On Nov. 11, 2018, the Buffalo Bills blew out the Jets 41-10 at MetLife Stadium, led by backup QB Matt Barkley. This was clearly the end of the road for then Jets coach Todd Bowles.
It might have been best to cut bait with Bowles at this point, and go with an interim coach. Why make him twist in the wind for two months? But we were told by people in the media, perhaps through a Jets source, that, “There’s no logical interim replacement on the current coaching staff.”
This was bull, and I wrote that at the time on jetsconfidential.com. I wrote if the Jets fire Bowles, they have a quality interim coach candidate in wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell.
You know, the same Dorrell, who was just hired as the head coach at the University of Colorado. The same Dorrell who was the UCLA head coach from 2003-07.
It was patently ridiculous for people to say there was no interim coach candidate on the staff, and I resented people saying it at the time.
For goodness sake, Dorrell was a head coach for five years in the Pac-10, he couldn’t coach the Jets for half a season? And now he’s back in that same conference, now called the Pac-12, coaching the Colorado Buffaloes.
Sorry, I just had to get this off my chest.
‘Missing it’
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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
