By Jordan Long
The New York Jets are now 0-12 on the year after they allowed the Las Vegas Raiders to score the game winning touchdown with 5 seconds left in the game on Sunday. They lost 31-28. New York let go of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams after his play calling gaffe.
Williams has served as the Jets defensive coordinator since last season. Williams is an experienced defensive coordinator in the league since 1997. Williams is a fiery coach and always tries to get the best out of his players. He was involved in the bounty scandal when the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010. In the NFC Championship game against the Vikings, he offered money to any player who knocked out an opponent for the game. For his involvement, Williams was suspended for the 2012 season but was reinstated.
The Jets hired Williams prior to the 2019 season. They knew he was a pretty good defensive coordinator and his defense would sack the quarterback and cause turnovers. Last year Williams’ defense gave up 22.4 points per game, ranking 16th in the NFL. They didn’t permit teams to rack up the yards, allowing 323.1 yards per game 7th lowest in the NFL. With his defense, the Jets went 7-9.
This season, the Jets’ defense was hoping to be even better. On paper, they were going to help this team win. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. The Jets defense is one of the worst in the league. They are giving up an average of 398.8 yards per game, 29th in the NFL. They are having trouble stopping the pass. Teams are just throwing the ball at will and the Jets aren’t stopping them, permitting 291 passing yards per game, 2nd to the last in the NFL. Only the Bears give up more. Those equal points by the opponents with 29.4 points per game, 30th in the NFL, not a recipe for success.
On Sunday, the last straw came with 5 seconds left in the game. The Raiders were at the Jets’ 46 yard line looking for the go-ahead score. The Raiders faced 3rd and 10. Most defensive coaches would play prevent defense, rushing 3 and dropping 8. They would cover the sidelines so the receiver can’t go out of bounds to stop the clock. For whatever reason Williams blitzed 8 players and dropped 3 meaning his cornerbacks were in man-to-man coverage with no safety help behind them. Raiders’ receiver Henry Ruggs blew past his defender and was wide open. Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr found him for the game winning score.
The Jets needed to go in a different direction on defense for the final 4 games of the year. According to ESPN, Head Coach Adam Gase said, “Obviously, he wasn’t happy, but it’s our profession. We’ve all been in that situation where we’ve lost our jobs.”
The Jets’ interim defensive coordinator is Frank Bush. Bush was the inside linebackers coach. He has his chance to show he can be a defensive coordinator in this league. Even if the Jets don’t win but the defense plays better football, it could mean Bush may be hired as the defensive coordinator next year for another team or for the Jets if the Jets keep Gase after this poor season.
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