Jets coach Eric Mangini warned that it could happen any day, and apparently since his third son didn’t arrive by his due date, he and wife Julie will head to the hospital tomorrow for a scheduled cesarean section. In today’s press conference he referred to 4 a.m. as the time they will arrive at the “stadium” and 6 a.m. as “kickoff.” I asked if Julie thought those analogies were cute.

“At this point in her pregnancy, not much that I do is cute,” Mangini said.

(For a definition of “cute,” see AP photo of Tiger cubs. Together now, Awww….)

Mangini gave no indication that he would take the day off, which would go over real well in most families. “Hey, great job honey. While they stitch you up I’m just going to head over to practice. Dinner later?” But obviously football coaches are a different breed, and football wives sacrifice for their husbands’ career.

In other news, S Abram Elam seems to be the leading candidate to take S Eric Smith’s starting spot as he serves a one-game suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cardinal Anquan Boldin. Yesterday, Mangini also threw out CB Dwight Lowery’s name as well, but that might have been a red herring.

Randy Cross, part of CBS NFL broadcast team, had some things to say about Brett Favre and the Jets…

“After this many weeks in the season, Brett Favre demonstrated against Arizona he has a pretty good mastery of the offense,” Cross said. I’m sure it’s gotten even sharper. That would be the bad news for everyone else they play.”

On whether the bye takes the momentum out of the win over the Cardinals:

“They probably would’ve been better off getting right back at it, but rest is always good whenever it comes during the season,” Cross said. “It’s just a matter of them continuing to grow. They’re a better team than they were last year. They’re a team that is just starting to see what they have with this present dropped in their lap – Brett Favre. As a group, they have to take more advantage of it.”

I will add to that. The Jets locker room has been a lot more loose in the last two week. Guys are laughing and joking, Laveranues Coles is playfully ripping the star quarterback and Eric Barton has busted a few moves when the music is on.

The first few weeks of the season were pretty chaotic. Favre gets here, they move to New Jersey and the season starts. The new place is nice, but it didn’t feel like home. There is a sense now that everyone can start to relax.

Except Mangini, because he’s about to have a sleepless newborn in the house.