ESPN host Mike Greenberg suggests that the New York Jets should make head coach Adam Gase a one and done coach.
Adam Gase‘s first season with the New York Jets has not gone according to plan. Due in part to Sam Darnold‘s mono diagnosis and an offensive line that has been brutally awful, the team is off to a 1-5 start.
Their most recent loss was a blowout at the hands of the New England Patriots on Monday night.
While Gase has faced his fair share of obstacles, he also hasn’t had the influence on Darnold that the team had hoped. Darnold admitted to seeing “ghosts” in the pocket Monday, and Gase did little to alter the offensive line or move his young quarterback out of the line of fire.
With the struggles that the offense has experienced, it’s led to some speculation that Gase was the wrong hire by the team. In fact, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg stated Tuesday morning that Gase should be the next “one and done” coach in the NFL.
“Last night, to me as a lifelong fan of this team, was much more about the coach than it was about anything else,” Greenberg said. “I was willing to give Adam Gase a pass through the two weeks of non-existence that was the Luke Falk era because I figured that maybe no one could coach that. But last night was one of the worst coaching performances I’ve ever seen in my life because all I am is a fan, and I can see he’s not helping Sam Darnold out there.”
Certainly an aggressive indictment by Greenberg, but one that isn’t completely unfair.
Gase was outcoached by Bill Belichick, and while he isn’t the first one to have that happen, being embarrassed by the same team twice in a month is unacceptable. Greenberg had more to say, however.
“When your young quarterback, around whom you are building an entire franchise, is saying on national television ‘I’m seeing ghosts out there’ and you still have him out there down 33-0 against the Patriots and Bill Belichick, in my opinion, and I’m not kidding when I say this, there was a one and done coach in the NFL last year in Arizona, and I believe Adam Gase is going to be the same with the Jets this year.”
There were valid concerns about how Gase would do when the hiring was announced that have not been calmed. However, there are several reasons why it’s unlikely that he is let go.
Number one is that the team was expected to be bad. Mike Maccagnan’s stunning failures in his drafts have put the Jets behind the eight ball talent-wise. Additionally, Gase was a big reason new general manager Joe Douglas took the job. It’s certainly unlikely that he will dump Gase after one season in which he didn’t have a chance to shape the roster.
The third reason is that a bad start was expected, as the first half of the Jets schedule is far more difficult than the second half. While the team isn’t going to be a playoff contender, they will also probably win more down the stretch than they have to this point.
The final reason is that forcing Darnold to learn his third scheme in as many seasons won’t be good for his development. While Gase might not be the best coach for Darnold, the team has made the bed that they have to sleep in.
Fans and executives alike need to hope that this is just an aberration and not what they can expect under Gase. Otherwise, The Jets could wind up wasting Darnold’s early years.