HOUSTON, Dec. 25--Dick Steinberg said today that he was "mad and disappointed," which is about as much emotion as he generates. And the emotion had nothing to do with the stunning news that the Jets' general manager is suffering from stomach cancer.
Instead, Steinberg was talking about the Jets' final game on Saturday, the desultory performance in a 24-10 loss to the lowly Houston Oilers, a game that he watched from his Long Island home.
"I was mad and disappointed, just as I was this season," he said. "We have to figure out how these late collapses happen."
The Jets' sorry December record, dating to 1986, is 8-27. This latest collapse ended in a five-game losing streak and a 6-10 season.
It is uncertain how much of a role Steinberg will have because of that record -- or whether his role will be changed as a result of the illness. It could require treatment that would keep him from working on a regular basis, he said.
Asked whether he also might have faced an evaluation of his job -- the Jets are 32-48 in his five seasons -- he said: "The illness has slanted things. I may have some things to say later in the week."
Asked whether this meant his status or job description may change, he said, "I'm thinking about everything."
In any event, Dick Haley, the club's director of player personnel and Steinberg's assistant for three years, will take over the day-by-day operations.
"Because," Steinberg said, "we don't know how long the medical procedures take."
The 59-year-old Steinberg is being treated by the club's internist, Dr. Elliot Pellman of North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, L.I.
"We haven't figured a course of treatment," said Steinberg. "But I'm confident, since this is something that has been successfully treated in millions of people."
Steinberg said he was able to function completely in his present role, but pointed out that because he may require treatment or need tests, Haley will have to be ready. Steinberg will meet with Coach Pete Carroll on Monday, which is the normal routine after the last game. Several other staff meetings are also scheduled next week.
"We'll have to evaluate, coaches, players and myself," said Steinberg. "That would be the same in all circumstances."
And he, and others if he shifts jobs, again will have to come to grips with that confounding late-season collapse that more and more has taken over the players' psyches.
Carroll said essentially the same thing following Saturday's loss, which ended the Oilers' 11-game losing streak.
"It's an interesting study how it went this season," said Carroll. "We were close to getting things done."
Asked specifically about quarterback Boomer Esiason, Steinberg said: "We've got some talking to do, and Boomer will be evaluated. I don't want to say his future will be evaluated because I don't know that's the case in any greater detail than other players."
As the quarterback for the last two seasons, Esiason has presided over a two-year record of 14-18. And the Jets scored only three touchdowns over their last four-plus games.
That "plus" was the final period against the Dolphins, who beat the Jets with 22 seconds remaining after trailing by 18 points in the third quarter. Instead of the Jets being tied for first place, their loss to Miami began the five-game slide that left them in last place.
But a hint of the way Carroll regards Esiason's status on the team was the fact he played in all but two series in what seemed to be a meaningless Houston game. Foley, who had not played all season, saw his first action late in the second quarter when the Jets had the ball on their 35-yard line. He threw one pass, for 4 yards. The seventh-round pick from Boston College did not return until the game's final series, when he completed 4 of 6 passes with a game-closing, put-it-up-for-grabs interception.
"One thing that was a shame -- we haven't gotten a look at Foley," Steinberg said. "He's got a strong arm, and he sees things well."
Foley is unlikely to be the quarterback of the immediate future, if Carroll, or his philosophy, remains. The club has asked Foley to spend next season in the new N.F.L.-backed spring league in Europe. Foley has said he does not want to miss any work with the Jets.
But Carroll wants to break in Foley very slowly. And given the season the Jets just completed, who's to say they won't draft a top quarterback.
Of course, they will also go through their annual search for a pass-rusher. Essentially, they have no one now.
The Jets' best player over all might be Mo Lewis, the linebacker, who could be a blitzing force if used that way. But the Jets don't have a player on the offense or defense who forces other teams to stay up late to devise special strategies.
Wide receiver Rob Moore earned admiration from teammates with his early-season heroics, playing with a broken hand and making great plays. But the great plays stopped toward the end. Johnny Johnson, meanwhile, never helped the Jets establish a running game this season.
Moore described the final game as one filled with dissension on the Jets' part. He said, with reluctance, that his teammates had gone down meekly against the Oilers "instead of fighting."
Meanwhile, cornerback James Hasty went on WFAN radio after the game and, still angry over being taken out in the final minutes, said he would probably not be here next season. It was just the latest exhibit of discontent from Hasty this year.
There are two young Jets who could be sensational in the future: Aaron Glenn, the 1994 No. 1 pick who became a starter as a rookie cornerback, and Marvin Jones, last year's top choice, who showed great ability as a linebacker when healthy.
But the secondary also has 35-year-old Ronnie Lott, who failed to intercept a pass this season for the first time in his career; safety Brian Washington, who was kept out of Game 15 by Carroll, and the unhappy Hasty.
"We started the season thinking we were good, but not elite," said Steinberg.
He reflected on the collapse, and that when a player joins the Jets, he will be reminded of past failures as soon as trouble starts.
"Somehow, someway, we have to do it," he said. "Maybe you say this is a new team and a new era."
It started that way under Carroll, who began the year with victories over the Bills and Broncos.
"It didn't end the way it started," Steinberg said. "And that's what makes you mad and disappointed."
