“Where the hell has this been all year?”
This is what the Jets 23, Browns 16 at MetLife Stadium must have had all Jets fans screaming at their TV screens on Sunday.
Just a week ago, the Jets were 0-13 and were on a collision race to 0-16 and No. 1 overall draft. They came out again with a 40-3 loss on the road to Seattle, entering a game against a 9-4 Rams team that was ranked first in the league in defense.
The Jets defeated the Rams, 23-20, in Los Angeles to end the 0-16 discussion and, in this process, lost control of selection no. 1 of the overall draft and the chance to land Clemson defender Trevor Lawrence.
And then it was Sunday, the Jets controlling a Browns team that went into Day 10-4 with their eyes set on winning AFC North next Sunday, with a divisive clash approaching against the Steelers.
But, just as the Jets did to the Rams last week, they landed early on to the Browns chin, took a stunning 20-3 lead to start the second half, and finally clung on. with a defensive deception.
So, to review: in the last two Sundays, the Jets have defeated two teams with a collective record of 19-8, both probably destined for the playoffs.
What does everything mean?
What did the 6-2 crazy-gold finish last season mean for this season after the 1-7 start?
That’s the question Jets CEO Christopher Johnson needs to ask and answer with a cold, honest answer, no matter how warm feelings he might have for his head coach.
Because the answer is this: Too late.
Johnson, with a good conscience, can’t sell another year of Adam Gase (9-22) to his fans.
Johnson, in fact, should have been at the helm for the past two weeks wondering, “Where the hell has this been all year?”
The dynamic passage of the 43-meter TD pitch from receiver Jamison Crowder to receiver Braxton Berrios, Johnson should have wondered, “Where the hell was all year?”
At 11-foot Sam Darnold TD at tight end Chris Herndon, probably the team’s biggest disappointment this season, another: “Where the hell was he all year?”
At the 30-meter Darnold TD pass to Crowder one-third down to open the second half and give the Jets 20-3, another: “Where the hell was all year?”
In the fourth quarter of Baker Mayfield, Browns defender, by defender Tarell Basham, another: “Where the hell has this been all year?”
At Basham, forced to beat Mayfield on the fourth and highest goalkeeper on the Jets’ 16-yard line to freeze the game with 1:16 remaining, a final: “Where the hell was that all year?”
“You’ll always wonder,” Gase admitted after the game.
What does this mean in the big picture?
It was reported late Saturday that the Jets were ready to shoot Gase pending the outcome of Sunday’s game against the Browns.
How and why any ownership decision over Gase’s future should have depended on a Week 16 result against Browns is absolutely absurd. If the decision on Gas has not already been made and is awaiting the results of two landfills, this is the abuse of property.
“I didn’t think of that,” Gase insisted after the game, when asked about his future. “I did not discuss any of this with Christopher. My job is to prepare for the next game, so that’s what I’m going to worry about. “
Asked if he was “hopeful” the results of these past two games would have an “impact” on the ownership decision, Gase said: “It’s something I can’t worry about.”
Asked if he “believes” that he is the coach who leads this team, Gase went into a monologue about his players, saying: “I can’t say how much I appreciate what these guys did to fight week after week. It’s hard to say in words. “
Not so hard to ask, “Where the hell has this been all season?”
“Obviously, it’s too late,” Darnold said. “But they come together nicely.”
Crowder, who had a day off himself, catching seven passes for 92 meters and a TD and throwing the TD pass to Berrios, admitted that it is “kind of human nature” to wonder where he was all season.
“We’re moving forward,” said the Connor McGovern Center. “We look at what we can be, what we will be. We are learning valuable lessons for the future. “
But what exactly is that future?
Certainly, Gase can’t be part of it. What about Darnold?
“I think we have an excellent base,” McGovern said. “Whoever leads us next year – whether it’s the Gase coach or anyone else – starts by removing that culture of loss from the facility and introducing a new culture. That’s what we’re trying to build right now. “