Dec 29, 2008 9:45 am US/Eastern
New York Jets Fire Coach Eric Mangini
Announcement Comes One Day After Jets Fail To Make Playoffs
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBS) ―
The New York Jets have scheduled a news conference Monday morning, and the team will announce the firing of head coach Eric Mangini, reports CBS station WCBS-TV.
Mangini was not expected to attend the news conference. It is customary among most NFL teams for the head coach to take part in that news conference each year.
The reports come one day after the Jets blew another chance to get into the playoffs, finishing the season at 9-7 after being 8-3 at one point, even beating the then undefeated Tennessee Titans.
The Jets lost to the Miami Dolphins, led by former New York quarterback Chad Pennington, 24-17. Also, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Baltimore Ravens, giving Baltimore an AFC wild card playoff slot. The Jets needed to win Sunday, the the Ravens lose, for New York to get into the post-season.
Miami (11-5) will host Baltimore (11-5) in the first round next Sunday.
After an 8-3 start and being mentioned as possible Super Bowl contenders with an NFL-high seven Pro Bowl selections, New York went into a tailspin by losing four of its last five games, with Brett Favre looking every bit a 39-year-old quarterback.
"The hardest part is the finality of it," Favre said, "especially when you expect to go on."
Whether Favre goes on remains to be seen. He said he'll have an MRI exam Monday on his ailing right shoulder, saying it would affect his decision on whether he'll come back for another season. Favre said he's been feeling discomfort in the shoulder for quite some time.
"It hurts in the back (of the shoulder), hurts down in the biceps and, occasionally, in my neck," he said. "Other than that, it's fine."
If this truly was it for Favre, who has yet to announce his plans, it wasn't a pretty ending. The 18-year veteran was 20-of-40 for 233 yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions.
Mangini said Sunday he expected to return for a fourth season.
"We have never discussed it throughout the course of the season," he said," but that's my anticipation."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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