Jets fire coach Eric Mangini

Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum just announced that coach Eric Mangini will not be returning next year. Johnson said:

We met with the coach this morning...We thanked him for all the good things he had done for us, we thanked him for his dedication and his loyalty. But he understood... For the current New York Jets organization, we've made the decision to move on. It's a judgment call. This is not a decision that we reached yesterday or 10 minutes ago. We don't take this decision lightly. We want to build on the successful foundation that he's laid.

They said they would look for a new coach and that they wanted Brett Favre, who is undergoing an MRI today, to return.

The Jets started the season 8-3 under quarterback Brett Favre, beating New England and Tennessee on the road in consecutive weeks and raising visions among fans of the team's first Super Bowl trip since 1969.

"I don't think it was one thing," owner Woody Johnson said at a news conference Monday. "We had to go in a different direction. There's nothing specific. It's just a call we made. Hopefully, it's correct."

The 37-year-old Mangini was called by Johnson one of the league's up-and-coming coaches, but he went 23-26 in three seasons in his first head coaching job. He had another year remaining on his contract.

"For the current New York Jets organization, we've made the decision to move on," Johnson said. "It's a judgment call.

The Jets went 1-4 in their final five games, losing to Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Miami and barely beating Buffalo. They did not reach the postseason for the second straight year despite an offseason spending spree that included a trade for Favre after his retirement and return at Green Bay.