Navigating the Coronavirus Pandemic during this football season was never going to be an easy task. The NFL has now begun to see a spike in cases that is felt throughout the world. Yet, the Tennessee Titans outbreak looks to be a little more contained as they had zero new positive cases. Along with the NFL seemingly getting a grip on the game schedule during a pandemic, the New York Jets have thrown a curveball into that premise.
Today, Adam Schefter has reported the New York Jets had a presumptive positive test.
What We Know
What is known is that the Jets had one of their routine tests come back positive today on One Jets Drive. Thus, all players and coaches were sent home, and the player who tested positive is awaiting the results of their retest, per Rich Cimini. The Arizona Cardinals were slated to fly out today for this Sunday’s contest, and that game now hinges on the results of this test. This positive test is considered presumptive as there have been false positives in the last week or so.
Still, the organization must act out of an abundance of caution to prevent a continued spread. One scenario that could come into play is reminiscent of this past Monday’s game between the Patriots and Chiefs. Despite a positive test, the Patriots kept the virus contained between Cam Newton and now All-Pro Corner Stephon Gilmore, and the team were still able to play their scheduled game.
Long Term Outlook
The Jets must now act with the same sense of fluidity that the entire league and country, for that matter, has operated under in order to prevent a larger spread. The players and coaches need to continue to take responsibility in order to finish the season. With that said, if cases continue to become more widespread nationally, the league may have to consider a bubble setup to finish out the season and the playoffs safely.
Hopefully, the Jets get everything in order within the organization, because no matter how critical you are of the team, I wish them nothing but the best in their health and potential COVID-19 recovery.
The New York Jets are reportedly retaining Adam Gase. That shouldn’t stop them from making changes to prevent further embarrassment.
Providing a watchable primetime game for the football-loving masses doesn’t earn you any postseason real estate in the National Football League, but it apparently allows you to keep a tenuous grasp on a head coaching position.
Thursday night entertainment and competency wasn’t enough for the New York Jets to earn a victory, as they fell 37-28 to the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. The Jets (0-4) did tally a season-high in scoring and even led for the first time in 2020. But when the endgame remains defeat at the hands of a Denver squad trotting out a third-string quarterback and missing its playmakers, it’s hard to glean out any positives.
Despite this, the overseer of this winless operation, Adam Gase, isn’t going anywhere. Connor Hughes of The Athletic has revealed that Gase is not only secure through the upcoming ten-day layoff the Jets before an October 11 tilt against Arizona (1 p.m. ET, Fox) but that “the plan is for (Gase) to remain the team’s coach throughout the season, barring any dramatic circumstances that would make a change unavoidable”.
New York may have already reached such a point, but there’s no use arguing it. Gase’s seat has been warm since he opened his green office. Only a phantom 6-2 stretch, mostly earned against hopeless or resting teams, has lowered the temperature, and that might as well have happened a decade ago. The Jets, though, have appeared to hitch their wagon to the Gase truck and there’s no turning back. Star-crossed as their history may be, the Jets are a team that has mostly avoided the in-season firing. Charley Winner was the last example all the way back in 1974.
But if Gase isn’t going, someone has to respond for this.
When one looks at the modern Jets, there’s certainly room for potential. But, should that potential be recognized, has anyone earned the right to stick around for those hypothetical (for now) glory days? Can there even be glory days with this unit and this core? Other than Jamison Crowder and Sam Ficken, which veterans on this team can accurately say they’re in a better situation than they were in last season?
Be it a coach, be it a player, someone has to be held accountable in this early going.
The likely, more efficient, spot to make a change in the coaching staff. A macabre gift offered to the Jets in their de facto state of early elimination is that players have a dozen consequence-free opportunities to play for their jobs. Good, strong efforts on the field can be the difference between playing in the NFL…be it in New York or elsewhere…and waiting for an opportunity in Dwayne Johnson’s XFL in 2022…be it in New York or elsewhere.
But this coaching staff is not granting the Jets’ representatives the opportunity to do so. It’s one thing to post losing records but to look respectable doing it…that’s what the 2017 squad was doing under Josh McCown (5-8 as a starter with all but two losses by a single digit). But to repeatedly make no adjustments and constantly chalk deficiencies up to execution isn’t working.
Improvisation from Sam Darnold contributed to a good portion of the offensive output, including the 46-yard run to glory that dropped the jaws of football fans everywhere. With Le’Veon Bell out, Gase and his offensive staff have opted to leave a majority of his duties…and others…into the 37-year-old legs of Frank Gore, rather than testing the mettle of fourth-round pick La’Mical Perine. With the outcome decided after a Melvin Gordon-induced dagger, the Jets nonetheless engaged in unnecessary, dangerous extracurriculars, (the last of six personal foul penalties worth 15 yards each) ones that certainly look suspect when one looks like a Gregg Williams’ past (namely the New Orleans chapters). Gase has been lauded as an “offensive genius” by team CEO Christopher Johnson, but one view of Ryan Tannehill’s highlights from Tennessee, free from the Miami-induced purgatory of Gase and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains serves as a visual aid against description.
Even in defeat, the Jets aren’t being set up for success. There’s such a thing as a “good loss”…rebuilding teams thrive on such moral victories…but the Jets can’t even get those.
The next ten days could change the course of several careers. Wins in a brutal stretch (the Chargers, Bills, and Super Bowl champion Chiefs and Patriots immediately loom after the upstart Cardinals) are probably going to very hard to come by, but development can still be made. Personal growth can be attained. Wins, proverbial and personal, is there for the taking.
But that’s not going to come if the MetLife Stadium sidelines ten days from now is a duplicate of Thursday night.
The New York Jets (0-3) will take on the Denver Broncos (0-3) in tonight’s game. The game was one I was eager to see prior to the season. I hoped the headlines would be all about Drew Lock vs Sam Darnold or about how the Jets improved defense would handle the Broncos young and talented offense. Instead, we have Brett Rypien at the helm of a banged-up Broncos team and the Jets fighting for any shred of respect they could salvage this season. Here are the things I am watching for in the battle of two of the worst AFC teams to this point.
