Jets Coaching Overview

After three years of Eric Mangini trying to emulate the New England Patriots, the New York Jets have switched gears under new head coach Rex Ryan. Ryan will still emphasize defense first and utilize the 3-4 defensive style that Mangini has used the past three seasons, but the defense figures to be much more aggressive, going for big plays and turnovers instead of a bend-but-don’t-break style that the Jets always seemed to fall into over the course of the last three seasons.
    But in many ways the Jets playbook will look very similar as many of the coaches under Mangini will be back for the Jets, most notably offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. The son of former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, Brian has been with the Jets the past three seasons and is familiar with the Jets rushers and receivers as well as incumbent quarterback Kellen Clemens. His knowledge of the Jets offensive arsenal will make for an easier transition from Mangini to Ryan, and help the new coach figure out his personnel and the best way for the Jets to utilize them. As a former defensive coordinator, it is still uncertain just how much control over the offense Ryan will seek. He could very well leave most, if not all, of the offensive decision making to Schottenheimer, or at the very least rely very heavily on his opinion. One interesting aspect will be Ryan’s approach to the quarterback position. As the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, Ryan has seen veteran quarterbacks thrive and struggle, and just recently advanced to the AFC title game with a rookie, Joe Flacco behind center. This could bode well for rookie Mark Sanchez, as Ryan could determine that the playoffs would still be a possibility for the Jets as Sanchez learns how to be an NFL quarterback. But beyond that this should still be Schottenheimer’s offense built around a strong offensive line and running game, with the three-pronged attack of Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and rookie Shonn Greene.
    One assistant that will be under the microscope will be new quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh was the Ravens offensive coordinator from 1999-2004, winning a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer leading his offense. Everyone will be curious to see how Clemens and Sanchez perform under his tutelage. With Sanchez as the long term answer at quarterback, Cavanaugh’s most important task will be to help Sanchez adjust from the college game to the NFL, for 2009 and beyond. And if it’s Clemens that wins the starting job, Cavanaugh will have to keep Clemens focused on the opponent and not looking over his shoulder at the rookie that the fans will be screaming for after his first mistake. 
    There will also be a familiar face leading the special teams as coach Mike Westhoff returns for his ninth season leading the Jets kicking, punting, and coverage teams. After coming over from the Miami Dolphins were he spent a decade and a half, he has consistently led the Jets special teams to the top of the NFL rankings. It also helps to have a great returner to run back kicks, from Justin Miller to Santana Moss, but current returner Washington is the best of the bunch. Since 2001, the Jets lead the NFL in kickoff return touchdowns with 11. Ryan will almost certainly defer to the coach with nearly three decades of NFL coaching experience when it comes to special teams matters. The only difference could be finding some more personnel that fit Ryan’s aggressive and hungry style.
    The unit that will see the most dramatic changes will be the defense. New defensive coordinator Mike Pettine came over from Baltimore with Ryan after serving four years as the Ravens linebackers coach. Having ex-Ravens Bart Scott leading the linebackers corps and Jim Leonhard in the secondary in New York will serve well for Ryan’s “right-hand man” re-imagining the 3-4 defense. Without the headaches of changing over from a 4-3 or Cover 2, it should be an easy transition. Under Mangini the Jets defense often had trouble getting pressure on the quarterback, despite their 41.0 sacks in 2008, and allowed run of the mill passers like Shaun Hill, JaMarcus Russell, J.P. Losman, Tyler Thigpen and Seneca Wallace to look like Hall of Famers going against their defense. While it didn’t always lead to points allowed or even losses, it gave opponents more yards, more scoring opportunities, higher time of possession and eventually wore down the Jets defense. The Jets defense also had trouble forcing turnovers, totaling 30 in 2008 for a -1 takeaway/giveaway ratio (although that was mostly due to Brett Favre’s 23 interceptions). In 2008, the Ravens defense allowed about 80 fewer yards and a touchdown less than the Jets defense. You can be sure Pettine and Ryan will be looking for numbers like that. 
    Ryan and Pettine will be able to learn the Jets defensive personnel from Jets former defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, who was retained by Ryan to serve as the linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant. Sutton can help Jets veterans like Sean Ellis, Kerry Rhodes and Bryan Thomas assimilate to the new defensive system. Along with Pettine, new defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman comes to the Jets after serving with Ryan in Baltimore at the same position. The secondary should be one of the Jets strengths with Rhodes, Leonhard, Darelle Revis and newcomer Lito Sheppard. Thurman’s Baltimore unit, led by Ed Reed, led the NFL in interceptions with 126 and interceptions for touchdowns with 18 during his tenure. New defensive line coach Kerry Locklin comes over to the pros after nine seasons as the defensive line coach at Fresno State, where he coached three of the Bulldogs top five in career sacks during his tenure. He will play a big role in getting the Jets to pressure the quarterback and keep opposing rushers in check.
    One of the biggest change in the Jets coaching staff won’t be in X’s and O’s or personnel packages, but in the demeanor of the head coach. Mangini’s placid sideline and post game demeanor, which was unwavering whether the Jets were up by 10, down by 10, or tied, isn’t necessarily a negative as a calm and steady hand can be the savior of a team. But as the Jets faded at the end of 2008, Mangini’s unemotional persona trickled down the entire roster as the team just couldn’t light a fire under itself. Ryan is the exact opposite. Hot-tempered, emotional and in your face, Ryan, much like his legendary father Buddy, will surely be screaming, ranting and cheering on the sidelines and general manager Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson hope that internal fire will spread down the staff and roster, giving the Jets an extra boost when the dog days of the NFL season start in the winter.
    Mangini also seemed to struggle at times with making adjustments. While other teams changed their attack plans at the half to take advantage of the Jets weak spots, the Jets could never seem to do the same, always trying the same methods and getting the same futile results. Any coach for any sport knows that the game plan you enter a game with might not work, and the team will have to change plans on the fly if they want to win the game.
    The 2008 NFL season saw two rookie head coaches lead two rookie quarterbacks to 11-5 records and playoff appearances, with one making it all the way to the conference championship. Rex Ryan saw this first hand as the Ravens defensive coordinator, and could very well do the same as Jets head coach with Mark Sanchez behind center. On the surface the 2009 Jets will look similar to the 2008 Jets, but looks can be deceiving. The Rex Ryan Jets will have an inner drive they lacked under Mangini, and the result will be a more aggressive and hungry team that won’t wilt in December.