The fixed marriage between coach Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is over. Williams was fired, Dec. 7, as the result of calling an all-out blitz, cover zero, in a Hail-Mary situation against the Las Vegas Raiders. It led to a 46-yard Henry Ruggs III touchdown in the final seconds of a 31-28 loss for Gang Green.
He was fired by Gase, who probably didn’t want Williams in the first place, but was forced to hire him by the former GM, Mike Maccagnan, as a condition to land the job in January 2019.
Former NFL GM Mike Lombardi, who now works for the Vegas Stats & Information Network, said former Baylor coach Matt Rhule wanted the Jets’ job in 2019, but refused to be told who his assistant coaches would be, so he pulled his name out of contention. Rhule is now the coach of the Carolina Panthers.
“The reason Matt Rhule is not the head coach of the New York Jets is Mike Maccagnan, the GM at the time, demanded Gregg Williams be his defensive coordinator; Adam Gase acquiesced to that, and that is how he got the job,” Lombardi said. “Matt Rhule said, ‘I don’t want (Williams) as my defensive coordinator.’”
Gase wasn’t necessarily a hot head coaching candidate in 2019, after he was fired in Miami, so he jumped at a chance to make $20 million guaranteed on a four-year deal, even if he had to hire Williams. A lot people would have done what Gase did. “Take the money and run,” as Steve Miller sang.
Lombardi said Rhule, a native New Yorker, REALLY wanted the Jets job, but the micromanaging of his staff turned him off. Lombardi repeated himself for emphasis.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2021-Ausgabe von NY Jets Confidential.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2021-Ausgabe von NY Jets Confidential.
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FIRST DOWN- A lot of potential, but a lot to learn
There is a lyric in an old song by the rock group Chicago that sums up where Zach Wilson is right now:
IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEFF ULBRICH - Ulbrich breaks down Jets' defensive personnel
(Marcus Maye) can do it all. I would feel comfortable with him (at free or strong safety). He’s a guy that, to me, he can play deep, he can play the half field, he can play the middle third, he can do that and you feel comfortable with it. I think he’s got range, speed and athleticism. I think he’s got ball skills and instincts to be a deep safety. But I think he’s got enough size and girth and want-to and courage to play in the box. It’ll be fun to utilize all the things that he does. He can cover tight ends; he can cover some of the wide receivers in this league.
Dan's Minicamp Diary
Becton bombarded with weighty questions
Saleh calls Wilson ‘relentless' as a worker
QUESTION SESSION WITH QB ZACH WILSON
Jets hope initiatives will increase winning edge
Aside from adding as many good players as possible to help the Jets improve, coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas are trying to turn over every stone to find extra ways to give their team a winning edge, and two examples of this were announced over the course of the offseason, with the additions of a game management coach (Matt Burke) and the installation of an Athletic Care and Performance Department. Let’s take a closer look at these two moves and how they might help the Jets:
Dan's Spring Camp Diary
This time of year for learning, experimenting, not stats
AUDIBLES-Saleh doesn't cave on offseason work
Tom Brady might be wrong about this one.
SAFETIES
Justin Simmons, Broncos 6-2 • 202 pounds • 27 years old
OFFENSIVE TACKLES
Trent Williams, 49ers 6-5 • 320 pounds • 32 years old
LINEBACKERS
Lavonte David, Buccaneers 6-0 • 226 pounds • 26 years old