By Josh Katzowitz

Despite all assurances that coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum will get it all figured out, the Jets flamed out in quite a spectacular way in the second half of the season.

If it wasn’t Santonio Holmes figuratively urinating on the Captain’s C stitched on his jersey, it was Bart Scott flipping off a photographer. If it wasn’t the constant debate about whether offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer should be fired, it was a constant argument about whether Mark Sanchez should be disowned as the team’s quarterback of the future.

Jets in turmoil

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It was, to say the least, an uncomfortable locker room experience, according to quarterback Greg McElroy.

“It’s definitely not a fun place to be,” McElroy told an Alabama radio station on Wednesday, via the NY Daily News. “I can assure you.”

McElory was placed on Injured Reserve with a thumb injury, but that didn’t stop him from experiencing the unpredictability of a locker room in turmoil. Ryan said Monday that the team chemistry was off this season and that he needed to fix it (surely bringing back Holmes for another season will hinder that goal, eh?).

But maybe it’s more than just chemistry that needs to be fixed.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been around extremely selfish individuals,” McElory said. “I think that’s maybe the nature of the NFL. But there were people within our locker room that didn’t care whether we won or [lost]… as long as they got their… they really had a good game individually. And that’s the disappointing thing.

"It’s going to take a lot to kind of come together next year. I think the fact that we struggled at times this year really led to a really corrupt mindset within the locker room. But I think we’re going to regroup and I know that we’ll be a better team because of the trials and tribulations this year.”

Former Jets quarterback Erik Ainge didn’t appreciate McElroy’s candor apparently. Tweeted Ainge: “Someone tell McElroy to keep his mouth shut about the NYJ ‘Locker Room’ speaking in the media about your teammates, entitled brat!”

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Everything is not coming up Bart(Getty Images)

By Will Brinson

Things are not going well for the Jets. And regardless of what Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum said at their press conference recently, something has to change. One of those changes could be linebacker Bart Scott, who will reportedly be cut this offseason, and who is being investigated by the NFL for giving a reporter the bird in the locker room on Monday.

As you'll recall, we detailed the disaster that took place in the Jets locker room when players were cleaning out their lockers. Rex was crying, Santonio Holmes (who will be back) wasn't talking and Scott was getting into it with reporters.

A photo of Scott shooting the middle finger to a New York Daily News reporter has emerged. See it -- censored by yours truly -- below.

Scott gives a reporter the single-bird salute.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed that the league is investigating the incident. Given the obscene nature of Scott's gesture combined with the clear-cut photographic proof said gesture, and the fact that Scott reportedly said "Get out of my f------ face," it's hard to imagine he doesn't get heavily fined. (We learned that's what the NFL does via Rex, actually.)

Ryan (ironically?) called Scott's behavior "unacceptable" and said something will be done about it.

"I don't know exactly how," Ryan said on a radio interview. "But that situation will definitely be addressed."

Scott's got bigger problems, though. Rod Boone of Newsday reports that Scott "likely played his final game as a Jet on Sunday."

The linebacker, who recorded 66 tackles in 2011 (a career low for him as a starter), is scheduled to make $4.5 million in 2012 and there's simply no way the Jets are going to pay that much for the production that Scott offers them at this stage.

Mike Lombardi of the NFL Network reports that the Jets can get out of paying Scott any guaranteed money, but that it would be "news to the veteran linebacker."

All of this adds up to more Jets offseason drama and even a potential public-relations confrontation between Scott and Rex.

To quote a great philosopher, "Can't wait."

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Coach Killers is your weekly look around the league at those performances, decisions and "Wait, what did he just do?!" moments that put the guy in charge squarely on the ol' hot seat.

By Ryan Wilson

With the regular season in the books, the coaching axe has fallen on several unfortunate souls around the league. Raheem Morris and Steve Spagnuolo joined Todd Haley, Tony Sparano and Jack Del Rio among the ranks of former head coaches now looking for jobs. We won't address them here. Instead, we'll look at those performances from the final week of the regular season that could cost still-employed coaches their gigs at some point in the future.

Santonio Holmes - Jets

Your New York Jets team captain, everybody!

A brief history: the Steelers traded Holmes to the Jets just before the 2010 NFL Draft for a fifth-round pick. At the time, Pittsburgh fans were apoplectic because Holmes had been a first-rounder in 2006, and oh, right, he was the Super Bowl MVP in February 2009.

