Jets Head Coach Adam Gase – Postgame Availability – December 20, 2020
Jets Head Coach Adam Gase – Postgame Availability – December 20, 2020
Opening Statement…
I’ll just start out with the injuries: Quinnen (Williams) went out, he’s in the concussion protocol. Everyone else returned. I thought the guys did a good job working together in all three phases. We had some big plays in the game. We did some good stuff in the closing minutes to finish it off. We had a little lull there at the beginning of the fourth quarter where we had to get some things cleaned up to help us keep the lead we had. I thought the guys did a great job of keeping their heads down, working, and finishing he game the right way.
Mark Cannizzaro, New York Post: Can you describe your emotions as you took victory formation three times? And what did you say to the players afterwards?
I don’t think I have paid as much attention to the victory formations as I did this game because I was making sure we were good. I didn’t want anything going on. I just kept talking to Sam (Darnold) about getting our guys back in the huddle, making sure he did the right thing with using the clock. It’s been a while since we have been in that. I’m just happy for our guys. They’ve done such a great job of how they’ve worked. They’ve been through a lot of adversity. It’s been too long for us to even remember what a win feels like almost. It’s great to see those guys that excited.
Otis Livingston, NBC New York: Again, you guys got off to a great start and led at the half. Everything was going in your favor. It didn’t end up being an easy victory. Talk about the team’s resilience to be able to get that first win of the season.
Any time you’re playing a team that’s pretty good, they have the number one defense, their offense has tons of players, guys that can make…you saw it today, it just takes one or two touches and, all of a sudden, they’re from one side of the field to the other very quickly. The guys just kept coming back, wiring in. I thought the defensive coaches did a great job being aggressive in the right way. I can’t say enough about Marcus Maye. What he did in this game…he almost tried to end it himself with an interception, but then he made a hell of a play at the end of the game. I’m just glad that he was out there.
Rich Cimini, ESPN: For weeks, we have been asking you questions about going 0-16. Is there a big sense of relief off your shoulders? Put it in personal perspective.
I’m happy for our guys. If you watch them work every day and see how hard they compete in games, they deserved this. They deserved it a while ago. We had a few snatched away from us and to finally close out a game against a good team says a lot about what kind of character we have in this locker room.
Mark Cannizzaro, New York Post: Is that as good as you have seen Sam across the board this season?
He did a great job. He made the right decisions. There was no panic. He was calm throughout the game. That third down play was textbook of going through his progressions and finding the back. It’s a good thing we had a Hall of Fame running back (Frank Gore) in there that seems to make plays at the right time.
Otis Livingston, NBC New York: Having lost so many games down the stretch as well, what was the difference today? How were you guys able to not only get off to a great start, but to be able to seal the deal at the end, and doing it in all three phases?
It was well executed. I think guys really did a good job of following the plan we out together on Wednesday as a unit. It had to be played a certain way. We talked about throwing the stat book out at the end of the game. It was about getting positive plays on offense, making sure that we kept those guys in front of us on defense, eliminate explosive plays, trying to find negative plays, put pressure on the quarterback. On special teams, we thought we had to steal a possession. Guys just did a great job of doing their job. We had 11 guys trust in each other.
Brian Costello, New York Post: Tell us about the decision on fourth-and-one in the third quarter at the goal line. Number one, going for it, and then going to Frank (Gore)
I don’t even know if it was fourth-and-one. It almost looked like if they moved the ball slightly, it would have been a touchdown. I don’t know if I could have lived with myself on that one if we had kicked a field goal. We were just hoping Big Ticket (Mekhi Becton) and the boys would give enough space to where Frank could punch it in there.
Otis Livingston, NBC New York: Can you talk about the way the offensive line performed, including Big Ticket, as you talked about? Aaron Donald and those guys are pretty formattable. They were able to keep Sam upright for the majority of the day to make those great decisions…
It’s a scary front to go against. When you watch the tape coming into a game, when you watch how many times Aaron Donald breaks through the line, (you) see how many times he is double-teamed, and it doesn’t matter. You have to get the ball out quick. You have to be very selective when you push the ball down the field. That’s why the yardage is what it is because they don’t allow you to do it. If you hold onto the ball, they’re going to get back there. I thought Sam did a good job of throwing some balls away. He got the ball out of his hand. Sometimes, it doesn’t end up being the way you want it. It doesn’t look pretty sometimes, but you have to do what you have to do. Really, you have to make sure every possession ends with a kick. You have to play turnover-free football against these guys.
Al Iannazzone, New York Newsday: How big of a play was that by Braden (Mann) on that punt return?
I was standing on the end where the returner was coming, and there was a lot of green grass. That was an unbelievable tackle by him.
Brian Costello, New York Post: When you had to settle for field goals after the blocked punt and the interception in the first half, in the back of your mind, were you wondering if it would come back to haunt you?
I’m sure I was throwing some slight temper tantrums in my head. That was just something big we talked about. One of the key points for us was making sure we win the red zone so when we got down there, points are OK, but against this team, we felt like we needed touchdowns. When we missed out on two opportunities, that was frustrating. Our guys did a good job of bouncing back and putting drives together.
Mark Cannizzaro, New York Post: On TV, they reported that Sean (McVay) called you during the week just to talk about how hard your guys had been playing. I’m curious what that was like and what he had to say to you after the game?
He called me at 7:15 a.m. our time, which I’m sitting there going, ‘I can’t believe he’s at the office already,’ because it’s 4:15 (in Los Angeles). I was going to answer it, just because I knew he was up and wanted to say something. He just said, “Watching the tape,” he was like, “Man, these guys play hard for you. I know things haven’t gone the way you’ve wanted, but just keep those guys grinding and keep them pushing.”
Rich Cimini, ESPN: A win like this produces a lot of conflicting emotions because there is a large segment of the fan base that wanted you guys to lose out and get the number one pick. What do you say to those fans?
Our job is to try and go out and win every week.
Brian Costello, New York Post: What was the key to the defensive game plan that Frank (Bush) put together against this team?
It was about eliminating the big plays, any kind of chunk plays down the field in the passing game, do a good job in the run game. We kind of started getting loose there when Quinnen (Williams) went out. Obviously, we can see his value and how good of a player he is and the negative plays that he can create. It was about our tempo of understanding that when they go to the ball, we have to be ready to go. We could not give up plays because we weren’t ready. They play with really good tempo. They do it better than anybody else as far as getting on the ball and going. I felt like our guys did a good job of being ready to go and didn’t allow them to get big plays when those situations came up.
Brian Costello, New York Post: Adam, for those of us, obviously we won’t be in the locker, can you describe what that locker room is like right now?
It’s lively in there. It’s loud. It’s a lot of excited guys. We have a long flight back, so this will make it a lot more enjoyable.
Shara Taylor, New York Beacon: Coach, congratulations on the win. Is there anything you plan to take away from this week for next week against the Browns?
We just have to put another good week of practice together. I thought the guys did a good job coming back after a long trip from Seattle, which was a rough game for us obvioulsy, and getting ready for the next one knowing we were playing a really good team. We’re going against another good team and we have to put (in) a good week of preparation. We have Christmas is coming up, so it’s one of those things that, in this profession, we have to make sure we schedule the right way and be ready to go on Sunday.