When the Jets pegged Adam Gase to be their next head coach in January 2019, they thought they were getting an offensive guru who could take Sam Darnold to the next level and lead New York beyond mediocrity.
Instead, they landed a coach whose time in the Big Apple might be running out less than two years after his arrival.
If 2019 was any indication of what is in store for the rest of Gase’s tenure as head coach, the Jets will be hard-pressed to reach the playoffs anytime soon. New York did well to finish 7-9 a year ago, but its late-season surge was more a product of an extremely soft schedule and an overachieving defense than it was Gase’s ability to right the ship.
There is no soft part on New York’s 2020 schedule. The Jets will be challenged throughout the season with competition like the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and four teams from the NFC West, arguably the toughest division in football, on the docket. If Gase can’t find a way to win games against some of the NFL’s premier teams, it could result in him receiving a pink slip either during or after the season.
That could then mean an opportunity for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
There were not many bright spots for the Jets last season, but Williams’ defense was certainly one of them. New York boasted one of football’s best run defenses with Williams somehow finding a way to make things difficult for opposing passing attacks despite a horrendous cornerback room and injuries across the defense for most of the season.
Williams also did an excellent job of endearing himself to his players in his first season with the Jets. With his fiery personality and hard-nosed coaching style, Gang Green’s defensive personnel loved going to battle for their defensive coordinator. The 61-year-old Williams has no problem ripping into his players when he has to. At the same time, he would go to bat for his guys any day of the week. Williams’ brash ways are calculated and designed to get the best out of his players. That kind of coaching style might not appeal to everyone, but it has been a major hit in the locker room at One Jets Drive.
Jordan Jenkins held Williams in such high regard that he took a below-market deal to re-sign with the Jets this offseason just so he could suit up for the veteran coach in 2020. Even Pierre Desir, who did not play for New York last season, heard so many good things about Williams that he wanted to sign with the Jets and work with him this upcoming season.
If the Jets continue to struggle in 2020, Gase will be out the door. He might be friends with Joe Douglas, but Douglas was not the one who hired him and he is not going to keep him on as head coach if he is not notching filling up the win column. That would create a serious opportunity for Williams to step into the job.
Williams has enough head coaching experience to make him a legitimate candidate for a vacancy should Gase be let go. He led the Bills from 2001-03 and went 5-3 as the Browns’ interim head coach in 2018. His pedigree as a defensive play-caller and the way he is perceived by his players also enhance his resume.
The Jets might want to stray away from the Gase regime in any possible search for a new head coach, but with someone like Williams already in the organization, it would be foolish for Douglas and company to not give him a long, hard look for the job.
As long as Williams does his job and puts together another solid defense in 2020, opportunity will come knocking if the Jets struggle and Gase gets fired. He is simply too attractive of a candidate to ignore.