To send him packing for what amounted to a draft-day afterthought was, well, insane. Turns out, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is a lot smarter than any of us, just in case we needed reminding. Not only did he unload his problem on the Jets, that fifth-round pick he got in return? Colbert sent that to the Cardinals for cornerback Bryant McFadden and a sixth-round pick, which Pittsburgh used to take -- wait for it -- Antonio Brown. So, yes, things worked out just fine for the Steelers.

The Jets, meanwhile, are an unmitigated disaster. Head coach Rex Ryan named Holmes team captain in August, which might have been his most egregious coaching decision all year. (We don't say that lightly, though Ryan admitted at Monday's press conference that naming team captains was a mistake.) Everything came to a head Sunday in Miami, when Holmes was benched.

"Let's just say there were guys in the huddle that were unhappy with Tone's demeanor," veteran running back LaDainian Tomlinson said of Holmes after the game. "When you have a group that's fighting their butts off, and one guy, for whatever reason, their demeanor's not with them, you're going to get some guys to say something to him and tell them how they feel. That's what you got today."

Again: that's the Jets team captain. There's more (of course there is). On Monday, after Holmes refused to talk to the media, there were reports that he and Mark Sanchez "feuded" in a team meeting in the days leading up to the Dolphins game.

"He went back and forth with Mark at the meeting," the source told Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. "He was saying stuff like, "What am I even here for?" Then he blew off Mark by not even showing up the next day."

Another player called Holmes "a cancer" adding that "it's like dealing with a 10-year-old." And then, on Sunday, Holmes got into a shouting match with Sanchez in the huddle on two consecutive plays which prompted one player to tell him to "Go home, go to the sidelines."

As CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco pointed out Sunday, this is all Mike Tannebaum and Rex Ryan's doing. It's all fun and games until a grown man cries in an end-of-year team meeting. Then reality sets in. The Jets are a mess.

There is a bright spot to all this, however: Holmes' antics have temporarily taken the white-hot interrogation lamp off Sanchez.

Terence Newman - Cowboys

Head-coaching material? Jason Garrett thinks so.

The Ryan family had quite a day Sunday. Rex's Jets team self-destructed and Rob, the defensive coordinator in Dallas, did his part to make sure the Cowboys missed the playoffs. Cornerback Terence Newman wasn't the only issue against a Giants offense that moved the ball at will all night, but his performance was indicative of a larger problem facing this defense: it's not much of a defense at all.

Newman has probably played his last game in Dallas, something that almost happened during training camp. ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon recounts the weirdness:

It was quite a surreal scene: a giddy Jerry Jones handing defensive coordinator Rob Ryan his cellphone on the Alamodome sideline during practice, hoping Ryan could close the Cowboys' recruiting campaign on All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, a conversation that happened about 10 yards away from where Newman and the other defensive backs ran drills.

That worked out.

Now it's fair to ask if Ryan will be back, too. Like his brother, Rob is never at a loss for words. The difference: Rex has been to two AFC Championship games in the last three seasons. It's easier to tolerate the gum-flapping when the team is winning. Rob's claim to fame, as best we can tell, is that his dad is Buddy and that he once was a position coach under Bill Belichick.

Rob's career as a defensive coordinator includes stints with the Raiders (2004-2008), Browns (2009-2010) and Cowboys (2011). The results, according to Football Outsiders' metrics:

2004: 26th-ranked defense
2005: 20th
2006: 8th
2007: 22nd
2008: 19th
2009: 30th
2010: 17th
2011: 17th

Not the type of numbers that should lead to a lot of bluster. Yet Rob still talks. And he very well may have talked himself out of not only head-coaching opportunities in 2012, but maybe even another defensive coordinator's gig should the Cowboys decide to move on.

Steve Johnson - Bills

Oh, Stevie Johnson. You seem like such a well-meaning dude. It's just that you can't stay out of your own way. Johnson wasn't the reason the Bills blew a 21-point lead against the Patriots Sunday, but his inability to avoid silly end zone-celebration penalties defy common sense.

Johnson found his name on this list back in Week 12, when his Plaxico Burress "I just shot myself" interpretive touchdown dance was predictably flagged. It got worse: later in that game against the Jets, Johnson dropped what could've been the go-ahead touchdown. Here's what we wrote at the time: "Johnson's TD dance: hilarious. Getting a 15-yard penalty: not hilarious. Dropping a perfect pass from Fitzpatrick on the Bills' last drive, one that would've given the Bills the lead: unacceptable, especially if you're going to mock the opposition."

Gailey says he still wants Johnson back.

And here's what Johnson said at the time: "I was just having fun, and part of having fun ended up being a penalty and a touchdown for the Jets," he said. "It was a stupid decision by myself." Lesson learned, right? Uh, no. Johnson scored in the first quarter Sunday and pulled up his jersey to reveal the words "Happy New Year 2012!!!" scribbled on his t-shirt. About as benign a "celebration" we can think of but it's still a penalty.

