For a franchise that has come as close as any in the league to embodying consistent excellence, such a slipup might have seemed a signal for drastic change, an indication that New Jersey's way of doing things was obsolete.
The VIX, a closely-watched gauge of volatility expectations for the next 30 days slipped under 13 for the first time since mid-2007 Friday, a signal that a correction is in order to some, but possibly an indication that not a whole lot is expected to change that drastically in the next month.
Ch Supt Grimshaw said Mr Fenton's mobile phone signal - traced 11 hours and 39 minutes after he was reported missing - had provided officers with "an indication of the general location" of the phone.