NEW YORK— Adam Gase reflected on the final excruciating moments of the New York Jets’ heartbreaking loss and tried not to make foolish decisions.
The coach slept a little before heading to the team’s facility Monday morning, where he came to the same decision as Sunday night: defensive coordinator Gregg Williams needed to leave.
“I just felt like that was the best thing for our team moving forward,” Gase explained on a conference call. “Organizationally, we had a discussion this morning and we felt like this was the best move to make.”
Williams was fired after suddenly calling for an all-out rush against Las Vegas on Sunday, seconds before the Jets’ first victory. Derek Carr threw a superbly put 46-yard touchdown ball to Henry Ruggs III, who was in man-to-man, or Cover Zero, coverage with rookie CB Lamar Jackson, with 5 seconds left to bring the Raiders to a 31-28 victory.
Fans, the media, and even his own players were outraged by the decision. It left the Jets players stunned on the sideline, after they had just celebrated what appeared to be a victory.
The organization announced that Williams had “parted ways” and that associate head coach/inside linebackers coach Frank Bush will serve as interim defensive coordinator.
“I obviously wasn’t happy about that call,” a gloomy Gase admitted. “What a horrible manner for our team to lose a game. We simply cannot allow that to happen in such situation.”
Gase stated that he discussed what he thought should be done with CEO Christopher Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas, and team president Hymie Elhai, and they all agreed that moving forward was the best option. Gase then informed Williams of the decision during a nearly hour-long discussion.
“Obviously, he wasn’t happy,” Gase remarked. “But, that’s our profession.”
After the game, team captain Marcus Maye took an uncommon jab at Williams, claiming that the defense could have made a better call. Gase denied that Maye’s statements influenced his choice.
Gase was astonished to hear Williams’ play call and recognized he had the right to override the defensive coordinator — but did not.
“I wish I would’ve,” Gase admitted. “Sometimes during a game, you’re going over a variety of scenarios and this comes up. I wish I had called timeout, but I did not.
Williams, 62, had been the Jets’ defensive coordinator for the previous two seasons, under Gase. The two had a little squabble earlier this season when Williams stated that the Jets’ defensive scoring average was not solely due to his unit, hinting that Gase’s underperforming offense was also to blame.
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams appeared to be upset by the defensive coordinator’s firing, tweeting five facepalm emojis in response to ESPN’s announcement of the change.
Williams has made numerous stops in the NFL over a 30-year career, including New Orleans, where he was suspended for a year by the league in 2012 for his role in the Saints bounty scandal.
The non-nonsense Williams has made a career out of calling aggressive defensive plays, but the Jets are struggling this season, ranking 29th in overall defense and 30th in scoring defense. Williams had to cope with standout safety Jamal Adams being traded to Seattle in the summer, linebacker C.J. Mosley opting out due to COVID-19 concerns, and linebacker Avery Williamson being traded to Pittsburgh midway through the season.
There were multiple injuries to deal with, and other veterans, such as cornerback Pierre Desir and Quincy Wilson, were not performing well. However, the Jets’ defense had mainly done its job Sunday, including a fourth-down stop with 1:37 remaining. However, when the offense went three-and-out with a chance to seal the game, the defense took the field again — and Williams’ call cost New York.
While Williams made a questionable judgment, it was not entirely out of character. He is notorious for taking risks on defense, pushing offenses to beat his blitzes in critical moments. This time, however, it had disastrous ramifications for a team that was so close to achieving triumph.
“We just played the call that the coaches called,” Maye stated after the game. “We’ve got to execute, but you’ve got to help us out at the same time and be in a better call at that spot.”
Williams is the first coach on Gase’s staff to be sacked, and the head coach has vowed he will not make any additional changes, including keeping Williams’ son Blake aboard as a defensive assistant.
However, this will not be the Jets’ last coaching change. They are also anticipated to dismiss Gase after this season, paving the way for a busy offseason that will involve a coaching search and, most likely, the No. 1 overall choice in the NFL draft in April.
The Jets, who are 0-12, are four losses away from becoming the NFL’s only 0-16 team, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns, for whom Williams was defensive coordinator.
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