In a perfect world Adam Gase would have announced Sam Darnold was cleared to play tackle football again, C.J. Mosley was healthy and both would ready to do battle against the rejuvenated Eagles on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Instead both may not practice fully Wednesday and remain questionable for the Jets’ quest to avoid going 0-4 for the first time since 2003.
“It’s not an ideal situation,” Gase admitted during a conference call on Monday.
Nothing has been ideal since Mosley pulled a groin muscle batting down a pass with 4:04 left in the third quarter of the season opener against the Bills at MetLife Stadium. Without Mosley, a 16-0 lead turned into a 17-16 defeat, and the adversity has snowballed with Darnold getting mono, backup quarterback Trevor Siemian mangling his ankle and a host of other Jets not being available for last week’s slaughter in New England.
If the uncertainty surrounding Darnold and Mosley isn’t going to change the Jets narrative following a much-needed bye week then it’s up to Gase to do so. The Jets head coach did his best on Monday by taking accountability for his team’s futility, especially on offense where the Jets rank last in the league with just 590 yards in three games.
When asked what he learned after a bye week spent evaluating every aspect of his team, including his own performance, Gase offered a detailed response about making sure the quarterback’s first read is open more than it has been.
“That has to be the number one thing that we get cleaned up,” he said, “making sure that the quarterback’s first read, that guy’s open more times than not. And I feel like so far that has not been the case.”
Of course that has a lot to do with who is doing the throwing and who’s doing the catching. Luke Falk was just 12 of 22 for 98 yards and an interception in the Patriots’ easier-than-it-sounds 30-14 victory. Sending Falk against the 2-2 Eagles sounds just as unsettling.
“It’s just a lot of gray right now,” Gase said of his quarterback situation.
If Darnold can’t play, “Next Man Up” will remain the mantra though it hasn’t worked thus far. With the next three games against the Eagles, Cowboys and Patriots again, the Jets could find themselves searching for positives among ruins.
“We’ve had a couple tough matchups, especially offensively,” Gase said. “But there’s so many things we can take from those first three games and learn and grow and get better from.”
He talked about “knowing our team better,” and understanding, “where we need to grow and where we really need to make some big strides.”
We’ll see.
Actually, this early adversity could reveal whether the Jets made the right choice last year when Gase was named to succeed Todd Bowles as head coach. Few teams could overcome the rash of injuries the Jets have endured from losing linebacker Avery Willamson to WR Quincy Enunwa to Mosley and Darnold. If Gase can dig his team out of this and actually make some “big strides,” it would leave a more positive feeling about his long-term future and the future of the franchise.
First he must figure out the offense. Darnold’s mono isn’t his only issue. Gase has to get better production from an offensive line that has been beaten for 13 sacks. Center Ryan Kalil, who didn’t play a down during the preseason, hasn’t performed well, and tackle Kelvin Beachum has struggled. Guard Brian Winters was slowed earlier with a shoulder injury.
“We’ve just got to keep looking to figure out what are the best five guys for us,” Gase said.
It sounds like the Jets could use another bye week.



