ESPN.com reports that Jets' offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has decided on returning to New York despite losing out in the head coaching race to Rex Ryan.
I was not overly impressed with how Schottenheimer handled his offensive playcalling duties in 2008. Too often he let Brett Favre do whatever he wanted to do (AKA chuck the ball up and hope it falls into the right hands) instead of pounding the ball with Thomas Jones, which would have allowed Favre to make more plays. One can only hope he isn't influenced as much by Brett's status in the 2009 season.
Ryan wanted Schottenheimer back for his first season, as he knows the offensive personel well and can make adjustements to make a more effective unit. He'll have a lot of work to do, as right now, his quarterback (Favre) does not match up with his receivers, built for shorter passes. If Favre doesn't come back, he'll be forced to work with a new starter.
And, although I don't like talking so much about Favre, this move increases the chance that he'll come back for one more season, whether or not that's a good thing for the Jets (Ryan thinks so). He was not about to learn a brand new offense – his third in as many years – and now, he won't have to with the west-coast offense still in place.
