On Sunday, the Jets are eliminated from playoff contention as would-be savior Brett Favre throws three interceptions, Chad Pennington throws dirt in their faces and New England and Baltimore pour salt on the wound.

On Monday, Eric Mangini gets the boot (not such a bad thing, actually).

But wait. There's Tuesday. That's when Bill Cowher tells the Jets thanks but no thanks.

And yesterday, Pennington wins Comeback Player of the Year for a second time - this time with an AFC East rival.

Happy New Year, Gang Green.

And now it is on to Plan B, as the Woody Johnson-Mike Tannenbaum brain trust attempts to restore order from the chaos of yet another Jets calamity, the latest in a four-decades-old quest to win another Super Bowl.

Cowher certainly would have been the most palatable replacement for Mangini, with a resume second to none and two years of recharging that would have proved invaluable in his second go-round as a head coach. But now that he's out of the picture, there still is hope that the Jets can find a quality coach to lead the franchise from the abyss.

That coach is Steve Spagnuolo.

The Giants' second-year defensive coordinator, who will interview with the Jets on Saturday, may not have the head-coaching experience that would be a benefit to anyone working in this high-pressure market. But being around Spagnuolo the last two years and observing his body of work with the Giants has convinced me that he would be a fine coach for the Jets in the foreseeable future.

No, he doesn't have the cachet of Cowher, whose intensity would have resonated off the locker room's walls and lifted the team out of its malaise. But sometimes it's the younger, hungrier coordinator - what Cowher used to be before taking over in Pittsburgh - that succeeds as much as the more established head-coaching presence.

For that reason, I give the edge to Spagnuolo over the recently deposed Mike Shanahan, who was fired Tuesday after 14 seasons as the Broncos' coach.

Yes, Shanahan would bring a creativity to the offense that would benefit the Jets, regardless of the quarterback. But there are too many potential land mines with him.

The guy has been going at it hard for a long, long time and probably needs a break from the grind. And he has been used to having carte blanche from a personnel standpoint, so joining the Jets, who insist on a front-office hierarchy that allows the general manager more say in personnel issues than the coach has, would present challenges.

Go back to the last Broncos coach who had full authority over personnel issues and was fired. After being terminated in 1992 by owner Pat Bowlen, Dan Reeves convinced then-Giants general manager George Young that he could accept a subservient role in roster decisions. Young hired Reeves after being turned down by then-Boston College coach Tom Coughlin and Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt. But after four seasons, Reeves was out, in large part because he chafed under Young's authority.

I'm not saying Shanahan couldn't adjust to a decreased role with the Jets, but once you've had the final say over the roster, it's not easy to go back.

Keep Shanahan as an option and keep Marty Schottenheimer as an option, because he has turned around so many teams.

But with Cowher out of the picture, Spagnuolo is the best fit.

He is a brilliant defensive mind, and the Jets badly need one to turn around a defense that was embarrassingly bad under Mangini. Spagnuolo would transition the Jets from the 3-4 to the 4-3, but there is enough talent on the roster to make the switch.

Spagnuolo is beloved by Giants players, and there is no doubt in my mind that he would get the locker room on his side in no time. Whereas Mangini was a dull, robotic coach whose message was tuned out by his players, especially the veterans, Spagnuolo's dynamic personality, coupled with his ingenious schemes, no doubt would make this a better team.

Spagnuolo would inherit a largely dysfunctional offense, with major questions at quarterback. But the Jets need to listen to his take on Favre, because Spagnuolo played against him twice during the 2007 season.

The first time, Favre waxed the Giants in a Week 2 embarrassment at Giants Stadium. The second time, Spagnuolo smoked him on the road in Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game.

Johnson and Tannenbaum have insisted that Favre is wanted back next season, but if Spagnuolo tells them that's an unwise choice - which it is - the two men would have to listen. And sources indicate they are prepared to do just that despite their public stance to the contrary.

The Jets have an improved offensive line and a quality running game, and if you take away Favre's 22 interceptions, even a middling talent such as Kellen Clemens would be preferable at this point over a 40-year-old quarterback. Play great defense, run the ball and don't turn the ball over, and the Jets can overcome a lot of the problems they faced this year.

If the Jets are willing to go in that direction, then Spagnuolo's their man.

Memo to Johnson and Tannenbaum: Hire him.