Adam Gase’s Funeral?
After the Jets got embarrassed this past Sunday in Indianapolis, the heat beneath Adam Gase’s seat became flames. Rumors have swirled all week from Colin Cowherd, Chris Mortensen, and many other top insiders that this could be the end of the road for Gase if the team is blown out. The consensus is, the team needs to implode for Gase to be ousted. The Broncos would need to perform similarly to the 49ers in Week 2 for Gase to go. The odds are in Gase’s favor to still be the coach of this team come Friday morning, but the Jets are wearing all black tomorrow night, so maybe this could be Gase’s New York Jet funeral.
Brett Rypien’s First Career Start
Rypien starting tonight brings me back to the game the Jets played when Luke Falk stepped in on Thursday night last year. Rypien was a practice squad fixture until just a week ago, but after going 8/9 for 53 yards and a pick in the end zone, he will get a shot to run the offense, at least to start, tonight. Broncos coach Vic Fangio has said he will see a role where Jeff Driskel gets work as well. Last year the Jets preyed on weak QBs like Dwayne Haskins Jr., Matt Barkley, and Devlin Hodges. Although this Jets defense is a shell of what it was last year, Gregg Williams is still here, and he knows how to make young QBs uncomfortable. The Broncos have also allowed 13 sacks, which stands as the second-most in the league. The Jets could look to make this a really rough debut for the nephew of former NFL vet Mark Rypien.
Sam Darnold Needs To Rebound
The Jets offense floundered last weekend, but particularly so did Sam Darnold. With three interceptions, Sam Played one of his worst pro games. Tonight though, he gets a returning Jamison Crowder along with a budding connection with Braxton Berrios. Darnold needs to come out swinging tonight; Gase needs to let him run around and sling it. He needs to get rid of the receiver screens and take some shots downfield. They need to open up the playbook because win or loss, the most paramount issue is getting Darnold some momentum back.
Adam Gase may have the hottest seat in football, but the embattled head coach of the New York Jets might still be able to save his job.
After his team blew yet another strong fourth quarter lead, Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn appeared to sit in the proverbial hottest seat in football.
Adam Gase and the New York Jets appeared to reply “hold our Gatorade”.
Less than two weeks after Gase was labeled an “offensive genius” by team CEO Christopher Johnson, the Jets (0-3) have endured consecutive shellackings by a combined 47-point deficit. The losses have come against a San Francisco 49ers squad missing a good portion of its starters and the Indianapolis Colts, whose ceiling likely resides on wild-card weekend. New York also ranks in the lowest portions of nearly all offensive categories, only raising the temperature on the second-year head coach.
Despite Johnson’s vote of confidence, rumors persist that the Jets may be ready to move on. Fox Sports’ host Colin Cowherd remarked during his Monday show that a source has claimed that Gase is set to be fired should the Jets fall to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night in East Rutherford (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network). The extended break that follows the Denver game only increases the possibility, as if the Jets’ performance over the first three weeks of the season wasn’t enough to convince anyone a change has to be made. Through three weeks, the Jets are the lone team in the NFL to hold a lead at any point this season.
Players have also spoken out against Gase’s practices, though quarterback Sam Darnold has been supportive.
“We’ve been put in great positions to go out there and succeed, to go out there and make plays and execute a game plan that’s put together perfectly for us,’’ Darnold said, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. “It’s just about us going out there and executing. That’s it. I’ve just got to execute the play that’s called.’’
New York has not fired a coach midseason since 1975, when they fired Charley Winner, who was also in the midst of his second season with the team.
The case of Gase may be too far gone, with the trigger fingers of NFL decisionmakers quicker than ever. It took the Arizona Cardinals only a single season to give up on Steve Wilks, for example. A 2016 playoff berth wasn’t enough to give Ben McAdoo a full season when the Jets’ MetLife Stadium co-tenants endured a brutal sophomore season under his watch. Thus, the invisible clock has more than likely start to tick on Gase. If they can’t beat a Denver squad sending Brett Rypien into his first NFL start, midnight will likely chime.
It’s admirable what Frank Gore, 37, has been able to do this late in his career. Through three weeks, Gore is second amongst running backs in their 30s with 144 yards (behind only Adrian Peterson in Detroit), though that has mostly come from an unusually high workload in the wake of Le’Veon Bell’s injury. He’s currently averaging a career-low 3.4 yards on 42 carries, 38 of which have come over the last two games.
Gore’s Florham Park prescience has a purpose. The rusher, third all-time in yardage, can still be serviceable as a spell option (1,321 yards with Miami and Buffalo over the past two seasons). A similar journey from rebuild to Super Bowl can also be inspiring to this inexperienced green squad. But Gore is no longer at a level where he can single-handedly turn games on their head. There’s no need to force a 37-year-old back into 19 carries a game, especially when you have a rookie running back that can potentially contribute.
The Jets have high hopes for La’Mical Perine, a fourth-round rushing selection. Formerly of Florida, the freshman is working with a team best 4.1 yards per carry…but, the problem is, he has only had 10 opportunities to date. Gase has continually expressed his desire to get Perine more opportunities, and it appears he’s not alone.
“Perine has been awesome. Super explosive,” Darnold said in a report from Rich Cimini. “He has ‘big play’ written all over him.”
Had we been talking about this a decade ago, sure, Gore could be the man to solve this offensive conundrum. But with this dreadful start offering the cruel silver lining of 13 research and development opportunities…basically preseason games denied by coronavirus…Gase needs to give young players an opportunity to showcase their skills. If things go well, it could work in Gase’s favor in terms of him staying, allowing him to build a rapport with young players.
Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Take a Chance
In the final verse of “Like a Rolling Stone”, arguably his most renowned work, Bob Dylan declared “when you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose”.
