Steve Wilks is a good man with great character.
And a very good secondary coach.
But two years ago, he was fired after one season as San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator by Kyle Shanahan because of some dubious play-calling.
So why was he hired as the Jets’ defensive coordinator, in light of what Shanahan did, and the fact that Jets head coach Aaron Glenn never worked with him?
And why would Glenn, who made his bones as a great defensive player and solid defensive coach, throw the defensive car keys to Wilks?
One reason Glenn was hired was because of his work as the defensive coordinator in Detroit.
The Jets’ last opponent, Jacksonville, is coached by Liam Coen, who got the job because of his great work as an offensive coordinator, and he’s still calling the offensive plays as Jaguars head coach, and doing a heck of a job as we saw on Sunday.
The Jets’ next opponent, New Orleans, is coached by Kellen Moore, who got the job because of his great work as an offensive coordinator, and he’s still calling the offensive plays as the Saints’ head coach.
So why would the Jets be okay with Glenn not calling the defense plays, hiring somebody to run it he has never worked with, and who was fired after one year at his last NFL DC gig?
At the very least, if Glenn wasn’t going to call the defense and be more of a CEO head coach, wouldn’t you expect him to hire somebody who at least runs his scheme, and he has a history with?
The hiring of Wilks was eclectic, and clearly, it didn’t end well, with him getting fired on Monday.
Maybe Woody Johnson should have stopped this before it started. Yes, we all know he’s trying to meddle less, but sometimes you have to, when something that makes little sense rears its head.
Wilks to the Jets never made sense.
To Glenn’s credit, he came to that realization on Monday.
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