NEW ERA JETS
New era, vibe as Gase, Douglas seek playoff return
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) » Adam Gase can’t stand to lose at anything. The New York Jets coach despises it, even when it comes to practice.
So, squaring off every day at training camp against defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has stirred up the competitive juices for both men. And it has turned each morning into a chess match on the field between Gase’s offense and Williams’ defense.
With some shouting and, uh, colorful language mixed in.
“I think it’s great,” Gase said. “There are so many things that (Williams) does that we’re learning every day. There’s a little thing he does different each day that our guys have to adjust to. They have to figure out and we’ve got to figure it out on the fly sometimes. That’s a good thing.”
It’s all part of a noticeably more intense and rejuvenated vibe throughout the facility as the Jets look to snap an eightyear playoff drought with some new faces in charge of a hungry franchise.
Gone are coach Todd Bowles
and general manager Mike Maccagnan, replaced by Gase and Joe Douglas — two buddies from their days in Chicago. Jets chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson took the unconventional approach of firing Bowles right after the season and then waiting a few months to analyze things before also showing Maccagnan the door.
The move drew lots of criticism for its timing, but the team believes it ended up in a better spot. The games will ultimately determine all that, of course. For now, though, everything sure “feels” right around the Jets.
“The energy out here has been unbelievable,” Douglas said, “and I think when you have a guy with the energy that a coach like Adam Gase brings, you see these guys out here competing every day, you can’t help but get excited.”
Second-year quarterback Sam Darnold is a big part of that, too, and he has built off a solid finish to his rookie season with a terrific camp and preseason. Darnold has been throwing with more zip and confidence, a product of getting stronger in the offseason and increasing the flexibility in his hips.
“I’m ready to roll,” Darnold said. “I’m excited and I think this team’s poised to do great things this year, but it really starts one week at a time, one day at a time, so that’s our mindset right now.”
Some things to know about the Jets heading into the season: BELL TOLLS All eyes will be on running back Le’Veon Bell as he plays in a game that counts for the first time in nearly 20 months.
He sat out last season in a contract dispute with Pittsburgh and signed a four-year, $52.5 million contract with New York in March. The Jets kept him out of preseason games as a precaution, but the 27-year-old Bell is eager to show he’s still the versatile, game-changing superstar he was before last season.
“I think I’ll still be able to do what I’m able to do,” he said. “I mean, I go out here and practice the same way I practiced two, three years ago, and it feels the same. It actually feels slower now, for whatever reason. I just think I understand the game better.”