New York Jets

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase told reporters after Sunday's 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins, moving the team to 0-11 on the year, that he didn't take over the play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains during the contest. 

When one reporter said that it appeared Loggains wasn't doing anything during the game, Gase pushed back. 

"It's not hard. This isn't hard," he said. "We go through it the drive before. 'Hey, these are the three plays.' I do the third downs."

Gase added that he took over "some of the two-minute stuff" in the second half. 

The Jets are a mess. They scored 20 or more points just once in their first eight games, with Loggains taking over play-calling duties in Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills. The change seemed to invigorate the offense somewhat in a 30-27 Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots and a 34-28 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11, with a bye week between the two. 

But things went sour again this week. How sour? The Jets finished with just 260 yards, gave up three sacks and two turnovers and were a putrid 3-of-13 on third-down attempts. 

It's hard to imagine Gase surviving this season. The Jets are now 7-20 since he took over as head coach in 2019. 

Gase isn't thinking about his job security, however, or at least not publicly.

"I'm not going to be concerned about anything with that," he told reporters after Sunday's loss. "I can control one thing and that's making sure I come to work every day and try to do the best I can with our guys and put them in the right position and try and help them get better."

The silver lining for the Jets, though, is that they remain on pace to get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. That could afford them the chance to draft a potential future superstar at quarterback like Trevor Lawrence, with Sam Darnold showing very little indication he's a franchise player at the position. 

The question will be who ultimately calls play for Lawrence if he indeed becomes a Jet. Chances are it won't be Gase.

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase said Friday quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to return from a shoulder injury to start Sunday's Week 12 game against the Miami Dolphins.

"It's been a good week for Sam," Gase told reporters. " ... It just looks a lot different from the last time he tried to make a run at going in a game."

Darnold originally suffered the injury during a Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos. He returned in Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills but played just two games before aggravating the injury and missing the past two contests.

The third-year USC product has made six starts in 2020, and veteran backup Joe Flacco took the reins of the offense in the other four games. Neither one has made a significant impact as the Jets have slid to the bottom of the NFL standings with an 0-10 record.

Gase explained the team still wanted to see how Darnold would perform with a more complete set of pass-catching weapons available. Wide receivers Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims along with tight end Chris Herndon should all be active Sunday.

"I'd like to see him play with our starting wide receivers," Gase said Thursday. "That would be probably my No. 1 thing I'd love to see."

Injuries to playmakers were one of the key reasons the Jets offense struggled to open the year.

In addition, New York's front office will hope Darnold plays well down the stretch to bolster his trade value heading into the offseason.

Since the Jets are on pace to land the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and a tough schedule over the final six games makes an 0-16 record a possibility, they're likely going to select a top QB prospect with the No. 1 choice. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State's Justin Fields lead the group.

Darnold can't be blamed for the entirety of the team's struggles, but the opportunity to land Lawrence or Fields on a rookie contract can't be passed up. Darnold will need a contract extension in the next year or two, depending on whether the Jets exercise the fifth-year option in his rookie deal.

So, barring an unexpected surge over the final six weeks that moves New York outside the top two picks, the third overall selection in the 2018 draft will probably land on the trade block in the offseason.

In the short term, Darnold and Co. will attempt to end their losing streak Sunday against the Dolphins. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

If the New York Jets want Frank Gore to come back in 2021, the path is pretty simple: keep losing.

The running back spoke to reporters after Sunday's 34-28 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, saying he can't retire if the team goes 0-16. The Jets are currently 0-10.

"You don't want to go 0-16, especially if this is my last year," Gore said. "I can't go out like that. Hopefully, we can get one. And I can't wait until we get it. I'll be so happy. If it is my last year, I can't say I'm going out 0-16."

Gore has served as the team's starting running back in nine games this season, recording 505 total yards (447 rushing, 58 receiving) to put himself on pace for his most productive campaign since 2017. However, he's only averaged 3.6 yards per carry with a long of just 15 yards—understandable for a 37-year-old who likely never envisioned this level of workload after signing with the Jets this offseason.

Gore said the losing, combined with his age, has made this one of the tougher seasons of his 16-year NFL career.

"Yeah, I'd say it's tough, because it's the stage of my career," Gore said. "I was younger in San Fran, and I always felt like, 'I got time, I got time.' Now, I don't know if I'm going to play next year and ... I don't know.

"You just never know. I've got to be real with myself, how teams think about my age. They might not want a 38-year-old running back on the team. It's tough because I don't know about next year."

Gore has been known as one of the most exemplary teammates in the NFL throughout his career, but his age will of course play a factor in teams' interest.

He, Larry Fitzgerald and Jason Witten are the oldest running back, wideout and tight end, respectively. While Fitzgerald will seemingly be able to play for the Cardinals as long as he wants, Gore is on his fourth team in as many seasons. With the running back position trending younger and younger and the Jets likely heading for a regime change, Gore may have to wait deep into next summer to find a new team if he wants to continue playing.

