I don’t like to fire people in print, but I also don’t live in a cave (though it might not be a bad idea these days). I know changes are in the offing.
I don’t want to spend this column beating up coach Adam Gase. There is a cottage industry of people doing that already. I’m also not going to make fun of the Jets. There are lot of hard-working, quality people in that building, working in all kinds of different departments — security, landscaping, marketing and so forth — and this season is just as brutal on them as the fans. Some beat writers get their jollies consistently taking cheap shots at the Jets’ organization, and some even get gigs with the team’s media partner, but I can’t do it. I’m not wired that way.
But I’m also not stupid. I know major changes are coming, and I want to get into one specific area, a little off the beaten path, that must change for the Jets to get out of the abyss.
They must make better personnel decisions in games. This is an entirely different personnel issue from whom the team signs and drafts. And this has been a problem for the Jets in recent years.
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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
