB Chad Pennington's accomplishments during the season…
We've still got a little bit of the season left, but up until this point, in terms of the regular season, it really is a credit to him and there is no blueprint to this injury. There was nothing that we could draw on. Chad wasn't going to be deterred. He fought, in terms of training camp, to establish himself as the starter and through his injury. He has excelled week-in and week-out and showed himself as a leader. I couldn't be happier for him personally, because he is such a great person.
On defensive improvement…
That's on the same case of getting to know the system and getting to know how the different parts work together, and understanding when mistakes are made, correcting those mistakes and the next time we come out building upon it. The group has just grown together in the system and they are understanding the system and how they fit into the system.
On the one biggest challenge this year…
I don't know if there was one single challenge that was the biggest for us, I think its been addressing and working through a series of challenges that have come up throughout the course of the week, throughout the course of the game. It's the way we have faced adversity and being able to finish once adversity strikes.
On the defensive stops…
There were a lot of big plays in the fact that we forced a lot of turnovers, we didn't turn the ball over. That's going to be the key every game. The Raiders have a very opportunistic defense and (defensive coordinator) Rob Ryan does a great job for them defensively, but then for us to do as well as we did on third down and that fourth-down stop, that's always a huge momentum swing. We had two very good plays there in a row.
On enjoying the win…
Definitely. I will go and spend New Year's with the family. Tonight is New Year's, right? My brother is here from Australia, my sister is back at the house with the kids. It will be a special time for us to appreciate the past year and all the things that have happened. We've had a baby, we've switched teams. There have been quite a few things, from a family perspective, that we will appreciate and enjoy.
On the single most appreciated aspect of the season…
I appreciate the players. I appreciate their approach and the way they respond to the different things that have come up throughout the course of the year, the way that they fight, the way that they finished. I really appreciate those things. I'm thankful for those things.
On his preparation for getting splashed with Gatorade…
That was a high-class problem, so I thought that if it came up, I would adjust to it on the fly. I didn't have a hat available. Hopefully there will be some more at some point and I will have a hat ready.
On success of playoffs on road…
It's good that we have been able to be successful on the road. That's always important. We will be spending some time on the road, so having experience with that will be an asset.
On overcoming the loss of RB Curtis Martin…
We addressed a lot of different issues in the off-season, in terms of personnel and we were hopeful for Curtis, as a team, but Leon (Washington) has done a nice job, so has Cedric (Houston) and Kevan (Barlow) and Derrick (Blaylock). Sometimes that happens when a group of people fill a void left by one person. Curtis, he's a great player and collectively I think the group has responded to that.
On the fight showed to the team prior Saturday night…
It was Aaron Pryor and Alexis Arguello. We have been following Aaron Pryor for quite some time. He is a friend of the Jets. I showed several of his fights and how things have changed throughout the course of his career. He first started fighting in Cincinnati, he was not really thought very highly of. He worked his way up and his last fight was in Vegas. Jack Nicholson was there, and Tony Danza. The uni's were new. All that stuff was different than when he first started, but the one thing that was the same was him and his consistency and his characteristics. He won throughout his career. I thought that was important. We are the same team today that we were in week one. We take the same consistent approach and play the same way regardless of what changes around us.
On the team's expectations for the season…
I honestly can't say that this was the goal on this day, and I went into it the same way that I've been talking to the team about it: first – trying to win the game, second – try to make progress. If we do those two things, and consistently work that way, then success will come. I didn't put down any numbers, or any goals, to me, it was consistent progress across the board.
On K Mike Nugent…
He's done a good job. I talked to (special teams coach) Mike Westhoff throughout the game as to what yard line he feels comfortable kicking a field goal from and Mike's done a good job. He's an extremely consistent which helps you feel confident.