Former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has high hopes for Sam Darnold—but not in the Meadowlands.  

"There's just so much uncertainty that it's almost impossible for a quarterback to have success with all those circumstances," Sanchez said on the Gangs All Here podcast via the New York Post (h/t TMZ Sports). "I feel for him."

"It's not like they're going to turn around and make a playoff run," he continued. "Now you get into these tough decisions as a competitor thinking, 'Man, maybe my time's up here and that's okay. Maybe, it's best for both sides to move on.'"

Darnold, who is 11-21 in three seasons with the Jets, has one year left on the rookie deal he signed when the team drafted him third overall out of USC in 2018. 

Sanchez was realistic about the future of the 0-9 Jets this season, who have swapped starts between Darnold and Joe Flacco as the former deals with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. The Jets' closest chance at victory came in Week 9 when Flacco threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-27 loss to the New England Patriots.

But Sanchez, who led the Jets to a pair of postseason appearances during a tenure that lasted from 2009-12, said he views Darnold as "a franchise player," though he won't be able to reach his full potential in New York. 

"I think he's somebody you invest in," Sanchez said. "... He just hasn't been able to do it there." 

If the Jets and Darnold do decide to part ways, it would clear a potential starting spot for Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is the consensus top pick heading into this year's NFL draft. And without a win this season, the Jets are the favorite to end up positioned to scoop him up. 

Spending three seasons with the New York Jets took a toll on Jamal Adams' mental health.

The Jets traded Adams to the Seattle Seahawks in July. The All-Pro safety said on the All Things Covered podcast he "fought depression in New York." He said his father was even concerned for him and reached out to his agent to resolve the matter.

Adams said he was especially frustrated because he felt the Jets "do not want to win."

New York went 16-32 through Adams' first three years, and the team is 0-9 to open 2020.

The Seahawks, on the other hand, reached the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons. Their 6-3 mark puts them in the hunt for an NFC West title or at least a wild-card berth. Joining a genuine contender was obviously a refreshing change for Adams.

The Jets' prolonged futility wasn't the only reason the franchise's relationship with the 25-year-old broke down. He told the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta in July how his contract standoff soured him on the idea of remaining in New York:

"It's definitely mixed feelings. But at the end of the day, my happiness is more important. I know my worth. I'm going to stand on my beliefs. I'm going to stand on who I am as a person. And I'm not ever going to change who I am for somebody who's judging me. Either you accept me for who I am and you work with me and support me or you don't. It's okay if you don't."

His recent comments put those references to his happiness and outside support into a different context as well.

The need to win is particularly acute in the NFL. Playing careers are generally shorter compared to other sports, and contracts often aren't fully guaranteed. Adams' former teammate Le'Veon Bell is a prime example of how quickly things can turn for a player who was considered the best at his position.

Rebuilds sound great in theory, but they're a much easier sell when you're not on the field as the losses continue to pile up.

New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold will miss the team's Sunday game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of the shoulder injury that has set him back all season, according to head coach Adam Gase. 

Darnold remains week-to-week and a move to injured reserve "has not been discussed," said ESPN's Rich Cimini, who reported Gase said it was a "consensus" decision to sit Darnold on Sunday.

Joe Flacco will get the start in Week 11, his fourth of the season. He started for the winless Jets in losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, the latter of which came before the team's Week 10 bye. 

The 23-year-old Darnold sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder during the team's Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos, and while he returned in Week 7 after missing two games, he was sidelined for Week 9 after he aggravated the injury the week before.

The winless Jets have looked to veteran Joe Flacco in the absence of their 2018 third-overall pick, but the 35-year-old has only thrown four touchdowns through four appearances. 

Darnold has posted a 58.6 completion percentage on 112-for-191 passing, throwing for 1,045 yards and just three touchdowns in his six outings. He has been intercepted six times and taken down on 19 occasions.

After a losing rookie season, in which he posted 2,865 yards and 17 touchdowns through 13 games, Darnold seemed to turn things around slightly last year when he recorded 3,024 yards with 19 scores and a 61.9 completion percentage (273-for-441) for the 7-6 Jets. 

Regardless of injury, the USC product's days in green and white could be numbered as the Jets continue to struggle.

If they stay on their current trajectory, they could turn to Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 draft, though drafting a quarterback up high—as they did with Darnold in 2018—hasn't paid off for them.

As head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick has won six Super Bowl championships. But the career move he made before landing in New England—leaving the New York Jets, where he served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1997-99—was pivotal for him.