It’s highly unlikely that Blind Boy Grunt was prophesizing the status of the 2010s/20s New York Jets, but they can learn something from that line.
Going along with the theme of the research and development silver lining, another macabre gift that the Jets have is that there is little, if any, consequence, to their remaining games. Dead last in the AFC by October’s debut, there’s simply too many teams to leapfrog and too many brutal opponents and performances to even consider the mere idea of the postseason. Thus, they should take advantage of this opportunity.
Kicking field goals down 24-3 in “goal-to-go” situations isn’t the way to do that. But that’s exactly what the Jets did in their home opener against San Francisco.
If the Jets are going to sit in the NFL cellar, the least they can do is be entertaining. By this point, there’s more or less no reason to punt once they cross their own 40-yard-line and facing fourth down with less than six yards to go (sorry, Braden Mann).
Risk-taking could play out in Gase’s favor in more ways than one. Not only could it take the advice of one of his New York predecessors (“You play to win the game!”), but it can give members of a beleaguered offense a chance to showcase their talents and allow them to audition for a role in 2021.
Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Be an Offensive Genius
All it takes to find Johnson’s “offensive genius” comments…well, offensive, is a quick glance at sortable team stats on any football stats sites.
Most of the unit’s rankings are double-digit numbers that start with a “3”…when there are 32 teams in your league, that’s never a good sign. Each of the Jets’ NFL brethren has earned more yards (791), first downs (47), and touchdowns (4) through three games. The Jets have failed to earn 300 yards in any of the opening trio, a borderline impossibility in today’s football landscape. Unless you’re a double-agent from New England, Buffalo, or Miami, nothing about that screams genius.
To save his job, Gase needs to make some progress with a young, developing offense. That starts with Sam Darnold, the franchise quarterback who’s making throws that would be concerning in a rookie season, much less a third campaign. For the first time, there’s legitimate doubt over whether he’s the man of the future for this franchise. Reestablishing that idea will be vital to Gase keeping his spot.
Gase and company are set to gain at least some reinforcements in time for the primetime showdown with the Broncos. Jamison Crowder is expected to be back, while Mekhi Becton’s injury in Indianapolis is not expected to be anything long-term.
Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Win
Honestly, the surest cure Gase can provide is that of victory.
The Jets posted a 7-9 ledger last season, earning their best win total since the star-crossed 2015 campaign. Those wins, almost a winning record by modern New York standards (on either side), masked a good part of the 2019 malarkey. It was enough to make many, including the Jets’ decisionmakers, apparently forget about the 1-7 start, none of those in the right column being particularly close. Gase and his comrades too advantage of a weak second half, topping Washington, Oakland, Miami, and their blue MetLife Stadium roommates. The outliers came against Pittsburgh and Buffalo. While the former was somewhat impressive, more or less ending the Steelers’ playoff chances, it came against a pair of backup quarterbacks, as did the season-ending triumph in Orchard Park with the Bills resting starters upon locking up the fifth AFC playoff seed.
Thursday’s game against Denver is the perfect storm: the Broncos come in reeling from injuries of their own. Many had pegged them as a surprise playoff contender, energized by a strong finish from then-rookie Drew Lock. However, Lock’s one of the players down (joining Courtland Sutton, Von Miller, Jurrell Casey, and A.J. Bouye), replaced first by Jeff Driskel and now Brett Rypien, he of his first NFL start…and that’s only because recent signee Blake Bortles isn’t ready. Combine that with the ten days off to prepare with a potential interim boss, and Gase’s Jets are faced with the most morbid kind of must-win.
Realistically, Thursday may be one of the final times casual observers put the Jets in the “favorite” column. November begins with a matchup against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, who haven’t lost a step. The Jamal Adams revenge game in Seattle awaits in December. This doesn’t even include the yearly double nightmare against New England.
Winning is going to be the best thing to help Gase right now, even if the playoffs are far removed from any New York conversation (green or blue). Heck, the Gase goose may be already cooked. But that shouldn’t stop anyone in the locker from providing even the slightest bit of metropolitan hope.
It’s hard to blame Darnold for it, but there’s no denying the New York Jets are no better off since their fateful 2018 trade with the Colts.
The NFL Draft has transformed from a single, fleeting weekend in April to a 12-month, 365-day affair that dominates the football landscape on both the professional and amateur levels. Part of the reason for this evolution is the lasting relationship the draft holds with the concept of “what might’ve been”. Fruitful and ineffectual Sundays in autumn have fans constantly asking questions in spring retrospect.
The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts will be linked by this bond for the foreseeable future. Two years, five months, and eight days before their Sunday afternoon meet-up at Lucas Oil Stadium, a 36-7 Indianapolis shellacking, the two sides agreed to a trade that altered the selection board of the 2018 NFL Draft. New York (0-3) sent four picks to Circle City to move their first turn up three slots. Such a move allowed the Jets to be around for one of the top quarterback choices available in the 2018 proceedings.
The Jets and Colts also engaged in several draft day deals since then, but none have been more vital than the swap that indirectly dressed Sam Darnold in green.
“(New York) had an interest to move up to (No.) 3 and kind of went back and forth for the last four or five days,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said at the time, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “(We) talked to a couple other teams, but we still wanted to stay in position in that top 10 where we could still get a premium player. We feel like at (No.) 6, we’ll still be able to get a premium player.”
At the time, the Jets were actually stocked on the foreign concepts of hope and momentum. They had gone 5-11 the year before but were energized by a young unit overseen by the reasonable reliability of placeholder quarterback Josh McCown. USA Today had the Jets winning a single game in 2017, but McCown and company conjured up five (including one over future AFC finalist Jacksonville), providing some rare positive vibes in green New York circles.
