Adam Gase failed to back up his big talk from the summer with a flop of a season that has turned him into Public Enemy No. 1 among the Jets fanbase.
More than four months after the head coach declared Gang Green would be playing relevant games down the stretch, he was rolling out the same predictable excuses to explain why they’re not.
“We're going to play meaningful games in the end of November and December,” Gase said on the first day of training camp in July. “That's what we're going to do.”
That’s not what they did. In fact, they did the exact opposite.
Diehards couldn’t care less about anything other than how Sam Darnold looks in these final four games starting with the Dolphins on Sunday.
Gase has somehow managed to suck the joy out of a fanbase that wanted to believe that this season might provide a December run. The Jets were supposed to be in the playoff conversation this season. Instead, they’re in the conversation for a Top 5 draft pick again.
“Nobody’s more disappointed than we are,” Gase said Wednesday. “I know that. Things didn’t work out for us this year. We couldn’t get things rolling in the right direction. We lose our quarterback for three games. It kind of set us back. Just could never keep a core group of guys healthy long enough to really gain that chemistry.”
It was more of the same from Gase, whose steady stream of excuse-making has been the sad soundtrack to this season. The truth, of course, is that he wasn’t a good enough head coach to overcome injuries unlike real leaders of men. Injuries became a crutch for Gase, the path of least resistance for someone simply unwilling to admit his own failings.
While successful head coaches across the league have survived – and thrived – despite injuries this season, Gase went into a non-competitive shell with not enough fingers to place the blame on others. It was nauseating, but not entirely surprising given his track record for absolving himself from responsibility.
So, the coach of a 4-8 team maintained that everyone has to “just keep working on the process,” which seems like waiting for Godot.
[More Jets] Jets star safety Jamal Adams unsure if he’ll return this season after injuring ankle »
“Keep practicing the right way,” Gase said of his goals for the final quarter of the season. “That’s the thing I’ve been really impressed with all these guys who have been through here that have been able to practice. They’ve done it the right way. They’ve really prepared the right way. We just haven’t always done it well enough on Sunday.”
It’s too bad that they don’t award a second Lombardi Trophy for practice excellence. Because Gase might have a real shot at hoisting it, if you ask him.
Gase didn’t become the first Jets head coach since Rich Kotite not to finish with a winning record in his first season by accident. It took hard work.
So, what, now what, right?
It’s silly to suggest that any success in the final month will have a tangible impact in 2020. After all, there will be a healthy amount of roster turnover this offseason.
www.nydailynews.com
More than four months after the head coach declared Gang Green would be playing relevant games down the stretch, he was rolling out the same predictable excuses to explain why they’re not.
“We're going to play meaningful games in the end of November and December,” Gase said on the first day of training camp in July. “That's what we're going to do.”
That’s not what they did. In fact, they did the exact opposite.
Diehards couldn’t care less about anything other than how Sam Darnold looks in these final four games starting with the Dolphins on Sunday.
Gase has somehow managed to suck the joy out of a fanbase that wanted to believe that this season might provide a December run. The Jets were supposed to be in the playoff conversation this season. Instead, they’re in the conversation for a Top 5 draft pick again.
“Nobody’s more disappointed than we are,” Gase said Wednesday. “I know that. Things didn’t work out for us this year. We couldn’t get things rolling in the right direction. We lose our quarterback for three games. It kind of set us back. Just could never keep a core group of guys healthy long enough to really gain that chemistry.”
It was more of the same from Gase, whose steady stream of excuse-making has been the sad soundtrack to this season. The truth, of course, is that he wasn’t a good enough head coach to overcome injuries unlike real leaders of men. Injuries became a crutch for Gase, the path of least resistance for someone simply unwilling to admit his own failings.
While successful head coaches across the league have survived – and thrived – despite injuries this season, Gase went into a non-competitive shell with not enough fingers to place the blame on others. It was nauseating, but not entirely surprising given his track record for absolving himself from responsibility.
So, the coach of a 4-8 team maintained that everyone has to “just keep working on the process,” which seems like waiting for Godot.
[More Jets] Jets star safety Jamal Adams unsure if he’ll return this season after injuring ankle »
“Keep practicing the right way,” Gase said of his goals for the final quarter of the season. “That’s the thing I’ve been really impressed with all these guys who have been through here that have been able to practice. They’ve done it the right way. They’ve really prepared the right way. We just haven’t always done it well enough on Sunday.”
It’s too bad that they don’t award a second Lombardi Trophy for practice excellence. Because Gase might have a real shot at hoisting it, if you ask him.
Gase didn’t become the first Jets head coach since Rich Kotite not to finish with a winning record in his first season by accident. It took hard work.
So, what, now what, right?
It’s silly to suggest that any success in the final month will have a tangible impact in 2020. After all, there will be a healthy amount of roster turnover this offseason.
Adam Gase’s message to Jets fans for failed season filled with more excuses
Adam Gase failed to back up his big talk from the summer with a flop of a season that has turned him into Public Enemy No. 1 among the Jets fanbase. More than four months after the head coach declared Gang Green would be playing relevant…
www.nydailynews.com
