The New York Jets have fired head coach Eric Mangini after just 3 seasons with the team.

“He did a great job for us for three years and he helped lay a great foundation,” general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. “We felt, in our judgment, we want to build on that and go in a different direction.”

Mangini had the Jets out to a wonderful 8-3 start to this season but they lost 4 of their last 5 games and missed the playoffs despite having future hall of famer Brett Favre under center. His overall record with the team was 23-26.

“I appreciate the opportunity that Woody and Mike gave me for the past three years as the head coach of the New York Jets,” Mangini said in a statement. “The organization has terrific people and I wish the Jets nothing but success. The time and effort invested by the coaches and players was tremendous and I value that beyond words.

“We worked hard to achieve two winning seasons out of the past three. I regret that we could not reach our goals for this year. I will always appreciate the passion and support of the fans as our focus was trying to build them a championship-caliber foundation and team.”

If Favre returns for another season the Jets could make a playoff run in 2009 but if he leaves they will likely struggle to find a quarterback. They have a lot of young talent, but without Favre they’re a below average team.

And yes, for all the Patriots fans out there — the rat got what he deserved.