The 1998 Jetsification of the Chiefs continues...

[teedubya]

“Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus has called it the Holy Grail of Football.

The N.Y. Jets just simply called it the 1998 Media Guide.

All you have to do is take a peek inside at the front office, coaching staff and roster of Bill Parcells’ 1998 Jets squad to trace Arrowhead’s 2010 roots. Shall we meet the cast?

Yellow Brick Road, The Path to Arrowhead
• Chiefs GM Scott Pioli – Jets Director of Pro Personnel

• Chiefs head coach Todd Haley – Jets offensive assistant/quality control

• Chiefs asst. head coach Maurice Carthon – Jets RBs coach

• Chiefs OL coach Bill Muir – Jets OL coach

• Chiefs asst. coach Richie Anderson – Jets RB/FB

• Chiefs asst. coach Anthony Pleasant – Jets DE

• Chiefs WRs coach Dedric Ward – Jets WR

The Holy Grail, Noteworthy Non-Chiefs
• Dick Haley – Jets Director of Player Personnel

• Mike Tannenbaum – Jets Director of Player Contract Negotiations

• Bill Belichick – Jets asst. head coach/DBs

• Romeo Crennel – Jets DL coach

• Al Groh – Jets LBs coach

• Dan Henning – Jets QBs coach

• Eric Mangini – Jets defensive assistant/quality control

• Charlie Weis – Jets offensive coordinator/WRs

Could the heritage of this family tree be any clearer? This Sunday, two of the younger members of that coaching staff will guide their squads against one another at Arrowhead. It will be the first meeting between Eric Mangini and Todd Haley as head coaches.

“I was quality control on offense and Eric was quality control on defense for three years in 97, ‘98, and ‘99,” Haley explained. “So, Eric and I have spent a lot of hours together in the building going way back. We were generally the last two in the building for a lot of years - sat next to each other in special tams meetings every day.”

As quality control coaches, both Haley and Mangini did the grunt work for the game-planning on each side of the football. Most of those duties center around self-scouting, statistical/video breakdowns and monitoring the club’s tendencies. The tedious job of designing the playbook and show-team diagrams is also typically a priority.

“It’s always good to see somebody that you’ve worked with that has made it to the position he’s made it to,” Haley said. “I think he did a great job with the Jets and I think you’re seeing some of the foundation that he laid while he was there – you’re seeing some of that now with that Jets team.”

The familiarity that each head coach has with one another makes for an interesting side-story to Sunday’s game. Each man studied under the same umbrella of coaching strategy and witnessed, first-hand, the basics that have now come full circle schematically in both Cleveland and Kansas City.

“He worked with Dan Henning and Charlie Weis (in New York) and even when he went to Arizona, you saw elements of that system,” Mangini said of Haley.

The two have managed to stay in contact with one another as each has molded his own career path since those early days in New York.

“Yeah, we’ve talked at different points over the years,” Mangini said. “We talk at the owners meetings; we’ve talked at different points throughout this season. I really like Todd, I think he’s smart, he’s demanding, he’s passionate, he cares and he’ll get better and better.

“Your first year as a head coach, it’s not easy,” Mangini continued. “There are a lot of things you’re not given a manual for, you’ve never dealt with, you’ve never thought about, you’ve never been exposed to and you improve. You try and get better and better each time you face it the next outing.”

Although four years younger, Mangini is certainly the elder when it comes to giving head coaching advice. Mangini is currently in his fourth overall season as an NFL head coach (with two different organizations) and has served as head coach in 62 professional games.

Although he was fortunate enough to lead the Jets to double-digit wins and a playoff berth as a rookie head coach in 2006, Mangini also knows what it’s like to struggle. He limped through a 4-12 season during his sophomore campaign in New York and has gained just two victories over his first year at the helm in Cleveland.

“One of the things that thought Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick did better than anybody else is keep the team focused on the task at hand because throughout the course of the season, whether you’re winning or losing,” Mangini said.

Each man finds themselves looking back on their time with the Jets and is pulling from the latter of the teaching this season.

“We can’t be distracted by anything; our complete focus has to be on the Cleveland Browns, 100%,” Haley said. “That’s all we can all be worried about. And then next week it’s the Cincinnati Bengals, the same thing.”

Although they’ve taken different paths since leaving the Jets, Haley still knows exactly what Mangini will bring to the table when the two meet again on Sunday. What you see, is what you get.

“I know the Browns will be prepared for us. I know the time Eric puts in. I saw it first hand when we were young coaches together. The extra couple of days they have they will use to their advantage. They’re coming off a big win for them.”

Oh yeah, the Jets went 12-4 in 1998 winning the AFC East title before ultimately losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Denver in the AFC Championship Game.

Not a bad place to start.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2009/12...low_the_trail/

[2112]

The talent on that 1998 Jet team was probably below average. their defensive line was Anthony Pleasant, Jason Ferguson and Rick Lyle <--Ferguson was ok .. but lol..

The offense won games for that team with Parcells calling the plays..the defense did it with smoke and mirrors