The absolute dumpster-fire situation that the New York Jets commonly like to get themselves into has struck again – and this time, head coach Adam Gase is firmly cemented in its outcome.
With disgruntled star safety Jamal Adams having been shipped out of town to the Seattle Seahawks, for safety Bradley McDougald, two first-round selections, and a mid-round pick, Gase seems to only have to worry about incumbent running back Le’Veon Bell as a thorn in his side.
But Gase — who has seemingly had issues with his personnel wherever he has traveled as a head coach — has a bigger problem on his hands – the development of their quarterback of the present and future, Sam Darnold.
The former USC poster child has actually put together a solid career in the NFL so far, and even though being at the butt of some jokes (due to his mononucleosis diagnosis late last season), he has been able to make the Jets’ selection of him worthwhile for both sides.
Gase — who came into the situation with Darnold already firmly entrenched at the QB spot for this team — has a big-time burden on his shoulders that directly affects his tenure with the Jets. That would be to help diagnose any long-standing flaws that Darnold may have, help Darnold work around the patchwork that the rest of the offense has been built around, and help him survive to the point where he can make plays.
“We definitely have the guys to be able to win football games. But as we see every year, it’s about putting everything together,” Darnold said. “I know everyone’s just looking forward to going out there and winning the first game, and then after that, winning the second one.”
Seems easy right? Well, as history suggests, nothing is ever easy when it involves the Jets.
For Gase to remain as the leader of the Jets, Darnold needs to become a top-15 QB, plain and simple. And not just for one season – for every season for the next five-plus seasons.
In the bottom half of the league in terms of quarterback rankings, Darnold has just never had the type of weaponry surrounding him that could help boost his game to the levels that they A) could be and B) should be at. The talent levels for the former Trojan are quite high, and he has one of the highest ceilings of a QB that has not yet made it in the league, but he has been held down by countless, hapless offensive units surrounding him.
Hayden Winkes of Rotoworld went through and ranked all 32 NFL offenses based on their analytical usage, regarding such elements as pace, motion, and play type usage rates. And spoiler alert – Gase does not place very high in any of these elements.
4th Down Aggressiveness – 14th
Pass Rate on Early Downs: 19th
Pass Rate While Trailing: 23rd
Play-Action Rate: 17th
Downfield Pass Rate: 8th
Middle of the Field Pass Rate: 24th
Pre-Snap Motion Percentage: 29th
Outside Run Rate: 28th
Shotgun Run Rate: 14th
Offensive Pace: 16th
Running a slower-paced offense that essentially throws at you what you see as soon as they line up, a Gase-led offense is a very predictable one. It is a unit that does not offer a ton of elements that help throw the defense off its trail, which ultimately makes it quite difficult for a player like Darnold to try and lead a successful offensive unit. And with leading receiver Robby Anderson now out of the picture after having left for the Carolina Panthers this past offseason, Darnold will need to be even more on his game.
Anderson was the field stretcher that helped give the likes of Quincy Enunwa and Jameson Crowder the space that they both needed to thrive underneath, all while providing ample space for Bell to stretch out his game into the aerial type — although he was vastly underused in that area. Gase, who had enough of the right kinds of offensive playmakers at his disposal in 2019, now has to try and fill the cupboard with whatever pieces are left, which is something that the Jets have faced all too often lately.
To replace Anderson, the team signed career underachiever Breshad Perriman, who turned in a few great games in the absence of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, who occasionally faced injuries that opened up more opportunities for Perriman. The former first-round selection out of UCF by the Baltimore Ravens, Perriman is now tasked with being the receiving leader for a Jets offense that is looking to become more of a two-dimensional threat, instead of one that really does not do anything well.
Darnold is the real deal, and the Jets have the best seat in the house currently to that show. How long this show lasts is exactly what sits in the hands of Gase and company. And if he continues to misuse one of their best QBs that this team has had lately, it would be a nail in the coffin for the coaching career of Gase for the Jets.
Would it be fitting for the Jets to misuse Darnold, who was one of their best first-round selections since the year 2000? Absolutely.
Do we as NFL fans wish for the continuous disappointment that is the Jets franchise to continue to be a disappointment? Sure, but it does get old at times.
Can Darnold be the guy that helps lead this team out of its perpetual struggling seasons to actually become a threat in what looks to now be a wide-open AFC East division with the departure of Tom Brady? Absolutely – but Gase is the key to seeing that all the way through.
Things do not change overnight for any franchise — especially for a franchise like the Jets. The hole that they have dug for themselves is such a deep one that they are not able to dig out of it in just one season. But Darnold has been building up to become the guy for the Jets, and all that seems to be standing in his way is his head coach, who cannot even seem to get out of his own way.
If Darnold is not able to take that next step, Gase is gone – it is that simple. So what step do the Jets end up taking in ‘20 and beyond? There is only one way to find out.
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