In (quite possibly) Holmgren's last game at Qwest Field, Jets coach Eric Mangini presented a neatly wrapped gift: a win, bow-tied in three simple steps.
1. Kick a field goal in the first quarter on 4th-and-short near the goal line. After an efficient first possession, where it seems there's no way the Hawks D can stop Thomas Jones on the ground, or Favre through the air, the Jets come away with only 3 points.
2. Not kick a field goal right after your (excellent) kicker has nailed a 45-yarder waved off for delay of game. Instead, with a 50-yarder in his future, Mangini calls on the punting unit, and A.J. Feely pouts from the sideline. For about five televised minutes. The Jets, instead of being down 4, are down 7.
3. Not punt from your own 20 yard line on 4th-and-2, with 2:21 left, down 10-3. Favre throws downfield, incompletion, and Olindo Mare kicks a textbook field goal on the Hawks' ensuing possession. 13-3, game over. Josh Wilson's later interception is almost superfluous.
The only possible explanation I can muster for all three calls is that Eric Mangini really, really likes Mike Holmgren.
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