Gase reportedly will not have control over personnel decisions with the Jets GETTY IMAGES
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan got a "reprieve when he wasn’t fired along with Todd Bowles at the end of a frustrating" '18 season, but he "won’t be around much longer if Adam Gase doesn’t work out as the Jets’ new head coach," according to George Willis of the N.Y. POST. The hiring of Gase, who was fired by the Dolphins at the end of the regular season, seems to "check all the right boxes except when it comes to exciting a beleaguered fan base." Gase should be a "good coaching mind" in the development of franchise QB Sam Darnold. Still, only time will tell whether Maccagnan "made the right choice." This is "far from a slam-dunk hire," but had Maccagnan "waited much longer, it might have seemed he was hiring someone as a last resort." That would have been the "worst thing that could have happened." Had he "waited much longer it would have looked like the Jets were going to be left standing in a sad game of musical chairs" (N.Y. POST, 1/10).
BALANCE OF POWER: ESPN.com's Rich Cimini noted Maccagnan and Bowles both reported directly to Jets Chair & CEO Christopher Johnson, and the "same power structure will be in place with Maccagnan and Gase" (ESPN.com, 1/9). In N.Y., Brian Costello notes Gase "reportedly clashed" with Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross. With the Dolphins, Gase had "control over personnel, which he won’t have with the Jets." Johnson made it clear Maccagnan will "retain control over the roster." It does "not appear that was an issue for Gase." Many of his issues with the Dolphins "seemed to center around his personnel decisions, rather than his coaching" (N.Y. POST, 1/10).
GLASS HALF FULL: In N.Y., Manish Mehta writes the Jets "hit a home run" by hiring Gase. His "creative mind and experience developing quarterbacks made him an ideal choice to springboard the Jets -- and Sam Darnold -- into the future." Gase came with "impeccable references," including former NFLer Peyton Manning, who spoke to Johnson "during the evaluation process" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/10). Also in N.Y., Zach Schonbrun notes Gase "checked a lot of boxes for Johnson and Maccagnan, who led the search." He is a "young but experienced coach with a reputation as an innovative playcaller." Most importantly for his new team, he is a "quarterback guru" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/10). THE RINGER's Danny Heifetz wrote, "Everyone wants the next Sean McVay, and now the Jets got the guy who was Sean McVay before Sean McVay was Sean McVay" (THERINGER.com, 1/9). NFL Network's Peter Schrager said the Jets hired Gase because "they needed Sam Darnold to have a guy to grow old with." But Gase is "not the warmest of personalities, necessarily, not the most media-friendly guy." It will be an "interesting mix to see what happens in the New York market" ("Good Morning Football," NFL Network, 1/10).
GLASS HALF EMPTY: In N.Y., Ted Holmlund writes the hiring of Gase has been met with "mostly pessimism and worse from a beaten-down fan base" (N.Y. POST, 1/10). THE ATHLETIC's Connor Hughes wrote this move "isn’t going to sit well with some Jets fans who witnessed Gase’s struggles in Miami, read the reports of team turmoil and saw how it all led to his eventual firing." Gase "wasn’t, until the end, considered a frontrunner" (THEATHLETIC.com, 1/9). On Long Island, Bob Glauber notes the hiring is being "met with derision from many Jets fans starved for a winner." Coming off a 7-9 season, "punctuated by a poor run down the stretch," Gase left the Dolphins with a "reputation far less burnished than the one with which he arrived." Jets fans were "looking for a more established leader." Gase will be "viewed as a consolation prize for a team that was hoping to hit a home run with its most important coaching hire in years." But for all the "skepticism being raised about his hiring, Gase has the chance to redefine his reputation and give the Jets what they’ve been seeking so desperately for all these years: hope" (NEWSDAY, 1/10).
