New York Jets Fire Gregg Williams

After a late collapse in the final moments of Sunday’s clash with the Las Vegas Raiders that saw them fall to a record of 0-12, the New York Jets have fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. With the Jets still winless and finding new ways to lose games, it is widely expected that head coach Adam Gase and the rest of his staff will follow suit soon.

With the Jets up by four and the Raiders facing a third-and-10 with just seconds left on the clock on Sunday, Williams made the bizarre decision to call an all-out blitz, leaving the secondary vulnerable to the large passing play that was inevitable on the next play. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr made no mistake and found Henry Ruggs in one-on-one coverage down the sideline for a game-clinching 46-yard touchdown throw.

Safety Marcus Maye, a Jets team captain, criticized Williams’ decision post-game, telling reporters: “That situation, just has to be a better call,” Maye said. “We gotta execute, but you gotta help us out at the same time.

“We fought hard to put ourselves in the position to win. That’s the point in the game we’ve just got to be in a better call.”

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr also admitted to being grateful when he saw the Jets blitz seven men on the play as he stepped up and out of the pocket before seeing a blistering Ruggs glide beyond cornerback Lamar Jackson.

“I couldn’t believe they all-out blitzed us,” Carr said. “As soon as I saw it, I was thankful.”

Williams was in his second year with the Jets after being hired to Gase’s coaching staff in January of 2019, with the New York outfit boasting a record of 7-21 during that period. Before joining the Jets, 62-year-old Williams was with the Cleveland Browns and was part of the outfit that went 0-16 in 2017.

“First and foremost, we were in zero, zero coverage, I’ve got my man,” said rookie corner Lamar Jackson, who was beaten by fellow rookie Henry Ruggs in the play that won the game for the Raiders. “I knew the situation. I knew it was one of those things where they were taking a shot at the end zone. So I was just getting back, getting back. The receiver gave me a nice little double move, I kind of [reacted] to it. He’s a fast guy. That was that.”

Williams’ son, Blake, is also on the Jets’ staff as a defensive assistant and reports suggest that he is expected to depart the team as well. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport has reported that New York intends to name inside linebackers coach Frank Bush as its interim defensive coordinator.

“When you’re in this league long enough you see games like this and you don’t want to be a part of them, I know that,” Head Coach Adam Gase said.

“We were trying to create pressure,” Gase said of the blitz. Carr, he said, “hadn’t done well with it all game. So that’s what happened. We had a couple of free runners but we didn’t get there. Everybody’s disappointed. You lose a game like that… our guys work way too hard to go through this.”

“He did some good stuff,” the head coach said of Sam Darnold’s 2 TD performance. The scores were Darnold’s first TD passes since Week 3. “We can clean some things up. Those two sack fumbles were tough, the pick. But we had a good drive to get in the end zone late when we were down. We’ve just got to finish the game.”

Williams and the Jets defense had forced a turnover on downs in their own red zone a minute before the all-out blitz play and seemed to have done enough to get the 2020 New York Jets over the line for the first time. However, the Jets gave the ball back to the Raiders via a punt with 35 seconds on the clock, no timeouts remaining and 61 yards to go. With help from the Jets’ sideline and some weak play on the field, New York gave up those 61 yards and continued on their march to a winless season.

“The turnovers hurt us, I have to take better care of the ball when I feel pressure and get away from it and get the ball out of my hands,” Jets quarterback Sam Darnold said in a press conference after the loss to the Raiders.

“We’re just upset,” Darnold said. “Some guys are at a loss how to feel. There are a lot of emotions going around the locker room. We will let this one sting today and tonight, look at the tape tomorrow and move on to the next game [next week at Seattle].

“We should have won. We’ve had a few games this year where we haven’t had a chance. But to have a game like this, to have it won at the end … these definitely hurt more than any.”

“For a lot of guys it’s hard to fathom losing a game like that,” Darnold continued. “We have no choice. We have to move on and continue to get better. I feel that this group is getting better as the season goes on.”