Content available exclusively for subscribers
It’s an interesting team in this regard
Yes, the Jets are 0-6 and regarded as a train wreck, by many, for how they have played his year.
But it’s not one of these struggling teams that is coming apart at the seams and pointing fingers at each other.
From what I can tell, that isn’t the problem.
While a lot of fans don’t like the coach, I don’t think the players dislike him.
I’m not saying he’s a a great coach. I’m just saying I don’t sense the players dislike him.
It’s a weird dynamic
The problem with this team isn’t effort or splintering, it’s more poor execution, foolish mistakes and sometimes poor X’s and O’s (on both sides of ball).
A perfect example were the two tight end touchdowns against Miami.
In the first quarter, TE Adam Shaheen was wide open for a 4-yard TD pass.
In the second quarter, TE Durham Smythe was uncovered on another 4-yard TD pass.
This isn’t a lack of effort, just a scheme and/or execution issue.
Remember, the week before, on a fourth-and-one, Arizona tight end Darrell Daniels snuck off the line for a wide open 31-yard completion.
This is just bad situational football.
Elite teams excel at situational football. This team doesn’t.
But it’s not a team that hates each other and their head coach. That isn’t the problem. It’s bad execution, often bad X’s and O’s and poor personnel utilization, especially on defense.
An example of poor personnel utilization on defense was starting Lamar Jackson last week ahead of Bless Austin. Jackson gave up second-quarter TD to DeVante Parker. Austin took over for him after this and played well.
In the third quarter, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw to Smythe in the end zone, on third down, and Austin had tight coverage and they had to kick a field goal.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Austin had a PD, on third-and-two, on a pass to the left side.
With Austin healthy, why was Jackson still starting over him? I’m not putting Austin in Canton, but he’s better, and more advanced, than the rookie free agent Jackson at this point? What goes into a decision like this?
How many times is a certain DE going to get beat off the edge on running plays before they make a change? It’s not his fault. He wasn’t blessed with great speed or athleticism, but the defensive coordinator keeps rolling with him, like nothing happened?
Whatever happens in the future with the coach, the Jets need to do something to make sure the football departments are more on the same page, and not subcontractors doing their own thing. There needs to be better synergy with everybody rowing in the same direction.
And I don’t blame Joe Douglas for this current problem, but more the former regime that forced this arranged marriage between the head coach and defensive coordinator, who clearly aren’t on the same page.
What is Douglas supposed to do about it? Neither guy reports to him under the current power structure?
If the Jets make a coaching change, they need to allow Douglas to pick the next coach, and the next coach needs to be allowed to pick his own staff, and this should help in having an operation where everyone is on the same page.
What is going on right now isn’t working.
Not all of these cats are rowing in the same direction.
October 22, 2020
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Friday.
