It must now be obvious to all that Eric Mangini does not understand offensive strategy. Game after game is lost because of his insistence on running on first downs, despite the overwhelming evidence week after week that running on first downs leads to punts, and passing on first downs leads to touchdowns. The posts below this one cover this in detail, so I will just briefly describe what happened in today’s Jets loss to the 49ers.
As I always point out, the tone of games can be set in the first half. If a better team is not aggressively trying to score, that allows the opponent to hang around, get confidence, and perhaps win. As I’ve done previously, let’s look at the Jets’ playcalling in the first half:
Run on first down for 3 yards, results in a punt.
Run on first down for 8 yards, run for 1 yard on second down, run for no gain on third down, punt.
Pass for 5 yards on first down, pass for 8 yards on second down–get first down.
Run for 1 yard on first down, results in a punt.
Pass for 3 yards on first down, run for 3 on second down, pass for 24 on third down, get first down.
Pass for 9 on first down, run for 2 on second down for the first down.
Pass for 5 on first down, run for 8 on second down for the first down–first and goal at the 7.
Run for 5 on first down, Favre runs for 2 and a TD on a called pass on second down.
They got the ball back with 0:46 left in the first half at their own 11, so they just passed short to run out the clock.
The Jets were down 14-7 at the half. As you can see, and as you can see every week, the one possession where they threw on every first down until it was first-and-goal, they scored a touchdown. On the other possessions, where they ran on first down, they punted.
When will Mangini figure this out?