http://www.newsday.com/sports/printedition...ny-sports-print<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The trendy nickname combos are usually restricted to the gossip pages and supermarket tabloids: Brangelina, TomKat and Bennifer for the hottest Hollywood couples, Brad and Angelina, Tom and Katie and Ben and Jennifer.Now the trend has spilled over to the NFL. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the Jets' answer to the best the National Enquirer can offer: Tangini.Hadn't heard this one yet? Well, with the Jets about to begin training camp under new leadership, you're about to. Jets' fans can only hope the Eric Mangini-Mike Tannenbaum relationship lasts longer than some of the more famous celebrity liaisons.A thirtysomething new coach and a thirtysomething new general manager in the ultra-competitive world of the NFL is an almost unheard-of combination. Throw in a 30-year-old quarterback coming off two shoulder surgeries and a 33-year-old running back coming off knee surgery, and the task is that much more daunting.Memo to Jets fans: Stick around a while. This is going to take some time.How much time? I say it's three years before you should even begin to think about making the playoffs. Super Bowl? How about we let Tiki Barber do all the talking about the Big Dance. The Jets are light years away from contending for a championship.Of course, neither Tannenbaum nor Mangini will admit as much, nor should they. You don't concede anything, even if you're a rebuilding team with a baby-faced coach and GM.But remember that Mangini and Tannenbaum grew up at the feet of Bill Belichick, who hired both in Cleveland and showed them the ropes as no one else could. The Tangini pedigree is as good as it gets in this league."Bill gets young guys, he works them really hard, he molds them," Mangini said. "If you survive, you get promoted. If you don't, you move. It's a good system. I think it's a great system."The system was good enough for Belichick to win three Super Bowls in a four-year span in New England, and exalt him to Hall of Fame status. Mangini was with him through that entire run, while Tannenbaum watched from afar while serving as the Jets' assistant GM.Now it's Tangini's turn to run the show. It won't be easy.Chad Pennington is the favorite to win the quarterback competition over Patrick Ramsey, Brooks Bollinger and rookie Kellen Clemens. But after two shoulder surgeries, there's no telling what Pennington's long-term prognosis will be.Curtis Martin has been a warrior through 11 NFL seasons, but he is at an age when most running backs are former running backs.John Abraham is gone, and he was their only legitimate pass-rushing threat. The Jets go to a 3-4 defense, and it's anyone's guess where the sacks are going to come from.The offensive line has been gutted by a makeover that has sent all its starters packing during the previous three seasons. At least promising draft picks D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold are ready to fill two of those key positions at tackle and center.On paper, I see a 7-9 or 6-10 team, maybe even worse. But I do think there is enough to like about Tangini that the future will be much better than that. If they can master a learning curve that will be severe, especially in a market like New York, then the turnaround in coming seasons will be impressive."It's not going to be easy, but we'll do everything we can to make this team the best it can be," Tannenbaum said. "We'll do whatever it takes."Both men have been tireless in trying to rebuild the roster, and they are doing it with the right type of players. Which is why I believe they ultimately will succeed."Smart, hard-working, tough, competitive, selfless, and football is important to them," Mangini said.That last attribute is essential in a league where the margin of victory is often determined by sheer will. You put a handful of me-first guys in a locker room, no matter how talented they are, and you'll have a losing team. But put a bunch of guys who care deeply about their team, and then you'll have a winner.Tannenbaum and Mangini know what kind of player to look for. Now it's a matter of finding enough of them. Starting tomorrow, they'll find out how many they need.</div>
I tend to not read these articles from naysayers. In this league a turn around can happen overnight to one of the least expected teams, just look at the Bears from last season for example. Great coaching can get average players to play above-average, so lets just wait and see what happens.
