When Adam Gase agreed to become the head coach of the New York Jets, he knew it wasn't going to be an easy task. The Jets have been consistently in the basement of the AFC standings in recent years, and the Patriots are still reigning supreme in the AFC East.

The Jets haven't won the division since 2002, and Gase will be up against it to win it again. Speaking to the media Tuesday, Gase bluntly acknowledged the reality of the situation, per Darryl Slater of NJ.com.

“My point to the whole thing is: We’re behind,” Gase said. “They’ve got a big head start — multiple years, a decade-plus, almost two [decades]. When we’re in the building, we have to do everything we can to keep getting better, because we’re playing catch-up,” he explained, referring to the Patriots.

The Patriots have dominated the division in a way that's rarely seen in professional sports. New England has won the division 15 out of the past 16 seasons, and haven't shown any signs of decline. Despite the fact that it'll be difficult, Gase doesn't mind playing in the same division as the defending champs.

“I like being in this division,” he said. “I always have felt like you want to compete against the best. They’ve done this for a long time. You know where you stand when you play those guys and compete against them twice a year. You find out where you are really fast.”

Even though things have been bleak recently, the Jets have a lot of optimism heading into 2019. With Sam Darnold now under center, there's a renewed sense of excitement. The Jets play the Patriots in Week 3 and Week 7 this year, so Gase will have a couple of chances early on to topple them.