10/15 — Eric Mangini, at his news conference almost 24 hours after the Jets' 16-9 loss to Philadelphia was in the books, was not going where many fans who comment here and elsewhere around Jets Nation wanted him to go.

Of Chad Pennington, the Jets head coach said, "He's the starting quarterback." And in response to some pointed questioning from reporters this afternoon, he explained why Pennington will get the ball to start Game 7 at Cincinnati on Sunday.

"I can only go by the two years I've been here, but Chad's made a ton of good decisions," Mangini said. "There are definitely plays [against the Eagles] he'd like to have back and I'd like him to have back. There are things we can do better as a coaching staff to clear up those things, not just in the design of plays but in the coaching of plays."

One questioner suggested that a change of quarterbacks has been known to spark several NFL teams over the years. Mangini's reply:

"I've seen changes to the roster go both ways. It can do positive things, and it can do things that aren't as positive. You're always looking for answers that are positive and are based on an honest critical assessment of where you are."

And Mangini chuckled when reminded of a Bill Parcells dictum that one way QBs are judged is by how often they get their teams in the end zone.

"I'm going to call Bill later. I need to get a Parcells quote," he said of his former boss on the Jets from 1997-99. "I heard an old Parcells quote recently: 'It's not like going to Aamco. You can't just take out the sparkplug.' Well, I'd say it's not like going to Aamco. You just can't take out the sparkplug."

One more reporter asked if he feels Kellen Clemens isn't ready to step into the starting lineup yet. "It's definitely not that," he replied.

With that being the case, it's always good to accentuate the positive and correct the negative, not just at the QB position but all around the Jets. For instance ...

● Thomas Jones honked it up in there against the NFL's ninth-ranked run defense. And even though the third-down offense took a hit vs. the Birds, the Jets continue to convert, at 48.8 percent, better than all but Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

● Yes, Philadelphia's last drive counts in the stats, but before that, the defense was playing better in the second half with two three-and-outs and its only takeaway. Donovan McNabb found his receivers often but was also under duress as the Green & White matched its three sacks through five games with three of No. 5. And until that last series, Brian Westbrook had a human 103 yards from scrimmage. And the zero TDs in four inside-the-20 trips by Philly was the best red zone showing by a Jets defense since at least 1995.

● Leon Washington improved his kickoff average, if that's possible, to a still-NFL-leading 36.4 yards per return. And Mike Nugent's only field goal miss was into the same swirling east-end-zone winds that caused the normally flawless David Akers to miss twice, and Nuge had two more touchbacks as the Eagles' average start after four KOs was their 22.

It's not mind-blowing stuff, but little is when you're 1-5. Let's make the corrections and saddle up for Cincinnati.

Chad on Crunch Downs

The twin outcomes of the third- and fourth-down plays at the Eagles 4 with four minutes left Sunday were bad for the Jets. It's a shame because Chad Pennington's record in both situations has been strong.

Since Mangini arrived, Pennington had converted seven consecutive "crunch down" QB sneaks. In fact, Chad had a Brady-esque streak of 18 successful sneaks on third- or fourth-and-1 dating to Champaign, Ill., in December 2002, when he was stopped for no gain after a fumbled snap on fourth-and-1 vs. the Bears.

And when throwing in those same situations, Pennington under Mangini had hit 11 of 14 passes (plus one sack), resulting in 11 conversions and three touchdowns — one to Chris Baker at Green Bay last year and two to Laveranues Coles (2006 vs. Miami, this season at Buffalo).

Inside the Jets

RB Thomas Jones, fresh off his best running game as a Jet, will check in with host Bob Wischusen at tonight's "Inside the Jets" show on 1050 AM ESPN Radio live from Charlie Brown's restaurant in Garden City, N.Y. Also appearing will be Hank Poteat, who picked off Donovan McNabb for his first career interception in the fourth quarter against the Eagles, and Jets Flight Crew member Meredith. The show kicks off at 7 p.m.