Trading four picks to move up three spots was risky no matter how it was sliced, but, in this NFL era ruled by offensive heroics and a fantasy football deity, a true franchise quarterback was vital. 2018 was the year to find that man, with Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson all entering the professional ranks. Then-general manager Mike Maccagnan knew just how important being in prime position to welcome one of those names to New York was, telling ESPN Radio’s Humpty and Canty “If (there) was a player we felt strong about, we would have no qualms of potentially trying to go up and get him”. With the third selection in hand, he was guaranteed at least one.
After Mayfield and running back Saquon Barkley respectively went to the Browns and Giants, the Jets took Darnold with the third overall pick. Everyone involved knew typical green growing pains were ahead, but the Jets’ perpetual rebuild had perhaps his brightest glimmer of hope since the Tim Tebow circus tent deflated.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis quietly made its selections, preparing for a future that would presumably be led by their own prized franchise man. Andrew Luck had missed all of 2017 with a shoulder injury (leading to the Colts’ high draft slot), so Indy was abuzz on what would be done to protect him. Ballard acquiesced by draft Notre Dame guard Quinton Nelson with the sixth overall choice brought in from New York. The next day, another Jets selection (37th overall) was used to take another interior man, Auburn’s Braden Smith (one choice after the Colts used their original second-rounder to take future All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard). The final Jets choice from 2018 was traded to Philadelphia, but the Colts used the last of the bounty to choose cornerback Rock Ya-Sin 34th overall in the following year’s selections (Ya-Sin missed Sunday’s game due to injury).
Nelson and Smith (who later moved to tackle) joined a veteran group headlined by Peyton Manning-era holdover Anthony Castonzo and veterans Ryan Kelly and Mark Glowinski. Upon Luck’s return, he was sacked only 18 times during the 2018 campaign, slicing his takedowns by more than half. The Colts immediately returned to the playoffs and earned an upset win over divisional rival Houston in the wild card round. Not only was Luck never sacked, but Colts rushers also tallied 200 yards, 148 coming from Marlon Mack.
Indianapolis eventually bowed out to top-seeded Kansas City, but the reformed line earned rave reviews.
“They’re blue-collar work guys,” former offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo said in a 2018 report from ESPN’s Mike Wells. “These are the guys that dig holes. They work with jackhammers every day. There’s no glory for these guys. If it weren’t for them, nothing else happens.”
“Every team in the league has physical talent, but the mental makeup of this group top to bottom is by far the best I’ve been around,” retiring guard Matt Slauson said in Wells’ story. “The way they’re able to take coaching and immediately apply it is huge. It allows for in-game adjustments to happen real fast.”
Luck’s abrupt retirement prior to the 2019 season somewhat derailed the Colts’ resurgence plans, but the team has remained competitive under placeholders Jacoby Brissett and Phillip Rivers. They’ve only allowed 35 sacks over the past two seasons, good for eighth in the NFL. An uncanny ability to stay healthy has likewise been impressive. Sunday’s tilt against the Jets marked the 19th consecutive game that the Colts rolled out the same unit in front of the quarterback, which might as well be an eternity by NFL standards. The unit has been overseen by former playoff hero and strong offensive mind Frank Reich, who has worked with coordinator Nick Sirianni since their days with the Chargers’ franchise (2013-17).
To say Darnold has been lacking that kind of stability would be the understatement of this infantile season.
The USC alum can certainly be held accountable for the alarming number of mistakes he has made in the fateful third season, like the three Sunday interceptions into crowded coverage that yielded 14 Colts points. But the fact Darnold has managed to showcase some flashes of brilliance despite an ever-changing roster. Whereas throwers from Indianapolis have enjoyed continuity in their protection and receiving, Darnold is working with an entirely new offensive line from last season and not a single catcher remains from his rookie season.
The transition and turnover has not been limited to on-field personnel. Darnold has had to go through two different coaching staffs, and a third could be on the way if the Jets opt to move on from head coach Adam Gase. While Reich oversaw an offense that consistently racked up yardage in San Diego and Los Angeles, the 2020 season has been full of evidence against Gase. Ryan Tannehill has emerged from quarterback purgatory to become one of the game’s more consistent passers. Jets management, namely CEO Christopher Johnson, has offered a vote of confidence to Gase, the “offensive genius”, but the Jets appear in the 30s in numerous stat categories in a 32-team league. Funds and picks to help Darnold have gone toward acquisitions that have been disappointing (Breshad Perriman, Ryan Griffin, Quinnen Williams), injured (C.J. Mosley, Denzel Mims), or both (Le’Veon Bell).
Sunday was more or less a culmination of the Jets’ woes against a team with whom they collaborated with in managing their future. The Colts (2-1) are a team that’s still figuring things out. Rivers is clearly not meant to be the quarterback for any lengthy period. Longtime prime receiver T.Y. Hilton has struggled to post the number expected of him. Tannehill and the undefeated Tennessee Titans have control of the AFC South. The horseshoe helmeted squad might be able to take advantage of the expanded wild card picture, but no one’s expecting them to rep the conference in Super Bowl LV.
Against the Jets, however, it might as well have been the Manning/Edgerrin James/Marvin Harrison days all over again.
The Jets earned only 15 first downs and 260 yards on offense, failing to reach 300 for the third consecutive week in an NFL where such a concept is commonplace. Even brief moments of joy, like a 7-7 tie in the first quarter via Darnold’s rollout strike to Braxton Berrios, was offset by calamities both unforced and beyond their control. In the case of the latter, a rare step in the right direction, Mekhi Becton, was lost to an injury that cost him the entire second half. His prescience was best on display when his replacement, Connor McDermott, missed the block on Justin Houston that led to a Colts safety in the fourth quarter, more or less solidifying the case that the Gase-era Jets are football’s version of Murphy’s Law. Gregg Williams’ defense could provide no silver linings. True to form, the Colts’ blockers allowed no sacks on Sunday.
More points by the @Colts defense.@JHouston50 sacks Darnold in the end zone for a safety! 🙏
This brutal display simply personified how little the Jets have moved forward since that fateful trade in 2018. The Colts were the perfect team to expose such flaws. If anything, the Jets have only taken several steps back.