Appearing on WEEI's Ordway, Merloni & Fauria, Belichick said resigning from the Jets was "one of the great moments" of his career (h/t Ryan Hannable):

"Well, not only one of the most defining, but you know, one of the great moments of my career. That combined with Robert [Kraft] giving me the opportunity to come here, I couldn't have asked for anything more. That wasn't a good situation for me and I didn't want to be part of it, so I wasn't. The other half of that was Robert giving me the opportunity to come here and trading, he gave up quite a bit to get me to come here, and that was a big trade. I am very thankful that it worked out. I appreciate all the support from Robert, the Kraft family, the Patriots organization and all the New England fans and I'll keep trying to do my best for this team and this organization — give them the very best that can and I very thankful for the opportunity to come here. I just wasn't going to stay there in that situation."

In 2000, the Patriots fired now-Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and wanted to replace him with Belichick, who was in the midst of a six-year contract as an assistant coach on the Jets—under former Patriots coach Bill Parcells, who had coached with Belichick in New England in 1996.

When he signed his contract to follow Parcells to New York, the document included a stipulation that he would assume Parcells' job when he left the team, which he did on Jan. 3, 2000. But during a press conference scheduled to introduce Belichick as the head coach the next day, Belichick resigned. Patriots owner Robert Kraft traded a first-round pick in the 2000 NFL draft and fourth- and seventh-round selections in 2001 in exchange for Belichick and a pair of late-round selections in the 2000 and 2001 drafts. 

Though his first season in New England had little markings of what was to come, with the team finishing 5-11, Belichick would go on to coach in nine Super Bowls, boasting a 240-88 record through nearly 21 seasons with the team. 

Tim Tebow's football career featured many boisterous moments, but the former Heisman Trophy winner apparently went out of his way to avoid saying cuss words.

During an appearance on the Endless Hustle podcast (h/t TMZ Sports), former New York Jets center Nick Mangold said one of the team's plays had a curse word in it that Tebow refused to say when it was called. 

"We had a play that was a 'Y Oh S--t' screen, where the tight end actually fakes like he fell down on a running play, hops up, runs back over, throws back to the tight end and it's usually wide open. ... He goes through the whole formation and gets to the last play: 'Y, Alright Screen...you guys know what it is.' And we're like, 'No Tim, what is it?' He goes, 'No, I'm not going to say it.'"

Even though there isn't any concrete audio or video evidence of Tebow uttering a curse word, one person has gone on the record to say he once heard the two-time first-team All-American do so. 

"We're on the bus, getting ready to get off the bus, and the Gator Walk is out of control—the bus was rocking," Dan Mullen, who was Florida's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2005-08, said during a Gators fan event in May 2018. "Tebow gets up on the bus, drops an 'F' bomb in front of the team."

Mullen added that Tebow "will deny it until he dies," but after the star quarterback's statement, Florida "won by 40-something that night."

Tebow appeared in 12 games for the Jets during the 2012 season. He completed six of eight pass attempts for 39 yards and ran for 102 yards on 32 attempts. 

To date, that was Tebow's last time appearing in an NFL game during the regular season. He played during the preseason in 2013 for the New England Patriots and with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. 

Since September 2016, Tebow has transitioned to playing professional baseball in the New York Mets organization. 

New York Jets head coach Adam Gase announced Saturday quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to miss Monday night's Week 9 game against the New England Patriots because of a shoulder injury.

Andy Vasquez of USA Today reported the update and noted veteran backup Joe Flacco will likely draw the start for the Jets. ESPN's Rich Cimini provided further details from Gase about Darnold:

The 23-year-old USC product previously missed two games, losses to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 and Miami Dolphins in Week 6, with the shoulder injury.

He returned to play in losses against the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Monday an MRI on the shoulder showed "reaggravation" of the injury, but the quarterback hoped to play through it.

Flacco has struggled in three appearances this season. He's compiled a 51.9 percent completion rate, one touchdown and one interception. He's received a terrible 40.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

Darnold hasn't performed any better, though. He's completed 58.6 percent of his throws for 1,045 yards with three scores and six picks in six games.

Those quarterback numbers are part of a larger problem encompassing the Jets offense, which has lacked playmakers. Wide receivers Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims have all missed time with injuries, while running back Le'Veon Bell was released leaving 37-year-old Frank Gore to lead the backfield.

The reality for the Jets is they are trending toward the first overall pick and that's the best thing that could happen to the franchise. Winning four or five games and then missing out on either Clemson's Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State's Justin Fields would be a setback.

That's not to say Darnold is a bust. He hasn't been dealt a strong hand in New York with a lackluster roster around him and a Gase-led coaching staff that's on the hot seat as the losses rack up. But he's amassed 39 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in 32 games. That's not good enough.

He could go on to find success elsewhere, but the odds are the Jets will be moving forward with either Lawrence or Fields leading their offense in 2021 and beyond.

New York has a bye after Monday's clash with the Pats, which will give Darnold some extra time to recover. His next chance to play will come Nov. 22 against the Los Angeles Chargers.