The New York Jets couldn't get Bill Belichick to put down roots for more than a day when they named him to succeed Bill Parcells as head coach after the 1999 season. Six years later, the Jets are reaching out to the Belichick coaching tree as they seek to replace Herman Edwards and begin the climb back to respectability. Jets general manager Terry Bradway confirmed that he will interview New England defensive coordinator Eric Mangini, the latest "hot" Belichick prot?g?, sometime this week. According to NFL guidelines, because the Pats remain in the playoffs, the interview must take place in the Boston area, and New England officials have to agree on the day and time. Mangini, 34, was never more than an NFL position coach until this season, when he was promoted to coordinator to replace Romeo Crennel, who departed to become head coach of the Cleveland Browns. The lack of experience in a supervisory position, and the fact Mangini has been in the NFL only 11 seasons, may be superseded by his connection to Belichick. The NFL's reigning head coach guru, Belichick is a man whose imprimatur carries considerable weight in New York, despite his abrupt resignation from the Jets in 1999 after only one day on the job. There are also strong ties between Mangini and Jets assistant general manager Mike Tannenbaum, with the two having worked together in Cleveland in the mid-1990s. Mangini is being characterized in some quarters as the front-runner for the job. While such an assessment might be premature, there is little doubt having Belichick's name on his resume as a reference won't hurt him in New York.