Gregg Williams does not think his comments about the Jets offense caused any sort of rift with Adam Gase or a distraction at One Jets Drive.
Williams took a veiled shot at New York’s offense while speaking with reporters last week, vaguely pinning some of the defense’s struggles on the poor starting field position Gase’s offense affords the unit.
“A lot of it is not all defensively,” Williams said of his group, which had allowed 161 points through five games before the Jets’ 24-0 loss to the Dolphins.
When pressed on who else was responsible for Gang Green’s defensive woes, Williams said “you’ll have to figure that out.”
Gase expressed his frustrations over Williams’ comments prior to New York’s Week 6 matchup with Miami, telling CBS “that’s not what we need.” Gase and Williams were also spotted having what appeared to be an animated conversation pregame. Williams fought back against the notion that his comments were detrimental to the team on Friday, insisting that his words were not divisive and did not throw a wrench in his relationship with Gase.
“Coach Gase and I are great friends,” Williams said, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “We’ve been that way. We’re on the same page. We talk about all those things. That thing is no thing.”
Gase originally attempted to downplay Williams’ comments, saying that his defensive coordinator was “trying to talk about complementary football, all three phases playing together.” However, Gase eventually met with Williams to discuss the issue and put it to bed.
“I know who we are,” Williams said. “I know who the head coach and I are. The players know that, too. Let’s get on to the next thing because it’s not divisive with our players. It’s not an issue. That’s not anything.”