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This is very simple.
And you might think I’m stating the obvious, but I think it needs to be stated.
It doesn’t matter what any fans think. It doesn’t matter what any reporters think. It doesn’t matter what any sports talk show hosts think.
When it comes to Adam Gase’s future, only one opinion matter – Jets owner Christopher Johnson.
When people refer to Jets Nation, that is fine and dandy, but when it comes to Gase’s future, whether he should stay or go, that won’t be on the ballot on November 5. The only opinion on Gase that really matters is Johnson’s. That’s it.
The reason I bring this up today is because during the part of practice open to the media, Gase was standing on the sideline having a long talk with Johnson, and it was very cordial. There didn’t seem to any tension. It was very chill. Johnson certainly wasn’t reading the coach the riot act after the team’s humiliating loss to New England.
Watching this conversation, it really hit home with me that it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks. The only vote that matters with Gase is Johnson’s, and he really seems to like the coach.
And after his long chat with Johnson, Gase spoke to a couple of reporters for a few minutes before the media portion of practice ended.
As I mentioned before, Gase’s media strategy is flat-out brilliant, and I’m not being sarcastic. He talks to reporters almost every day during practice while the individual position drills are taking place. The individual position drills are when position coaches work with the players at their position on drills and technique.
So Gase gives his position coaches space to do their thing, and during this time, he often talks to reporters in a very casual way (it’s not a press conference), which allows him to develop a bond with them, so perhaps when tough times hit, like now, they are less apt to take out the long knifes in their articles.
Look every coach approaches things differently. During the individual drills, Gregg Williams, who is the overlord of the defense, bounces between defensive position drills, observing how guys look, and throwing in his two cents every now and then.
Some might argue that Gase, who is not only the head coach, but oversees the offense, should be bouncing around between offensive position drills, like Williams is on defense, especially with his team at 1-5.
For instance, maybe he should pop into the offensive line drills to give his two cents, considering how much that unit has struggled.
But others would argue Gase works very long hours, and interacts with to a lot of these same players throughout the day, giving them pointers.
And honestly, for career survival, what Gase was doing today, was pretty darn smart – connecting with the owner, the only person whose vote counts regarding his job security, and then writers, who he can keep at bay to a degree with a charm offensive, perhaps giving them good off-the-record stuff; because writers often don’t criticize their sources, or at least not as critically.
October 23, 2019
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