“I just got to play consistent,” said Darnold of the loss, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “I’m not playing consistent enough to play well in this league. Make the plays when they’re there. When they’re not, just get rid of the ball. Check it down. Do all the right things I need to do.”
Thirteen harrowing weeks remain on the Jets’ ledger. The lone positive to glean from Indianapolis is that a short week ensures that no one will have to watch the game film for too long. New York returns to action on Thursday, as an American public desperate for football will endure a test in endurance through a Jets tilt against the equally woebegone Denver Broncos (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network). While the thought of the playoffs conjures up only Jim Mora-style tirades, much of the Jets’ personnel, including Darnold, could well be playing for their New York futures.
The Jets are next scheduled to face the Colts in 2021, also at Lucas Oil Stadium. It stands to reason that a majority of Indianapolis’ haul from the trade will still be playing when the matchup arrives. Thanks to both personal and team-wide issues, Darnold’s status could well be in doubt as well.
The consistent fan consensus has been the New York Jets will pack Adam Gase’s bag for his flight out of Florham Park. That consensus, though, is not that. Ownership has lauded Gase as a “brilliant mind.” Chris Johnson has been a very vocal supporter of Adam Gase, and for him to just switch gears and cut ties with him, well, it would take a drastic downfall. The likes of which we are beginning to see a glimpse of.
Analyzing past trends:
Last season featured a rarity in terms of coaching firings. There tends to be a coach fired in season, but never two. Jay Gruden was given a short leash heading into his 2019 campaign, and that was evident after his 0-5 start landed him without a job.
Ron Rivera (now Washington head coach), was also handed his walking papers near the back half of last season as well, which was surprising. Although Rivera’s situation lacks resemblance to this one, looking at Gruden’s situation, there are many parallels. Gruden was axed after an embarrassment of a start.
The team looked to show no progression after losing veteran QB Alex Smith to a career-altering injury and showed no growth in terms of offense whatsoever. See the connection now? The Football Team organization has been renowned as the most incompetent in all of football, yet even they could recognize when it was time to let go of their guy. Another scenario similar to this occurred two years ago with Hue Jackson. Jackson was a supposed innovator on offense and was given a fairly decent sized leash in Cleveland, another organization filled with incompetence. Yet they knew when to cut ties with him as well, they did hire another fairly bad coach in Freddie Kitchens, but at least they knew when enough was enough.
When will the New York Jets know?
It’s time for the Jets to break things off in the Gase. What will it take for Adam Gase to see that? Well, the first two blowout losses undoubtedly helped, but it’s going to take at least two more. If the Jets get blown out today, the pressure will continue to mount, and the walls will begin to close in. If they continue to show no growth, that will also be a reason to ax Gase.
Now, if the Jets are competitive in the next few games, then that could save Gase up until the bye week, then the Jets would have a full span to transition power. If Jet fans really want Gase out, they need to hope that they get torn apart in the next two to three weeks. If this happens, then the Jets could finally cut ties with Gase. In this case scenario, the quicker it is over, the better. This season is NOT a lost cause, but as long as Gase is around, it always will be.
Premature mock drafts have Trevor Lawrence donning New York Jets green. But subjecting the college legend to this wouldn’t benefit anyone.
The New York Jets previously stunk for Sam. Now, the early stages of the 2020 season have them going on an endeavor for Trevor.
Fans and analysts alike have begun to turn on Darnold after a dismal start to the new decade. Through two weeks, Darnold ranks 28th amongst quarterbacks in yardage (394), 24th in completion rate (62.7 percent), and 26th in passer rating (82.6). Those numbers are bad enough from an established veteran thrower, where the modern struggles on the bottom of today’s quarterback ledger boil down to two cases: either the player is clearly past their prime (Tom Brady, Drew Brees) or is kept safe by a massive contract that makes them immovable (Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford). Those are issues that keep you solidified in the present, with the team around the thrower talented enough to keep modern affairs afloat.
But Darnold’s struggles have the Jets tensely monitoring the past, present, and future.
There’s no use in worrying about the past; Scott Lang isn’t coming to the gate at One Jets Drive with the secrets to time travel. The Jets can only take care of the present and the future. While the Jets (0-2) are already fading from a crowded AFC playoff picture, the next 15 weeks will be crucial for players and coaches seeking to earn spots and longevity, and to at least make a lost season look respectable.
As for what’s to come, plenty of prognosticators, amateur and professional alike, have opted to play general manager.
One of the greatest marketing moves the NFL ever made was evolving its from from a single spring weekend a year-long affair. The early stages of the regular season are no exception, as mock drafts for 2021 are already hitting the internet after the first two weeks of the season. Such premature projections have the Jets in the top spot after the brutality displayed in their first couple (though draft order haven Tankathon currently has the Jets picking 11th, with Carolina getting the top choice).
The name in that slot is none other than Trevor Lawrence, the Clemson legend in the midst of what’s confirmed to be his final collegiate campaign. Lawrence’s on-field prowess was already well-known, but the lead-up to a most unusual kickoff exposed his strong leadership qualities through his involement in both the push to play the 2020 season and the social issues gripping the country. Uncertainty peppers the future American landscape, but one of the strongest certainties seems to be that Lawrence will be the No. 1 pick next spring.
Clamoring for the consensus top choice is common and understandable amongst fans; it’s cheaper than therapy and a good hashtag earns valuable social media currency of likes and shares. But it’s not just the fans who envision Lawrence exchanging orange for green.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports has the Jets picking second, but with his top choosers in Cincinnati set with Joe Burrow, the Jets get a different kind of Tiger in Lawrence. Cory Kinnan of Fansided’s NFL Draft site had the Jets taking Lawrence as the first name outright. Noted stats and data site Pro Football Focus went so far as to give fans a visual aid, digitally placing Lawrence in Jets equipment.
