Well, folks, the New York Jets will be rebooting their franchise once again. Their current record is 0-4, and the hopes of a playoff berth are out of the picture for 2020. The executives in charge of running the organization know what the team needs to get better. But they never seem to take the appropriate action that will fix the deficiencies.
When Rex Ryan was the Jets’ head coach, the team has never fully provided him or any other coaches with the proper tools needed for success. Ever since Ryan led the Jets to back-to-back AFC championship games, the franchise has not made it to the postseason and has had two different head coaches.
Their current head coach, Adam Gase, is not suited for the job he was hired to do when he accepted the position in 2019. Gase was the number one factor in why their best player in safety Jamal Adams, wanted to leave the Jets during the offseason. Adams went on a tirade using various social media methods combined with speaking to local newspapers such as the New York Daily News to express his frustrations with the team.
“I don’t feel like he’s the right leader for this organization to reach the Promised Land,” Adams told the New York Daily News in an interview that was published in July. “As a leader, what really bothers me is that he doesn’t have a relationship with everybody in the building.”
“At the end of the day, [Gase] doesn’t address the team,” Adams told the newspaper. “If there’s a problem in the locker room, he lets another coach address the team. If we’re playing s—-y and we’re losing, he doesn’t address the entire team as a group at halftime. He’ll walk out of the locker room and let another coach handle it.”
With all of the misfortunes that have occurred with this team, there’s a chance that they can turn it around. Today, Sports Talk 365 will list three steps that the New York Jets should take to prevent the team from going backward in the future.
1. Fire Adam Gase and Hire an Elite-Level Head Coach
The writing is on the wall. Adam Gase will no longer be the New York Jets head coach beyond 2020. On numerous occasions, Gase has shown that he is inept at being a head coach of an NFL franchise. The first order of business that General Manager Joe Douglas needs to conduct is to hire an elite-level head coach, or an assistant that he believes can become one. A few names that come to mind are former Ohio State and University of Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer and current Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Those two individuals come from championship pedigrees and understand how to develop a young quarterback properly. Douglas needs to stir away from assistants that are recognized as specialists in their perspective fields. The organization has already had its share of those coaches, such as Rex Ryan and Todd Bowles. The successful head coaches in this league are people that have a CEO-level mindset. At the moment, the Jets do not have those types of leaders roaming the sidelines yet.
2. Retain Sam Darnold as the Starting Quarterback and Trade Out the First Overall Pick in the 2021 Draft
Based on their current record and production on the field, the Jets are projected to pick first in the 2021 NFL Draft. Their fanbase has decided to place the “Tank for Trevor” slogan on the franchise. The University of Clemson standout is expected to become the first overall pick/quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. According to Draftsite.com, the Jets have a total of ten picks in this year’s upcoming draft. It would make perfect sense for the Jets to trade out of the first overall selection and acquire more 2021 draft choices. This step goes hand and hand with step number one of this post.
Pair Sam Darnold with a highly qualified head coach and build a solid roster around him. The team would compete for an AFC East and possibly a Super Bowl with guys that are still playing on rookie deals. According to Spotrac, Darnold is not eligible to become an unrestricted free agent until 2023. Remember that Ryan Tannehill blossomed as a franchise quarterback once he got under the guidance of Adam Gase when he was the Miami Dolphins’ head coach.
3. Address Both Sides of the Football Instead of Just One
The Jets’ front office should be credited with the ability to identify elite talent on the defensive side of the football. Regardless of who is in charge of overseeing the football operations, the team has had a knack for identifying great defensive players. Players such as Jonathan Vilma, Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Muhammad Wilkerson, and recently Jamal Adams have spent time playing in a Jets uniform.
The Jets’ front office must be mindful of building a roster that addresses both sides of the football from now on. They can no longer survive on above-average quarterback play combined with an elite defense. It is not a sustainable winning formula to win football games in the long run. Overall, if the Jets decide to retain or move on from quarterback Sam Darnold, they must address having a complete football team in the future.
