FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The debacle that unfolded Saturday was reminiscent of a long-ago Christmas Eve in 1994.
The coach was Pete Carroll, and he got whacked after only one season because a couple of knuckleheads -- James Hasty and Brian Washington -- infected the locker room with their toxic attitude, creating a perception that the team had quit on Carroll. The New York Jets were awful down the stretch, culminating with an ugly loss in Houston on Dec. 24. Owner Leon Hess overreacted and fired Carroll, who has done quite nicely for himself.
The same scenario is playing out for the current Jets, as Todd Bowles -- considered a rising star only a year ago -- is getting buried by a talent-thin team that isn't fighting for him.