If Mike Tannenbaum was still the Jets’ general manager, Lawrence’s surname might already be stitched into replica jerseys. Tannenbaum certainly knows about the trials and tribulations of franchise quarterback hunting in New York. His seven-year tenure (2006-12) oversaw the high-profile acquisitions of Brett Favre and Mark Sanchez.
“Trevor Lawrence is very similar to Andrew Luck. He’s a once-in-a-generation talent. And I don’t know how any team with the first pick wouldn’t take him,” Tannenbaum said on ESPN Radio’s Keyshawn, JWill, & Zubin. “Now you get into this discussion of ‘What could you get for Sam Darnold?'”
For all the athletic silliness New York sports fans have had to deal with, their patience has been rewarded by so-called “once-in-a-generation” talents through premium draft picks. Just ask New York Liberty fans about the all-too-brief Sabrina Ionescu experience this summer. The New York Rangers are projected to go through the same process after the branded ping-pong ball bounced their way, with Alexis Lafreniere expected to don Broadway blue at next month’s draft.
But, at this moment, a Lawrence-Jets merger would do neither side any good.
When one looks at the Jets’ offense, a unit that ranks in the depths of most, if not all, major stat categories, one would wonder exactly what exactly is the selling point. The 2020 offense is a culmination of modern and throwback negligence, one that finally may have found a cornerstone blocker in Mekhi Becton at the expense of generally disregarding the skilled weaponry. Would-be saviors Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims have dealt with injuries, as has reliable slot veteran Jamison Crowder. Tight end Chris Herndon has struggled to recapture the spark of his rookie season. Pricy rusher Le’Veon Bell has likewise dealt with injuries and the potential cap savings stemming from a hypothetical release ($5.5 million) may be too tempting to pass up next offseason.
It’s not like Darnold’s time in New York has been a total loss. Even with relatively little help, Darnold has managed to churn out the occasional masterpiece. A visual silver lining of Darnold’s escape from the San Francisco 49ers’ pass rush turning into a scoring strike to Braxton Berrios has made the rounds on social media this week, for example. It’s certainly possible for Jets fans to both call out Adam Gase and his coaching staff and hold the fan-favorite Darnold accountable for his own mistakes.
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
But with management, namely team CEO and chief decisionmaker Christopher Johnson, seemingly sticking to the “brilliant” Adam Gase, subbing Darnold for Lawrence would make the offense only marginally better and perhaps end a promising career before it truly begins…perhaps emulating the current, scary process Darnold is working through now. Lawrence’s ideal destination is a team that’s the proverbial “quarterback away” from truly contending. The Jets are many, many, many moves away from being a quarterback away. Subjecting Lawrence to this perpetual rebuild, especially one mored in a particularly scary brand of football, seems like cruel and unusual punishment.
Obviously, there’s plenty of time to make moves to further accommodate Lawrence, if the Jets find themselves in the Tiger sweepstakes. The team is blessed with one of the better cap situations in the league (set to work with just over $72 million at the onset of the 2021 offseason) and granting Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy a long-awaited, long-deserved head coaching opportunity would be a point of interest for outside help.
But, as Tannenbaum noted, the Jets arranged Darnold’s development years to be overseen by Gase, the alleged quarterback guru. While it’s possible one of them could survive a potential purge, it’s looking more likely at least one of them could be exchanged by 2021.
“The whole decision-making process was the Jets saying Adam Gase and Sam Darnold are going to be tied to the hip,” Tannenbaum noted on the ESPN podcast. “That’s our franchise for the next 10 years.”
That’s what makes the final 14 games so important for Darnold, who may be playing for his grip on the franchise quarterback role. He needs to make sure the Jets don’t even consider drafting someone like Lawrence. The Jets are blessed with an extra first-round pick over the next two seasons thanks to the Jamal Adams bartering with Seattle, but it would a major victory if they didn’t have to spend any of those premiere selections on yet another franchise quarterback. Granted, the Jets have dealt with so many calamities that one more would be relatively easy to deal with. But the very last thing a rebuilding team needs…other than a sense of hesitation that has been far too common over the first two games…is a franchise quarterback controversy.
The Jets already have enough to deal with, having dug themselves into an extensive hole as is. It wouldn’t be fair to drag Lawrence down with them.
First half boldness gave way to second half hesitation for the New York Jets on Sunday. Even in a lost season, it can’t become a theme.
The average NFL team runs about 1,000 offensive plays per season, give or take. All it takes is one to define a season. Many of these need only 2-5 words to reach immortality (Philly Special, Helmet Catch) or infamy (Reed Right 88, Butt Fumble).
The play that can come to come to define the 2020 New York Jets’ season might’ve come in their second game on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. It won’t earn a title, and many may have already forgotten it in the immediate aftermath. But, right now, there’s no better microcosm for the first season of a new decade.
Sunday’s visit from San Francisco ended in a 31-13 defeat. The decision was in little doubt by the middle stages of the third quarter, when the 49ers held a 24-3 lead. But the Jets had an opportunity to at least build momentum for the future and make things respectable after Pierre Desir took a Nick Mullens interception back to San Francisco’s 15-yard-line. Four plays later, the Jets faced fourth-and-goal, seven yards away from pay-turf.
Opposing red zones have been mostly unchartered territory for the Jets. There’s no excuse not to take advantage of every opportunity to earn the most points possible. The scoreboard should’ve only added to the losing team’s dark silver lining of fearlessness.
There were signs that the Jets (0-2) were willing to embrace that sense of immunity during Sunday’s game. They previously went for it on a shorter fourth down at the cusp of the San Francisco red zone in the first half and got so close in the latter instance on an end-around run by receiver Josh Malone. The first half incident was an inspiring sign. While the play calling (a handoff to Josh Adams in a single-back set) left much to be desired, it showed initiative. It was a sign that the Jets weren’t going to give up.
That initiative vanished by the third quarter.
