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Okay, where do we start?
I’m not into this winning press conference stuff.
Never have been. Never will be.
It’s all about winning on Sunday.
I heard ESPN’s Tim Hasselbeck ripping Adam Gase today for his lack of energy.
I can understand somebody saying that. I don’t care about it, but I can understand that being said.
But the first thing I thought of when Tim Hasselbeck said it was that a Bill Belichick introductory press conference, it would have been the same way – football talk sans pomp and circumstance.
I don’t think Gase’s answers were bad. I thought a lot of his comments included sound football philosophy, but not a lot of energy.
While some people were upset there wasn’t more energy and excitement from Christopher Johnson, Gase and Mike Maccagnan on the podium, did you want them to be phonies and get up there and be people they are not?
I don’t think that is a good idea either.
Maccagnan was at the podium and didn’t speak, and a fan I talked to had a big problem with this. But logistically, when was he supposed to address the room? These things usually start with the owner throwing it to the new coach. Don’t you think it would have been odd from Christopher to get up and throw it to Maccagnan to introduce the coach.
And then Maccagnan wasn’t asked any questions at the press conference.
Hey, you could make the argument perhaps he shouldn’t have been on the podium, since based on the Jets corporate structure, Maccagnan and Gase are equals. Now I don’t think the Jets’ football structure is ideal, but it is what it is, and they are equals.
The biggest problem with this press conference was obviously Gase’s eyes freaking some people out. I don’t know what people want me to say about that. I’m not an optometrist and actually feel stupid as a football writer talking about this. His eyes looked weird, what can I supposed say? Should I diagnose him with having Graves Disease? I have no idea what was up with that.
And people who are being critical of the Jets for the press conference, which obviously could have been better, I ask several of them this question – “What did you want them to do about his eyes?”
Are you going go up to an employee and say, “You have strange eyes so we think you should wear sunglasses at your press conference?”
Honestly, even if you think the press conference stunk, what would you have suggested they do about a man’s eyes?
One criticism I would have about the press conference was why the Jets made it so short.
It was 18 minutes.
Why so short?
A major sport PR guy I know in asked me why it was just 18 minutes. It struck him as add and this guy has handled tons of big press conferences. I could not answer him.
During the season, the coach press conferences tend to have a 20 minute limit, so it seemed like this is what they were aiming for that here.
But this wasn’t a normal coach press conference. This the introduction of a new head coach. This is a big deal. You don’t cut it off that fast. This wasn’t a Thursday press conference in November before a Buffalo game.
January 14, 2019
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