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Interesting stuff.
Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, who I believe has a good Jets source, said this on his podcast:
“If there was going to be a season like this, where things are as bad as they can possibly be, and you are going to find value in keeping Adam Gase, this is the season, because the prize at the end, is someone, I personally believe, based on conversations I’ve had, I 100 percent believe if they have the #1 pick in the draft, Trevor Lawrence will absolutely be picked by the New York Jets. I’m telling you on October 18, if this team ends up with the first pick in the draft, barring some catastrophic injury to Trevor Lawrence, he is going to be the pick, and they are going to have do figure out what to do with Sam Darnold.”
The first part of what he said I don’t believe is a position of the Jets. The idea of keeping a coach, because some might think that he’s so bad at his job, that he can get you Lawrence in the next draft, might be unprecedented in NFL history.
Yes, teams have perhaps tanked in the past with undermanned rosters, but the idea of keeping a coach employed to have the worst record possible, is something I’m not aware of ever happening.
So I think first part of what Robinson wrote, was just him speaking, not sourced.
But the second part I think is newsworthy, since I believe has a really good Jets source.
Douglas has probably seen enough of Darnold to know what he has – a good, not great QB, who doesn’t see the field well, Gase or no Gase.
Along with his comments on the podcast, Robinson also wrote a blog about his theory the Jets should keep Gase to assure that they get the #1 pick of the 2021 draft.
“Let’s brass tacks what’s going on here, and recognize the odd but necessary decision that must be made: to keep Adam Gase and stay on the wrong track in hopes that it leads to Lawrence, as well as a necessary reboot through drafting and developing,” Robinson wrote.
“The Jets are an NFL expansion team, right at the intersection of one of the worst free agent classes in recent league history (from 2019), signed by a former general manager (Mike Maccagnan) whose final spiral still hangs over the team, and coached by a staff that is fitting together like a square peg and a round bedsore. All in the middle of a pandemic, no less — when maybe the only upside is there are no fans to throw overpriced beers at this malfunctioning ensemble.”
A couple of good points here. It’s true that Douglas is cleaning up a major mess left by Maccagnan and his sidekick, Brian Heimerdinger, who had a lot of say.
The free agent class was a unmitigated disaster led by the wasteful spending on Le’Veon Bell and C.J. Mosley. Also the Henry Anderson contract. That wasn’t a free agent signing, but a re-signing that hasn’t worked out poorly, due in part to changing the defense. Also, Douglas inherited the Trumaine Johnson contract, which was one of the worst in NFL history. So he has quite the oil spill to clean up.
And Robinson makes a good point about the coaching staff, which is loaded with nepotism, not fitting well together. The Jet have been outcoached in every game this year.
Another good point Robinson made was about the lack of fans in the stands buying them time here. There is no lynch mob at MetLife Stadium calling for Gase’s firing with chants and signs every week.
But this idea that the Jets are keeping Gase to be bad as possible is something I find hard to believe.
It’s possible they are playing chicken with him. If you fire an NFL coach, they collect all the money in their contact. But if they quit, they don’t get the money. Maybe they figure out some point he says, “I can’t take it anymore – let’s work out a settlement.”
October 21, 2020
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