Facing fourth down, trailing by three possessions, the Jets gave up on the affair by kicking a field goal. Sam Ficken’s 25-yard boot narrowed the deficit to 24-6, making things better by a purely numeric standard. An 18-point deficit would be erasable in two possessions back in February, when the XFL’s New York Guardians were capable of earning nine-point possessions thanks to the league’s innovative point-after-touchdown rules. Alas, the Jets were partaking in an NFL-sanctioned contest, though one could well argue the de facto XFL champion Houston Roughnecks could well give them a game at this point.
Gase’s postgame comments seemed to reflect the first half boldness but appeared to contract his decisionmaking in the latter occasion.
“We have to stay with the other team,” Gase said, per Steve Serby of the New York Post. “If our defense is struggling, we have to do better on offense. We have to find a way to get in the end zone. When we’re kicking field goals, it’s not gonna help us if they’re scoring touchdowns.”
Per a report from Andy Vazquez of NorthJersey.com, Gase admitted that he was feeling “p***ed” after the loss. Such playcalling indicates he’s not angry enough.
“There are not a ton of great plays on fourth-and-seven when you’re playing that defense,” Gase said in Vazquez’ write-up. (We were) just trying to get three and get something going. Get our guys rolling a little bit.”
Losing is one thing. Even with a fully healthy squad, it was a tall task to ask the Jets to make the playoffs this season. Moral victories don’t count in the NFL standings, but if the Jets could win in places other than the scoreboard, they could form a foundation that could provide hope and a blueprint for the future.
The Jets have received none of that in the first two games.
The bittersweet silver lining of yet another lost season is that the Jets are working their way toward 14 consequence-free opportunities that they can use to experiment and research. Find out what works, find out what doesn’t. Jobs for the future, the potential good times, can both be won and lost.
That’s not going to happen if you’re settling for field goals in 24-3 situations.
After a dismal start to the 2020 season, Sam Darnold and the New York Jets have 14 opportunities to get this era back on track.
Two weeks into the 2020 season, the New York Jets are more or less removed from playoff contention.
It’s certainly foolhardy to eliminate a team from the NFL postseason in September, especially when playoff real estate increased by a spot in each conference. But the Jets (0-2) have done nothing to suggest they belong among the league’s contenders. The latest disaster, a 31-13 loss at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, didn’t even have the added luxury of a somewhat respectable final score like the 27-17 defeat in Buffalo provided on opening weekend.
“We haven’t shown progress,” linebacker Jordan Jenkins said, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. “It’s been rinse and repeat for the last two games. It’s either we’re going to keep getting embarrassed or we’re going to respond.”
Perhaps most disappointing in the Jets’ process has been the lack of progress on offense. Even with the expanded playoff capital, it was a tall task to put the Jets in the preseason brackets. Thus, it felt like a decent year for Sam Darnold to develop into the franchise quarterback and consistent contributor the Jets envisioned when they chose him third overall in 2018.
The offensive arsenal went through a considerable downgrade over the offseason, letting Robby Anderson walk and cutting the injured Quincy Enunwa loose. Upon their departures, Darnold was left with no receivers from his rookie season depth chart. Medium-risk, high-reward receiver options were brought in via Breshad Perriman (granted a one-year deal with $6 million in guaranteed after a strong December in Tampa Bay) and second-round pick Denzel Mims.
So while question marks lined up in his receiver spots, assurances of a revamped offensive line (headlined by first-round choice Mekhi Becton) gave Darnold some reassurance. Despite little help around him, particularly on the offensive line, Darnold still managed to produce occasional flashes of brilliance. The end of his rookie season saw him earn a come-from-behind win in Buffalo and go blow-for-blow with Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers. His first game back from illness was a 338-yard, two-touchdown masterpiece in a win over Dallas last season.
2020 was on pace to be full of games like that. It served as a chance for Darnold to become a leader. It was set to be a chance to develop chemistry with new teammates that earn long-term rights in a trying campaign. It was a year where the Jets could officially become Darnold’s team, especially with Jamal Adams napalming his New York bridges on his way to Seattle.
But, so far, 2020 has only been a year of regression.
For as much as head coach Adam Gase has felt the temperature rise on his proverbial seat, a good portion of the Jets’ fanbase must learn that it’s indeed possible to hold both he and Darnold accountable for their respective flaws. In year three, Darnold is simply making plays that a third-year franchise quarterback can’t be making.
An interception against Buffalo in Week 1 saw him throw across his body. He ran out of bounds for a loss to escape the Bills pass rush. Things were a little better against the 49ers…particularly on Darnold rollouts…but that didn’t change the final result.
“No one’s yelling at each other. We understand we have to stay together,” Darnold said after the loss, per team writer Randy Lange. “It’s only our second game of the season. Obviously we didn’t envision these two games going like this. But we’ve just got to keep our heads down (and) go to work.”
Darnold’s rough pair of 2020 outings have not only had premature mock drafts pencil the Jets in at the top of the order but also attached Clemson star quarterback and consensus top choice Trevor Lawrence’s name to the hypothetical selection. Opportunities await Darnold in the coming weeks to change the minds of fans, analysts, and New York decision-makers.
Casting Darnold’s struggles in a brighter light is the fact his rookie contract is set to expire after next season. For perhaps the first time, there could doubt lingers over whether Darnold will be granted a long-term deal. Back-to-back tough showings is slowly turning a year of risks and consequence-free football into a make-or-break campaign…a theme that’s becoming all too prevalent under Gase. Ryan Tannehill escaped the nearly annual viewings under the microscope to become a solid contributor in Tennessee. If the Jets aren’t careful, Darnold could undergo a similar NFL journey.
At the same time, the Jets have to what they can to help Darnold, a quarterback who has managed to produce some memorable moments in New York green despite the ineffectiveness around him. So far, the would-be solutions of Perriman and Mims have yielded only injuries. Chris Herndon has yet to recapture the form of his rookie season. The top solution among the amatuer general managers amongst the Jets’ fanbase has been to can the current coaching staff.