On Sunday, Bills coach Chan Gailey benched Johnson for the rest of the game and Buffalo went on to lose, 49-21.

Here's Johnson afterwards:

"I didn’t know it was going to draw a penalty. At the end of the day, what I did was what I did, and I am going to try and bring in the New Year. Ultimately, it hurt my teammates and that is the thing that is hurting me the most. The fact is that it hurt my team.

"The coach told me I was out of the game. He said for the rest of the game and I have to respect his decision. He made it and that is what it is. I can’t complain about it or whine or pout. He made his decision and I am going with it. It really doesn’t matter why or how it happened at the end of the day, what I did hurt my teammates and I have to take that and I will."

Gailey pointed out that Johnson had relayed a message via t-shirt last year without incident, which makes the NFL rules on the matter unclear (shocking, we know).

"I am disappointed," Gaily said. "What happens is, it happened last year, he put a message on his shirt, showed his shirt and didn’t get a flag. And he does it this year, and he gets a flag. Which one is it, you know? It puts me in a bind because I make the statement and if I say it, I’m going to [punish players who hurt our team]. So, I could not argue the gray area of that. So, yeah, I’m disappointed and if it hurts the team, then I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do."

Defense - Raiders

Raiders head coach Hue Jackson is responsible for giving up a first- and second-round pick to land Carson Palmer and it blew up in his face. Yes, you can argue that the Raiders have Palmer going forward, but that wasn't a "looking to the future" transaction. The plan was for Oakland to make their playoff run now.

It didn't happen for any number of reasons, Palmer's play and an inconsistent defense among them. After Sunday's loss to the Chargers that eliminated the Raiders from the playoffs, Jackson told the media that he was "pissed at my team." (He should also be pissed at himself; now Oakland doesn't have a first-round pick in April.)

“I’m going to take a stronger hand in this whole team, in this whole organization,” Jackson said. “There ain’t no way that I’m going to feel like I feel today a year from now. I promise you that."

Duly noted, Hue. He wasn't done.

“There’s no question. Defensively, offensively and special teams. I ain’t feeling like this no more. This is a joke. To have a chance at home to beat a football team that is reeling after being beaten by Detroit, is one of your rivals, and come in and beat us like that . . . yeah, I’m going to take a hand in everything that goes on here.”

But it's the defense that appears to be the true focus of his ire.

"I think (defensive coordinator) Chuck (Bresnahan) knows how I feel,'' Jackson said while not commenting directly on Bresnahan's status for next season. "I'm disappointed over there. I have been. It's not like we haven't had conversations. Chuck knows what I feel, and it's not good enough.''

The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald writes that the Raiders "ended the season allowing 433 points, the second most in franchise history, an average of 27.1 points per game. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers' three touchdown passes brought the total to 31 against the Raiders this season, the most in club history."

Too bad the Raiders can't address their defensive needs in the first round of the 2012 draft.

Tim Tebow - Broncos

Tebow makes back-to-back appearances in Coach Killers after taking an 11-week break while the Broncos went from 1-4 to 8-5. Last week we wrote "the big issue is if defenses have figured out how to stop Denver's option attack and whether the offense has an answer to it."

Yes, it appears so. Tebow was just 6 of 22 for 60 yards (0 TDs, 1 INT) but head coach John Fox says the passing woes don't fall solely on the quarterback. (No idea if Fox actually believes this.)

Has Tebow performed his last miracle?

"There's a lot of moving parts to the pass game," Fox told reporters Monday. "You've got protection, route, timing. You have to throw the ball sometimes to tight windows. We've had had our moments this season. We'll just continue to try to improve. It's not just the quarterback."

Fox continued: "He's trying to do the best he can to help us win. He had a little bit of a struggle yesterday throwing the ball. That happens sometimes. You have to give credit to the Kansas City Chiefs. They've got a pretty good defense. They made a pretty good Green Bay Packer offense have some struggles. We're onto next week and trying to get better."

And the Broncos will need to get better because they're facing one of the league's best defenses when the Steelers come to town.

Last week, Broncos executive vice president John Elway said that Tebow would be the team's quarterback in 2012.

"Tim Tebow's not going anywhere," Elway told the Associated Press. "I mean, he's going to be a Bronco and we're going to do everything we can and hopefully he's that guy."

That proclamation may have been written in pencil, however. On Monday, CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman had this: "While I'm sure Elway wasn't lying I'm told by several league and team officials that Elway continues to have significant concerns about whether or not Tebow can be a franchise quarterback despite Elway's public protestations to the contrary."

