ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The noise within the tunnel was loud, however the locker room was quiet. As Robert Saleh and Zach Wilson headed towards the customer’s locker room on the Buffalo Bills’ stadium, there was commotion behind them. New York Jets defensive finish Micheal Clemons and Bills offensive sort out Dion Dawkins had to be separated, a dust-up that carried over from the sphere into the tunnel as the 2 groups headed to the locker room, positioned in the identical tunnel, instantly throughout from one another, with out a lot house between them.
The close to battle in query. Michael Clemons and Dion Dawkins have to be separated. Two huge dudes virtually locked horns. Spilled over from beef throughout the 32-6 Bills win. 📸 From my iPhone pic.twitter.com/P7xE0ADi3f
— Otis Livingston (@OlivingstonTV) November 20, 2023
It may’ve been worse, however a number of teammates helped to maintain Clemons again within the midst of the hubbub, and a coach tried to calm Clemons down as he walked into the locker room. Inside, the temper was dour and phrases had been scarce.
Saleh appeared to be on the verge of tears in his postgame information convention. When huge receiver Garrett Wilson spoke, it was barely above a whisper. Tight finish Tyler Conklin admitted he’s run out of how to clarify the Jets’ mess. Usually, it’s the identical points, week after week. But on this sport, which the Jets misplaced 32-6, it was worse than it has been since at the least final 12 months. They had been outmatched, outclassed and laughed off the sphere by gamers like Ed Oliver, who shouted at Jets gamers as they retreated to the locker room.
“What do you want me to say?” Conklin mentioned after his workforce dropped to 4-6. “If I had answers or someone had the answers I like to think it wouldn’t be happening like this.”
Maybe the reply will include a quarterback change, however in all probability not. It’s arduous to consider Aaron Rodgers would really nonetheless need to return after watching Sunday’s sport. The Jets’ points transcend the quarterback place, even when Zach Wilson has reached a level of no return — the place the Jets would possibly bench him, once more, and this time for good. When he was pulled for Tim Boyle with 2:17 left within the third quarter, the Jets had been shedding 29-6. Wilson had accomplished 7 of 15 passes for 81 yards, one landing — the Jets’ first offensive landing in 40 possessions — and a brutal second-quarter interception. He didn’t full a single go to a huge receiver.
Saleh has made it a level to say that Wilson was not the issue, and that he would solely bench him when it was clear he was the one gunking up the works. He adamantly pushed again on the concept of constructing a change merely to discover a spark — and then that’s precisely what he did Sunday when the sport was already too far out of attain.
“Just tried to see if we could get something going on the offensive side of the ball,” Saleh mentioned.
Saleh wouldn’t say whether or not Wilson’s benching will carry over to Friday’s sport in opposition to the Miami Dolphins, if it’ll be Wilson, Boyle or Trevor Siemian taking on. It won’t matter, and it’s honest to marvel if that’s totally Saleh’s name anyway. The Jets have reached a level now with Wilson that if he’s benched, the potential of them shifting on from him altogether — as in, releasing him in-season — shouldn’t be totally dominated out. If he’s benched, that ought to be it for him in a Jets uniform. Wilson is a downside, perhaps the largest downside, however he’s not the one subject. The Jets already had one of many NFL’s worst offenses final 12 months and it’s someway gotten worse with Nathaniel Hackett working the present at offensive coordinator.
Tim Boyle has taken over at QB for the Jets. pic.twitter.com/yipGuKL6eu
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 20, 2023
The unit feels prefer it’s reached a level of no return and the statistics are so pitiful, it’s barely value mentioning them anymore. This week, Saleh mentioned there can be some “personnel” and “schematic” adjustments to strive and jumpstart the offense. That included giving extra enjoying time to younger gamers like undrafted rookie receivers Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson, younger tight finish Jeremy Ruckert and rookie working again Israel Abanikanda. The Jets additionally held a players-only assembly on Tuesday, and Hackett moved from the sideline to the press field to name performs to, as Saleh mentioned, “give him another perspective, get up there and quiet his world down.”
None of it labored.
