The New York Jets are playing like one of the worst teams in NFL history under Adam Gase, with rumors swirling that the head coach will soon be fired. Unfortunately for football fans in New York, it seems this organization isn’t ready to admit it was wrong.
Sitting at an 0-6 record and in a race with themselves for the No. 1 overall pick, the signs are seemingly obvious that Gase needs to be fired. Yet, with two head coaches already axed, the Jets seem prepared to stick by their guy even longer.
According to SportsNet New York’s Ralph Vacchiano, there is a real chance Gase survives the entire season and the organization doesn’t want to fire him during the year.
It’s a bit baffling that New York is unwilling to fire Gase at this point. It was evident after his first season in New York that he wasn’t the right fit, but the organization stuck by him. With the Jets playing atrocious this season, suffering ugly defeats every week, there is ample proof the head coach deserves to be fired.
This isn’t like the situation with the Atlanta Falcons, where Dan Quinn was beloved by the locker room and still got canned. Gase lost the respect of the locker room late during the 2019 season but managed to keep his job.
While ownership stuck by him, some within the organization wanted him fired. Yet, Gase remained in charge and the situation in New York has deteriorated even further.
He was a huge factor in Jamal Adams demanding out and the eventual trade, followed by Adams blasting his former coach. On top of that, Gase didn’t get along with Le’Veon Bell and failed to take advantage of the running back’s talents.
If that wasn’t enough to sour the entire locker room, Gase’s comments after losses certainly should be. New York’s head coach blasted the players after the loss to the San Francisco 49ers. In recent weeks, he has also cited how great the team practices compared to its performance on Sundays. Which, it’s worth noting, practices are dictated by coaches, and it’s another jab at the locker room.
Yet, the Jets are ready to stick by him for the time being. While the Jets can cite the fallout firing a coach in the middle of a season can have, they have nothing to lose by firing Gase. Instead, keeping him just seems to be proof that this organization is tanking. Unfortunately, the players suffer because of it by being around a seemingly toxic coach who can’t develop talent.
Gase has been gifted opportunities because of his relationship with Peyton Manning, gaining fame in the NFL for his work as offensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos (2013-14). In addition, Manning has raved to teams about Gase.
However, an examination of Gase’s coaching record shows the chances have come without merit. He received attention for Denver’s outstanding success with Manning. During their time together, the Broncos ranked fourth in passing yards (406.6) and second in points (30.1) per game. In his two years with Gase, Manning posted a 94:25 TD:INT ratio with 10,204 passing yards in 32 games.
Things spiraled downward once he left. With the Chicago Bears in 2015, his offense averaged 20.9 points per game and ranked 21st in total yards per game (344.6). After a 10-win season in his first year with the Miami Dolphins, the wheels came off.
Gase’s Dolphins went 13-19 over the next two seasons, finishing with one of the NFL’s worst offenses in his final season. When the team traded Ryan Tannehill to the Tennessee Titans, freeing him from Gase, Tannehill became an MVP-caliber quarterback.
Meanwhile, New York’s offense is a mess. The Jets rank 31st in total yards and 32nd in points this season offensively. On top of that, they have the lowest quarterback rating (68.7), yards per attempt (5.5) and convert the fewest third downs (30.2 percent).
Gase will head into Week 7 with a 7-15 record since being hired by the Jets. While ownership might be willing to stick by him for now, that might change after more blowout losses.
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