Recently, there have been articles discussing which member of the New York Jets is under the most pressure. Is it on 3rd-year quarterback Sam Darnold or 2nd-year head coach Adam Gase? Articles have been smearing both.
Radio show host Chris Carlin, along with fellow New York Jets writers Brian Costello and Rich Cimini, believes that Darnold should be under the most pressure. Jets writer Manish Mehta says it is Adam Gase. Carlin believes that if Sam Darnold doesn’t take the big leap this year, the Jets will search for another QB in next year’s draft. I simply believe it has to be head coach Adam Gase. Here are some reasons why.
New York Jets: Who’s Under The Most Pressure
Joe Douglas Bought The Goods
When Adam Gase was hired in 2019, he was hired by GM Mike Maccagnan and owner Christopher Johnson. Essentially giving them the word to hire Gase was legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, who Gase worked with in Denver from 2013-2014. Free agency would start in March.
Maccagnan and Gase would see a rift come between them after the signing of star running back Le’Veon Bell. It’s been said that head coach Adam Gase didn’t like the transaction; he’s not a fit in the scheme. Before and after the draft, news articles were publicizing the rift. Gase denied the rift. On May 15, 2019, days after the draft, GM Mike Maccagnan was relieved of his duties. About a month later, the Jets would hire Philadelphia Eagles VP of Player Personnel, Joe Douglas, as the new general manager going forward. Douglas wasn’t able to do anything much with limited cap space after Mike Maccagnan’s free agency spree.
2019 Joe Douglas Signings
- Signed center Ryan Kalil out of retirement (placed on IR in November, was horrible)
- Traded for wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (solid wide receiver insurance for a depth-lacking position)
- Claimed kicker Kaare Vedvik (ultimately cost the Jets a win against the Buffalo Bills Week 1)
- Signed kicker Sam Ficken (was serviceable in his role, still on roster competing against former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher)
- Claimed wide receiver Braxton Berrios (ultimate steal, solid backup receiver and punt returner)
In March of 2020, Joe Douglas bolstered the offensive line. He signed players like center/guard Connor McGovern, guard Greg Van Roten, tackle George Fant, and guard/center Josh Andrews. Then, Douglas would sign wide receiver Breshad Perriman to replace Robby Anderson. On the offensive side of the ball, the Jets would draft five players:
- Tackle, Mekhi Becton (likely starting left tackle)
- Tackle, Cameron Clark (developmental guard/tackle)
- Quarterback, James Morgan (developmental backup quarterback)
- Wide Receiver, Denzel Mims
- Running Back, La’Mical Perine (likely backup to Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore)
Most, if not all new players to the offense, should fit the outside zone scheme Adam Gase runs. Joe Douglas has bought the goods. Now, there should be no excuses for the Jets to not improve on the offensive side of the ball.
Gase’s Previous Years
I would rank Adam Gase as a mediocre offensive mind. The only real times his offense was solid was from 2013-2016.
- 2013 Denver Broncos: 1st
- 2014 Denver Broncos: 4th
- 2015 Chicago Bears: 20th
- 2016 Miami Dolphins: 23rd
There can be an argument made Gase was carried by Manning in 2013 and 2014. Gase made Jay Cutler look good in 2015. Then, the Miami Dolphins went to the playoffs in 2016. Ever since, there have been terrible offenses under Adam Gase.
- 2017 Miami Dolphins: 25th
- 2018 Miami Dolphins: 31st
- 2019 New York Jets: 32nd
Over the years, Gase hasn’t shown flexibility in changing up the playbook until Sam Darnold wanted more say in what was being called on offense. This occurred after a Week eight loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets would lose to Miami the next week and then go on a spree in the next three weeks. Maybe now Sam Darnold can roll out of the pocket and make those throws on the run.
For your quarterback to succeed, you need to build on the weaknesses and display the strengths. One of Darnold’s strengths is rolling out of the pocket and making throws. Flexibility in the playbook would probably lead to more success on offense and for Darnold. You need creativity for your starting quarterback to flourish. Let him take the next step.
Will Adam Gase Start a New Trend With The New York Jets?
You can make the argument that 2019 was a lost season for the New York Jets. Winnable games like Week one against the Bills, Week nine against the Dolphins, and Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals culminated in losses. If you add these three games in the win column, the Jets’ playoff drought ends. The Jets do have a tendency to win and lose games they’re not supposed to. Well, the Jets face a tougher schedule this year and will have to travel to other time zones. Over the last couple of years, the Jets have been horrible in other time zones, especially on the West Coast. The last time the Jets went west, they were blown out in both games. In 2016, the Jets were blown out by the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football.
If you want to change up the culture, start a good trend. The Jets need to start winning West Coast games if they want to be contenders. Head Coach Adam Gase will have to get the players together to win competitive games over better teams. If not, it will be a long year for the Jets. Adam Gase hasn’t shown real consistency with the Jets or Dolphins. The Dolphins were one-and-done in 2016. The Dolphins went on a hot streak in 2018. This would be marked by the infamous Miami Miracle game. The Dolphins would end up losing the last three games of the season, falling to 7-9.
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