The Jets Sack Gregg Williams

Before I begin today, let me remind everyone that the only difference between a cynic and a realist is whether or not you agree with him.  Using that litmus test, you may judge me to be one or the other after I present my sense of what is going on with the NY Jets and their coaching staff.

Just a quick reset …  The Jets came within about 5 seconds of winning their first game of the season on Sunday.  They lost on a desperation 46-yard pass to Henry Ruggs who was single covered by a backup CB because the defense called for a 7-man blitz on the Raiders’ QB on the play.  Gregg Williams was the defensive coordinator who called that play; Gregg Williams was fired by head coach Adam Gase and the Jets organization on Monday – – and here we are.

Gregg Williams has had some success as a defensive coordinator in the past; he was the DC for the Tennessee Titans when they went to the Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams.  Gregg Williams has also had some failures as a defensive coordinator; he was the guy in charge of the defense when the Browns went 0-16 just a few years ago and so far in 2020, the Jets’ record stands at 0-12.  I think the stark difference in those sets of results demonstrates that a large measure of a defensive coordinator’s success/failure depends on the amount of talent that he has to deploy.

Now let me get to the matter of firing Gregg Williams:

• Ignoring the outcome which we now see in hindsight, was a 7-man blitz the call to make in that situation?  My answer is an unequivocal, “No!”
• Was it a call made “by the book”?  No!
• Was the call so outrageous that it merited firing the guy who called it?  Also, No!  If it had worked and the Jets’ DL had sacked Derek Carr on the play, Williams would be hailed as an innovative genius this morning for going “against the grain” with the call.

Moreover, there is another wrinkle in the story here based on ESPN’s reporting of the situation with the Jets.  Head coach Adam Gase said that he heard the call made in his headset and that he now wished that he had called a timeout.  Wonderful!  With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had picked the right set of numbers in the Powerball Lottery last week.  So, let me examine the timeline here before the ball was snapped:

• Gregg Williams calls for a blitz on this final play of the game.
• Adam Gase hears the call on his headset.  He does not call timeout to confer with Williams or players or other coaches; he says now that he wished he had.  That means he accepted the call at the time and now labels it as egregious after he knows the outcome.  I cannot decide if that stance is deceitful, duplicitous or devious.
• Adam Gase knew what the call was, now he claims it was not the right call – knowing the outcome, and that becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back and causes him to fire Gregg Williams?

There may be plenty of other internal reasons that I know nothing about to have fired Gregg Williams; I am not here to defend his performance as the Jets’ defensive coordinator over the past 2 seasons.  What I do think is problematic is that the Jets’ hierarchy seems to be okay with Adam Gase’s role in all of this.  He knew what the call was going to be; he now leaves no doubt that he questioned the call and “wishes he had called a timeout” which he did not.  So, how is Adam Gase not equally blameworthy for the “out of the box call” that blew up in the Jets’ faces and allowed the Raiders to win the game?  Isn’t the head coach supposed to be the guy in charge of strategic decision making for the team during a game?

The Jets’ hierarchy – the GM and the owner – must know by now that Gregg Williams has been fired.  One of two situations must have been the case as of early yesterday:

1. Adam Gase conferred with them and told them of his decision to fire Gregg Williams and they at least acquiesced to if not approved of the move.
2. Adam Gase did this on his own and the hierarchy found out about it ex post facto.

If it is the first scenario above, my question for the hierarchy is simple.  Why is Adam Gase still employed by the Jets, but Gregg Williams is not?  It sure looks to me as if there is plenty of “accountability” to be assessed here and none of it is being put on the head coach’s ledger.

If it is the second scenario above, then the hierarchy is giving tacit – no, make that explicit – approval of Adam Gase’s handling of this situation.  Now, if that is true and you folks really think that he has been in the right with all of this nonsense, then good luck finding your next coach because who would want to work for an organization that cannot see its hand in front of its face?

Here is my assessment of the Jets’ situation in early December 2020:

• They have a new GM; he comes with a pedigree of success in the sense that he has worked for and with the Ravens and the Eagles in previous incarnations.
• Through trades, the Jets have acquired some draft capital which is a good thing because the thing the Jets need more than anything else is an infusion of talent.
• The biggest decision facing the Jets’ new GM is to settle on a coach – and a coaching staff – that will constructively manage and develop the infusion of new talent that the GM hopes to provide.

From a completely unemotional position, I cannot see how Adam Gase can be the guy to coach the Jets in the future. The team’s record under his tutelage has been miserable even considering the dearth of talent on the field.  His handling of this situation – from not taking charge on the field when he heard of the defensive play call that he now avers was wrongheaded – to firing Gregg Williams the next morning has not polished his reputation in any way.

If, in fact, Adam Gase is fired by the Jets when this season is over, it will be interesting – to me at least – to see who gets a job offer first; Gregg Williams or Adam Gase.  Williams is controversial and clearly rubs some folks the wrong way – – but he has had success in the past along with flame outs.  Gase is supposedly a QB-whisperer who was part of a Super Bowl winning team – – except the QB he was whispering to at that time was Peyton Manning after Manning had been in the NFL for 18 seasons.  We shall see …

Finally, since I mentioned “quarterback whisperer” above, let me close with a similar entry from The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm:

“Horse Whisperer:  A person who can calm or tame a horse through a series of hushed, intimate utterances and gentle , tender finger strokes.  It is difficult to watch this without thinking, ‘Get a room.’”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………