Tag: Todd Downing

Jets vs. Patriots: Aaron Rodgers has to cut down on his turnovers

Statistically, New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers has already thrown a total of seven interceptions this season, an average of one per game.

Over the four-game New York Jets losing streak, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been extremely accurate when targeting players from the opposing team. Statistically, Rodgers has already thrown a total of seven interceptions this season, an average of one per game.

Rodgers’ Week 6 fourth-quarter interception was caused by a severe under throw, yet Rodgers found an intricate way to blame teammate wide receiver Mike Williams. Yet, Rodgers then sequentially threw two interceptions in week 7 and fans have yet to truly hold him accountable.

At this point, Rodgers is completely riding on the renown of his name and potential because his performances have been mundane to say the least. With Nathaniel Hackett demoted from duty, Rodgers and interim offensive coordinator Todd Downing badly need to get things resolved.

Nevertheless, things aren’t all bad for the Jets who can begin their climb back to .500 in Foxboro, MA on Sunday. Their AFC East showdown with the New England Patriots will give fans clarity on whether the team has a chance this season.

Give Jets’ HB Breece Hall the ball and not the blame

Give Jets’ HB Breece Hall the ball and not the blame

Again, New York Jets running back Breece Hall was off to a good start in week seven versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet, passing-game coordinator Todd Downing found a way to alienate him from the game sequence, especially in the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7

Hall finished Sunday night’s 37-15 loss with six receptions for 103 yards and 12 carries for 38 rushing yards. His struggles on the ground are indicative, and some of his carries should be delegated to rookie Braelon Allen. Ball distribution continues to be an area lacking in the Jets offense as an inability to sustain drives compels them to be more pass heavy.

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Inside a very divided locker room, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is possibly looking for someone to blame and it definitely shouldn’t be Hall after these last two weeks. Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson took some blame for his game-changing drop that led to an interception.

Ultimately, Hall has played better under Downing, but the team’s love for the pass has made his contributions null and void. Until the Jets settle in on an offensive identity they will continue to struggle.

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Aaron Rodgers, turnovers, and terrible towels: Steelers top Jets, 37-15

Aaron Rodgers, turnovers, and terrible towels: Steelers top Jets, 37-15

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was overwhelmed by both the Pittsburgh Steelers defense and the swirling terrible towels in the crowd in Week 7. 

The Steelers made shreds of Rodgers and the Jets offense on “Sunday Night Football,” taking a 37-15 win. 

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More excessive passing was the plan for Rodgers and newly acquired wide receiver Davante Adams. However, the Jets’ very predictable play calling was devoured by Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. 

Sure, Rodgers had 276 passing yards but needed a whopping 39 attempts to do so. 

After 39 pass attempts and yet another game with more interceptions than touchdowns, it’s time for fans to stop being delusional about Rodgers and hold him accountable. If not, Rodgers’ very toxic ideals will consume what’s left of team comradery, and the losing streak will continue.

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Dear Breece Hall, The Jets rank No. 30 in rush yards per game

Dear Breece Hall, The Jets rank No. 30 in rush yards per game

The New York Jets rank No. 30 in rush yards per game this season and only one player has taken the majority of the carries.

Through 65 carries, Jets running back Breece Hall has produced 197 total rush yards at a rate of three yards per carry. For contrast, his reserve Braelon Allen has a total of  143 yards on just 32 carries.

It’s very simple mathematics, yet somehow, former coordinator Nathaniel Hackett kept Allen minimalized through the first six weeks of the season.

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Sure, it isn’t all Hall’s fault. Hackett’s clueless play calling had Hall plunging the a-gap, where his undersized frame yielded a disadvantage.

Hall is best when he is used in the counter game, outside zones, or as a pass catcher out of the backfield and interim coach Todd Downing needs to make the adjustment versus the Buffalo Bills.

As for Allen, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich is too prudent to ignore the signs anymore. Expect Ulbrich to get both Hall and Allen the touches they need on Monday night.

Broncos Twitter reacts to Jets stripping Nathaniel Hackett of playcalling duties

What does Nathaniel Hackett even do with the Jets now?

The New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh this week but opted to keep offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on staff despite their offense struggling through the first five games of the season.

New York’s decision surprised NFL fans and pundits. Their next move was less surprising: interim coach Jeff Ulbrich announced Thursday that Hackett has been stripped of playcalling duties and Todd Downing is taking over.

Saleh planned to make that same change, but he was fired. Ulbrich apparently liked Saleh’s plan and he’s now implementing it.

No longer tasked with calling plays, Hackett’s role with the Jets is unclear, but they aren’t firing him. Here’s a sampling of how Denver Broncos fans and pundits reacted to the news on Twitter/X.

Hackett served as Denver’s head coach in 2022. He was fired with two games remaining that season after starting 4-11. Last offseason, new Broncos coach Sean Payton said Denver’s 2022 season “might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL.”

It seems that Payton’s comments have been justified.

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Jets’ Jeff Ulbrich strips Nate Hackett of play calling, goes to Todd Downing

Jets’ Jeff Ulbrich strips Nate Hackett of play calling, goes to Todd Downing

The New York Jets will no longer have Nate Hackett calling their plays on offense.

Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich has announced that Hackett has been stripped of his duties as the play caller for the team’s offense. During Jets’ 2-3 start to the 2024 NFL season, that side of the ball has struggled in a big way, leading to the firing of head coach Robert Saleh earlier this week.

It had been reported that Saleh had been considering making changes of his own to the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball, but he never got the opportunity to do so before being dismissed.

Evidently, Ulbrich had something similar in mind.

With Hackett no longer calling the plays, passing-game coordinator Todd Downing will now do so. The same prior mentioned report on Saleh said he wanted to make this same move.

Hackett will remain with the team but will have a different role moving forward.

Ulbrich announcing the change can be found below:

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Reports indicate Robert Saleh would make change on offense before firing

Reports indicate Robert Saleh would make change on offense before firing:

The finer details are a bit conflicting, however, it appears that Robert Saleh was aiming toward making some sort of change to the New York Jets’ offense before being fired by the team.

On Tuesday, the Jets decided to move on from Saleh.

Prior to that, reports indicate that Saleh had wanted to make some changes regarding New York’s offense moving forward. That appears to be certain, but exactly what the change would have been is what’s in the gray.

According to CBS Sports, Saleh had been toying with the idea of firing offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett:

But SNY has reported that the move would not have been that drastic. Instead, Saleh was considering taking play-calling duties away from Hackett in favor of Todd Downing, who is the Jets’ passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach:

Whichever report holds more truth isn’t all that important, because regardless, it sounds like Hackett was going to be demoted in some capacity. Moving forward, the same could still happen but that’s a decision for Jeff Ulbrich, who was named New York’s interim head coach.

Jets Wire will provide updates as information is made available.

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Todd Downing attends, coaches drills during Saturday’s Combine session

Todd Downing attends, coaches drills during Saturday’s Combine session

Jets passing game coordinator Todd Downing was in attendance and did a little coaching during Saturday’s on-field drills for quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers at the Scouting Combine.

Downing served as the “main voice” in the quarterback room last season and will continue to have a hand in the position now that Rob Calabrese has joined the Los Angeles Rams.

Wide receiver is a big need for the Jets but there’s also a chance they draft a quarterback late. For now, the only quarterback under contract for the 2025 season is Aaron Rodgers. Zach Wilson is expected to be traded this offseason.

Saturday’s action was highlighted by the quarterbacks throwing, including Michael Penix of Washington, Bo Nix of Oregon and J.J. McCarthy of national champion Michigan.

The biggest highlight came from Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy as he broke the record for the fastest recorded 40-yard dash at the Combine at 4.21 seconds. The previous record was 4.22 by wide receiver John Ross.

Robert Saleh sticking with Zach Wilson, Nathaniel Hackett

Robert Saleh sticking with Zach Wilson, Nathaniel Hackett

No changes are coming on the offensive side of the football for the Jets despite the struggles over the past few weeks or even months.

Head coach Robert Saleh told reporters Monday he will stick with Zach Wilson at quarterback and Nathaniel Hackett as the offensive play-caller.

At this point, it doesn’t seem like too much of a surprise that Saleh is hanging on with Wilson. Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas have been holding on to hope for so long. The only quarterback move they’ve made since Aaron Rodgers’ injury in Week 1 was adding Trevor Siemian to the practice squad. Siemian has yet to be on the active roster this season.

Saleh continues to defend the play of Wilson. In the last two games, he hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass and has been sacked 10 times. For the season, he has five touchdown passes against six interceptions, with a passer rating of 74.6.

“He’s actually playing pretty well,” Saleh said. “It’s hard to make changes just to make changes to pacify something,” he added.

Saleh did mention the team may look into “personnel changes” to try to get something going on offense.

As for who will call the offense, Saleh is sticking with Hackett as the play-caller despite some perhaps thinking the reins should be handed over to passing game coordinator Todd Downing. Hackett has had his own issues this season, especially in the end zone. But Saleh is going to stick with his guy.

More data shows how dismal Titans’ 2022 offense was on early downs

Todd Downing routinely ran Derrick Henry into a brick wall on first downs in 2022.

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The Todd Downing experiment in Tennessee was disastrous from the start and it didn’t take long to realize how big of a downgrade Downing was in comparison to what Arthur Smith brought to the team during his tenure.

This entire offseason, Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis has done a good job of pointing out just how lackluster Tennessee’s former offensive coordinator was, even calling Downing a “double agent trying to make life difficult for the Titans offense.”

Sharp recently decided to research a variety of topics surrounding first-half offenses around the league, and unsurprisingly, the Titans’ Downing-led offense didn’t fare favorably in either category.

The Titans not only finished with the most first-down runs which resulted in a maximum gain of two yards or less (58), Tennessee also produced the sixth-lowest pass rate on early downs (49.4 percent).

Needless to say, routinely putting the Titans’ one-dimensional offense in 3rd-and-longs was a recipe for disaster, and it’s one of many reasons why Downing is no longer running the offense.

Let’s hope a Tim Kelly-led group produces a more balanced and unpredictable attack on early downs in order to help put the offense in more manageable situations throughout the game.

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