But is that fair to do to Darnold? Is a third round of new coaching in what would be his fourth season something he wants?
Even Sunday’s disaster featured ever-so-brief glimpses of Darnold brilliance, primarily a would-be sack that he turned into a touchdown pass. But the sheer number of mistakes and miscalculations that have been made in his brief time in New York would take its toll on anyone. It’s fair enough to criticize Darnold’s role in the Jets’ fall, but it’s time to analyze who shoulders more of the blame. If it’s Darnold, especially with the fifth-year option conversation looming, then it’s time for he and the offense to hunker down and overcome the numerous obstacles facing them. If it’s on Gase and the coaching staff, then they have to do something, anything, to justify team CEO Christopher Johnson’s label of “brilliant”. Gase and company may have to do it sooner rather than later; coaches have been shown to be far more expendable than franchise quarterbacks.
Even at a mere 0-2, the Jets are likely too far gone from the AFC playoff picture. But these next 14 games may mean everything the team’s offensive outlook.
The New York Jets’ ugly loss to the defending Super Bowl finalists on Sunday was perfectly defined in four plays.
This time, even the scoreboard couldn’t mask just how ugly the start of the decade has been to New York Jets football.
The San Francisco 49ers opened the Jets’ MetLife Stadium slate with an 80-yard touchdown run from Raheem Mostert, foreshadowing the carnage to come in what became an 31-13 victory on Sunday afternoon. San Francisco rushers tallied 182 yards overall, while the Jets countered with only 277 yards, 17 first downs, and Sam Ficken field goals.
Following a 27-17 loss on opening weekend in Buffalo, one whose final score hid just how one-sided the affair truly was, the Jets (0-2) fell behind right from the literal get-go, falling to a San Francisco team that lost Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Bosa, and Raheem Mostert to injury throughout the course of the game.
ESM recalls the four plays, one from each quarter, that played the biggest factor in the Jets’ fate…
If one was writing a script in San Francisco’s favor about Sunday’s game, one could say a touchdown from the first play from scrimmage would be too on-the-nose for horror-seeking Jets fans. Alas, terror beyond imagination came to wild, screaming life upon San Franciso’s takeover.
Before his medical departure, Mostert ripped off an 80-yard score before many watching from home took their seats. It put the Jets in a major hole early on, one the team never escaped. Most major upsets are energized by the underdog keeping pace with the favorite and forcing them into an early deficit. The Jets did the exact opposite against the defending NFC champions.
2nd Quarter: 4th and Done
The middle stages of the second quarter was somewhat fueled by green hope. New York narrowed the score to 7-3 and even Jordan Reed’s first touchdown, one that expanded it to 11 didn’t seem like a dagger at the time. After San Francisco established a two-possession lead, the Jets embarked on a methodic 11-play, 55-yard drive. It began with a 13-yard run from Frank Gore, good for one of four first downs the Jets would earn on the drive. Things stalled, however, with a one-yard fourth down at the cusp of the San Francisco red zone.
Gase should be praised for his gutsiness by going for it. A field goal, let’s face it, was going to do the Jets no good. It’s great to see Ficken converting his opportunities, but infiltrating Niner territory by that margin was no guarantee. Any opportunity, especially one as manageable as a one-yard fourth down, should be capitalized on.
But the single-back option with Josh Adams in to was highly ill-advised. Not only has Gore proven himself reliable in short-yardage situations in his advanced age, but the single-back formation with no wall in front of Adams proved costly. The days of Richie Anderson and Tony Richardson are long gone, but the Jets effectively used tight end Trevon Wesco in a role similar to a fullback at several points last season. Providing no protection to Adams allowed an immediate San Francisco invasion that more or less shifted momentum permanently.
The 49ers immediately capitalized on the error. In what became Jimmy Garoppolo’s final drive of the game, they went 80 yards in 13 plays to score on Reed’s second touchdown just before the halftime gun.
3rd Quarter: What the Fick?
A dishonroable mention should be dispensed to the Jets’ defense allowing a 3rd and 31 to end in a first down through a 55-yard run from Jerick McKinnon, one that yielded a Robbie Gould field goal. Alas, the ensuing offensive possession perhaps provided an early look at the Jets’ 2020 mindset…one of quitting.
The failed fourth down attempt in the latter stages of the second quarter perhaps ruined the Jets’ Sunday psyche from there on out. With San Francisco’s offense mire in incostincy under the watch of backup Nick Mullens, a glimmer of hope emerged for the Jets when they made another red zone trip in the middle stages of the third quarter, down 24-3. The opportunity was arranged by Pierre Desir’s first interception in green.
If a field goal was meaningless in the second quarter, it was downright unspeakable in the third quarter. Even a short conversion from Ficken would make only a cosmetic difference at most. As Bob Dylan once famously wrote, when you’ve got nothing you’ve got nothing to lose. Alas, an 18-point lead can’t be erased in two possessions…the Jets, after all, don’t compete in the XFL (which allowed for nine-point possessions).
Yet, the gutsiness Gase displayed in the first half had completely evaporated by the second. The choice to kick a field goal in a 24-3, third quarter setting was indicative of a team that had completely quit on a Sunday opportunity. Things were probably beyond saving, but to see the Jets flat out admit hopelessness was troubling.
We know things aren't going well, but this was a pretty great play by Sam.
Last week Adams earned himself an opportunity through a garbage time score. This time, Braxton Berrios made the most of an opportunity as the recipient of a great play from Sam Darnold. The quarterback partially made up for an otherwise brutal day by escaping the relentless San Francisco rush, find Berrios on the run to complete the 30-yard score. It’s a play that will likely ultimately be forgotten in the long run, but Darnold was at least able to provide a single highlight, one that could to an expanded role if Breshad Perriman’s injury winds up being long-term.
The Jets return to action next Sunday afternoon against the Indianapolis Colts (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
