Gase, frustrations all remain for 0-6 Jets

NEW YORK — Frustrated fans woke up Monday morning to the reality that things remain the same for the New York Jets.

In a word: painful. Adam Gase is still the coach. The offense is still struggling. So is the defense. Special teams, too. But, hey, at least the 0- 6 Jets are now “winning” the slow crawl to the No. 1 overall draft pick. Whether that ends up being Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence remains to be seen.

One thing’s for sure, though: This season has been tough all around.

“You can get all caught up in the emotions of this game and the outside noise of the fans, but no one cares more than the guys in the locker room,” guard Greg Van Roten said. “This

is my job. I get paid to play football. I love this game and I want to go out there and play a perfect game every week. It’s incredibly frustrating when you lose a game.

“It’s even more frustrating when it’s not even close because you have a short window to do this as a professional athlete.”

Van Roten, a native of Long Island, grew up a Jets fan and said his father Thomas has followed the franchise for 68 years.

“As frustrated as the fans are, I understand that, but I’m way more frustrated than you are because this is a year of my playing life that’s not going the way that you want it to go,” said Van Roten, in his first season with the Jets.

“Dealing with that, you allow yourself to do your job and this is what you get paid to do, so you’ve got to find a way to stay positive, block out that noise and just play a good game the next time you get to go out there.

“Because, eventually, there’s not going to be a next time.”

Van Roten credited the embattled Gase with trying to find different ways to turn things around, from when they’ve met to how they’ve communicated and who has attended meetings. He said the coach showed about 30 plays Monday of Sunday’s 24- 0 loss at Miami to understand what the players were thinking in those situations and how they can all improve moving forward.

“You don’t want to show up on a Monday and it’s the same as last week and the same as the week before that when you’re not being successful on Sundays,” Van Roten said. “He is doing everything he can do to make sure we’re all set to go for our next opponent.”

WHAT’S WORKING

Joe Douglas’ cellphone. With the Jets’ season spiraling, the fire sale is officially on.

Last week, the general manager tried finding a trade partner to move Le’Veon Bell before ultimately releasing him last Tuesday. After the game Sunday night, Douglas agreed to deal veteran nose tackle Steve McLendon to Tampa Bay. The Jets also sent a 2023 seventh- rounder to the Buccaneers in exchange for the Buccaneers’ sixth- rounder in 2022.

Douglas is likely not done, especially with plenty of time before the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 3.