Brownlee performed 19 snaps and wasn’t focused. Gipson fumbled the opening kickoff and had one catch for 7 yards. Ruckert had a good 18-yard catch however in any other case his affect wasn’t noticeable. Abanikanda barely performed on offense till late within the second half when issues had been already out of attain. And the play-calling didn’t get any higher, both: The Jets had been 0-for-11 on third down, additional cementing this because the NFL’s worst third-down offense, and one of many worst in current reminiscence. The working sport, which was supposed to be the staple of this offense, has fallen off a cliff, too: Against the Bills, Breece Hall rushed for 23 yards on 10 carries after getting 28 yards on 13 carries final week in opposition to the Las Vegas Raiders. Finally, Hackett schemed to get Hall the ball extra within the passing sport and it labored — 5 catches for 50 yards and a landing — however that was the one constructive outcome from adjustments this week.
It is essential to point out that the Jets’ offensive line is in disarray. Chris Glaser (zero profession begins) began at proper guard. When left sort out Mekhi Becton left with an harm and didn’t return, he was changed by rookie Carter Warren in his first profession offensive snaps. The unit allowed 5 sacks in whole. But earlier than Sunday, the Giants had been the one offense worse than the Jets in most areas (specifically scoring and in go blocking), and then they went and scored 31 factors in a win over the Washington Commanders. Quarterback Tommy DeVito threw three touchdowns, which is one thing Wilson has by no means performed.
“I don’t think anyone did anything today,” Saleh mentioned. “Players, coaches, schemes, it was obviously not good enough. None of it was good.”
The supporting forged across the quarterback isn’t serving to a lot, both. Wilson has had 19 of his passes dropped by his receivers this season, the third-most of any quarterback. A couple of performs after Boyle checked in, Garrett Wilson misplaced one other fumble.
“I’m trying to make a play, catch the ball and I decide to try and make a move on the linebacker with not good ball security,” Wilson mentioned. “That’s what happens in this league. This season, I’m getting exposed for it and I gotta fix it. I will.”
Garrett Wilson admitted that the offense’s struggles, and his lack of targets and catches on Sunday, has him urgent to make a play anytime he really will get the ball. That is perhaps the problem for a few of his teammates, too.
“I do feel like that, and I feel like I play worse when I do that,” Wilson mentioned. “So I’m trying to fight human nature and we all maybe gotta feel that way and that compiles with the struggles on offense. It’s hard, man, when you’re playing like this and you feel like you’ve got to. I’ve got to take those bad plays off the field because I’m pressing.”
And lastly, the Jets protection had its first really bad sport of the season. It’s arduous to pin a lot of the issues of this workforce on them; sooner or later, the straw was going to break the camel’s again. Saleh mentioned a few weeks in the past the Jets had “dominated” the star quarterbacks they had been enjoying this season, feedback that certainly made their approach to the Bills locker room. Josh Allen made him eat crow for that Sunday, throwing for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a get-right sport for Buffalo, the identical week it fired former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
“I give them credit, they dominated us,” cornerback D.J. Reed mentioned. “It’s painful to say.”
Robert Saleh has to get his workforce prepared to play once more on Friday, after they host the Dolphins. (Mark Konezny / USA Today)
But this isn’t the fault of the protection. If fingers are getting pointed at anybody, it ought to begin on the high of the group, within the route of an important individuals working the present:
That’s common supervisor Joe Douglas, for constructing an offense that every one of a sudden feels devoid of expertise exterior of Hall and Garrett Wilson.
That’s Saleh, who has had a tough time getting the ship steered again in the suitable route. The Jets have was an undisciplined workforce susceptible to penalties and back-breaking psychological errors.
That’s Hackett, whose offense has develop into predictable, boring and wildly unsuccessful — someway much less productive than many horrible Jets offenses of current years.
And then there’s Zach Wilson.
He wasn’t supposed to play this 12 months, keep in mind. He was supposed to study from Aaron Rodgers. Instead, he’s began each sport and has was the face of the group’s greatest subject: offense.
Wilson admitted that he was “frustrated” that he acquired benched (once more), however understood why.
“When things aren’t getting done a change has to be made and I understand that,” he mentioned.
Boyle changed him and accomplished 7 of 14 passes for 33 yards and an interception, after not getting any first-team reps all week. He ought to this week, particularly if he winds up changing Wilson because the starter.
If that occurs, the drawn-out finish of Wilson’s tenure with the Jets will come to go.
Early within the third quarter, Wilson scrambled to the sideline and barreled into Saleh, taking him out, a becoming picture for the state the Jets discover themselves in as a company.
At this charge, the Jets’ resolution to roll with Wilson this season would possibly take out Saleh in one other approach, too.
(Top picture: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
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