By Tom Rock
Heard a stat on the radio today that should make all Jets fans take hope: In the last two years, the road team has won six of the eight wild card playoff games. If that holds true, only one home team will win this year. So root for Seattle and Indy, because if they win the Jets have a statistically better chance of upsetting the Patriots!
Had a friendly chat with Mr. Bill today, referring of course to what Mangini called “the magic of the conference call.” Belichick said Mangini’s name, but not much else. At one point there was a six second delay between the end of a question about his relationship with Mangini and the beginning of his answer. Dave Hutchinson, the reporter who asked the question, waited as long as he could before saying “Hello?” to see if there was still a connection.
Belichick noted that he has never said anything negative about Mangini. When he was asked about his initial reaction to Eric’s hiring by the Jets, he noted that he has never said anything negative about Mangini. When asked about the less-than-emphatic handshakes, he noted that he has never said anything negative about Mangini.
On the flip side, Mangini poured his heart into singing Bill’s praises today, calling his a Hall of Famer and noting his excellent reputation for making game adjustments. I think Eric likes taking the high road in this little spat, and I think he knows that it drives Bill crazy.
Quick Andre Dyson update: the injured cornerback was dressed for practice and took part in some but not all of the drills. He did do some half-speed running. If the Jets win, I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes available to them for a second-round game.
Cutting this one short because of a nasty head cold. Hopefully I’ll be in game shape by Sunday.
Comments (1)
Tom,
You are one cynical dude. You say, and with conviction, that Mangini praises Bill B because he knows it drives him crazy. While I wish it was true and that I believe it does drive Bill B nuts, I'm pretty sure Mangini is serious and would prefer being friends with his "Big Brother". I think their relation ship was too close for insincerity. I think Mangini is truthful in his remarks as Bill B is in his anger at Mangini.
Al