KEARSE WORDS
Jets WR owns up to his late-game gaffe in loss to Dolphins
Jermaine Kearse wasn’t armed with excuses a few days after one of the most regretful plays of his seven-year career. There was no spin cycle or deflection of blame for his poor field awareness on a sideline pass on the final drive of a forgettable day for the Jets offense in a loss in Miami last weekend.
Kearse is one of the toughest and smartest players in the building, an undrafted underdog who embodies everything that this franchise needs during a critical phase. He is a leader with an enviable work ethic. He is a champion. He despises losing.
He also knows that there’s no good reason why he floated out of bounds on a simple route before catching Sam Darnold’s pass on a drive that sealed Gang Green’s third consecutive loss.
“It was probably the worst play that I had in my career,” Kearse told the Daily News. “I’ve never done that. It was just bad. Obviously, I know it’s bad. Sh-- happens. I can’t do anything about it now, but to just move on. It’s just bad football by me. I’ll own up to that.”
Kearse has taken heat from fans and critics this week for what they believed was a disinterested effort that also included a dropped pass earlier in the game. That perception is unfounded for myriad reasons. He genuinely wants to turn the Jets into a winner. He’s been to the NFL mountaintop. He wants everyone else to experience that same feeling.
Kearse is the ultimate professional, so he knows how this works. First and foremost, he disagrees with the notion that he doesn’t care. Ask any teammate or coach who has ever been around this guy about how much he cares. Kearse has been a grinder from the first day that he entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Washington.
“Any narrative like that about me is completely wrong,” Kearse said about the notion that he was disinterested last week. “I’m probably taking heat because people probably thought that I didn’t care . ...
“What do you want me to do? I’m not going to get too high and I’m not going to get too low. I’m not going to throw a tantrum.”
“Yeah, I’ll get fired up,” Kearse continued. “Obviously I knew I made a mistake. What do you want me to do? Scold myself? Obviously, I know what I did. Nobody’s perfect. But it’s cool. It shows that fans care. I have no problem dealing with adversity. I’ve taken heat before.”
It’s hard to know from afar just how valuable he is to a team. The Jets, frankly, heard about his leadership traits when he was the secondary piece to the Sheldon Richardson deal to Seattle last year, but they didn’t truly understand how impactful the wide receiver was until he arrived.
Kearse will never stop caring about getting the best out himself and everyone around him. He has always been cognizant of how he comports himself on the field during tough times. He wants to lead the right way. He knows that teammates will look to him during rough patches. So, being a raving lunatic isn’t going to help anyone.
But don’t get that disposition confused with a lack of passion. Sure, he’s not pleased with his team’s 3-6 record or
his performance (22 receptions, 215 yards, no TDs). It annoys him to no end.
“It's definitely been very difficult,” Kearse said. “It's been very frustrating. I've been very frustrated. I think we've all been very frustrated. Nobody likes losing. When you find yourself in a tough spot, you got to find ways to enjoy this in a way. It can be easy for (you to lose) your joy of playing and everything … especially when you've lost three in a row. It can be hard to have fun doing this. You got to find your ways to just enjoy it.”
“I know, for me, when I enjoy it, I play a lot better,” he continued. “So that's what I plan on doing these next seven games. Just enjoy going out there and having fun with my teammates. There's no doubt that my play will get better. I think I'm a really good football player.”
Kearse has always made the most of his opportunities dating back to his days with the Seahawks. He was clutch during Seattle's two Super Bowl runs.
If you question whether Kearse cares, take a look at his 23-yard touchdown catch against the Broncos in 2014 when he broke four tackles on a quick slant, did two 360-degree spins (clockwise and counterclockwise) to will himself into the end zone.
If you're unsure about Kearse's ability to rise to the occasion, take a look at his 35-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime of the NFC Championship Game that sent Seattle to its second consecutive Super Bowl.
And if you don't already know about Kearse's acrobatic juggling catch in the waning moments of Super Bowl XLIX that should have turned him into a twotime champion (if not for the worst play call in the big game's history), then you must have been living in a cave.
So, losing on One Jets Drive has not been easy for him.
“It's definitely new,” Kearse said. “I'm not perfect. Yeah, I came from Seattle. Yeah, I've been to two Super Bowls and won one. But in no way, shape or form am I perfect. I struggled just as anybody else. You got to find the positives in everything. And just keep moving forward.”
Kearse, 28, will be a free agent after the season, but he's focused on doing whatever he can to help the Jets reverse course over the final two months.
“Do I feel like I've been playing my worst football? No. Do I feel I like I can play better? Of course,” he said. “There's no doubt in my mind that that will happen. I definitely feel like I'll be playing a lot better. I just had to reset and go back to the basics. And now I'm good.”
He cares. He's always cared.