If the Broncos lose to the Steelers to drop their fourth game in a row we should expect those rumors to intensify.

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Santonio Holmes is escorted out of the Jets locker room Monday. (Getty Images)

By Will Brinson

With everything that happened with the Jets over the past 24 hours -- missing the playoffs, fighting with the media, in-fighting and whatnot -- you wouldn't be surprised if Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum decided to blow some stuff up. But they won't.

Ryan and Tannebaum confirmed on Monday during a press conference that Santonio Holmes, the player primarily deemed responsible for locker-room issues, would return, and that much-maligned offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer would be back, barring another team (like Jacksonville) hiring him as their head coach.

Black Monday

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"I believe Santonio will be back next year," Ryan said.

The pair were pelted with questions about Holmes and team chemistry and Ryan said they would do away with team captains altogether.

"I made a huge mistake," Ryan said. "Not just by naming Santonio a captain. With all the captains. It's not something I truly believe in."

When the Jets announced the press conference for Monday, speculation started to ramp up that the Jets could do away with Holmes altogether. However, as Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network reported, Holmes is guaranteed more than $7 million in 2012 (with another $7 million of future salary becoming fully guaranteed on the second day of the 2012 league year).

Which is to say, the Jets can't really even consider releasing Holmes. They've simply got to find a way to get him to be better in the locker room. (Tannenbaum wouldn't comment on whether Santonio was disciplined for his behavior the last week.)

As for other issues, Tannenbaum said that Mark Sanchez will remain the starting quarterback in 2012. And Rex indicated there wouldn't be any changes on the coaching staff as of right now.

Oh and Rex's excuse for crying to his team in the locker room on Monday?

"Ah, Im Irish."


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By Josh Katzowitz

So far, it seems clear that the Jaguars are focusing on offensive assistant coaches to interview for their vacant coaching job.

According to the New York Daily News, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will interview to be Jack Del Rio’s successor in Jacksonville. That interview could occur as early as next week.

Schottenheimer joins the mix along with Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for a Jaguars team that finished last in the league in offense and that features a rookie quarterback who had a disturbingly-bad season with one of the worst receiving corps in the league.

Of course, the value of Schottenheimer isn’t exactly high right now after the Jets' failure to make the playoffs could be laid mostly at the feet of the offense, which finished 25th in yards gained. He’s also not the first Jets assistant to draw interest from a Florida team (Miami is high on defensive coordinator Mike Pettine).

The Jets have scheduled a press conference for 3 p.m. ET, and since general manager Mike Tannenbaum also is set to attend, there have been whispers that coaching changes could be made. Not that Schottenheimer is worried about it.

"I've been fired before," he said last week. "If you get in this profession, you're going to get fired. And the guys that sit there and worry about it are the guys that generally end up getting fired, because they are sitting there worried about it."

Besides, if he’s hired, he could be interviewing for a promotion anyway.

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By Josh Katzowitz

For a team that likes to talk so much trash, the Jets certainly didn’t want to speak to reporters a day after their playoff hopes were dashed by a loss to the Dolphins. And they made themselves extremely clear about that.

Santonio Holmes, who actually talked Sunday after he was benched for the final few minutes of the game, was escorted out by the Jets PR department and refused to comment, according to the Newark Star Ledger.

Linebacker Bart Scott also refused to talk, and when a photographer got in his way, Scott yelled, “Get out of my f------ face” and flipped the bird. Cornerback Darrelle Revis also uncharacteristically declined comment.

It just goes to show how acrimonious that locker room has become and what a disaster of a season it was for the Jets. Coach Rex Ryan will meet with the media today at 3 p.m. ET, and the Jets said today that general manager Mike Tannenbaum will join him. Which might mean there will be some team and/or coaching personnel decisions to discuss. 

But say this for Ryan, who apparently cried in front of his team while giving his last speech of the season and pleading for team unity. As blustery as he is, he answers all questions after an opponent makes him look foolish. It’s called being accountable. Sounds like his team is exactly the opposite.  

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By Josh Katzowitz

According to the New York Daily News, Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has drawn interest for the Dolphins head coaching job.

Unlike offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and coach Rex Ryan, Pettine’s reputation has remained intact this season, as the Jets ranked 20th in points allowed but only fifth in yards allowed.

Pettine took over the defensive play-calling duties from Ryan this season, but the major blame for the Jets 8-8 season goes to the offense. Therefore, Pettine still is considered an up-and-coming assistant and could have a decent (but not great) chance at landing the Miami gig.

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