Post Mortem on the Jets Season

Michael Vaccaro did a nice job cataloging the failures of this year's edition of Gang Green. And, IMO, he ultimately places the blame in the right place:

Ryan told his players at game’s end that every one of them needed to look in a mirror as soon as possible. It wouldn’t hurt the coach, the GM and the owner to follow that sage advice, either, pay a visit to Home Depot for three new ones for the home office in Florham Park.

Vaccaro goes beyond just criticizing Rex, Tannenbaum, and Woody. He notes Sanchez's failure to take a step forward.  He saves particular scorn for Santonio Holmes, his failed leadership,  and his willingness to quit on his teammates.  He points out that the O.C. made decisions that were questionable, and that the O Line "nearly killed Sanchez 40 times this season." But all of that said, he focuses the main responsibility for this team's demise on two people: Rex and Tannenbaum.  Mr. T for putting a team on the field with a "rotting core":

The ’11 Jets were missing the fragile collection of gamers and tough guys — Thomas Jones, Damien Woody, Alan Faneca, even the best of Braylon Edwards to name a few — replaced by fill-ins who may look good in their uniforms but not so much inside a foxhole.

A loss of character, of will-to-win guys who were never replaced--as we have discussed at SHK numerous times this year. And these roster decisions are more curious, given that the Jets were 10 percent under the salary cap in 2011.

As for the coach, Vaccaro is willing to say what the press hasn't been willing to say up until now: that when it comes to Rex, the Emperor has no clothes. He's not in charge of his team. And the in-game and post-game situation involving Holmes laid that bare for the whole world to see. As Vac put it:

...it was...Rex who allowed that “C” to be slapped on Holmes’ chest. And it was Rex who, unbelievably, suggested that he was oblivious to Holmes’ act yesterday, which was mutinous at best and insubordinate at worst.

“Somebody told me he was on the bench,” Ryan said.

That is absurd, and unacceptable, and every bit as unprofessional as what we saw so many of his players litter the field with the past few weeks. You think Bill Belichick would cop to that, even at gunpoint? How about Eric Mangini?

Not a chance in hell, Michael. Not a chance in hell.  And all the in-huddle fighting that apparently was going on between LT and Holmes; All the post-game finger pointing; All the unattributed comments that Holmes and other guys don't practice hard--it's all indicative of a team without a winning culture.  A team that isn't in the habit of doing the work needed from Monday to Saturday to be successful on Sunday. There is no question that the inmates are running the asylum in Florham Park.

The writing's on the wall that Schott will be the Fall Guy for this year's failure.  But this team will not, IMO, get back to where they were the last two seasons as long as Rex is at the helm.