New York Jets Fire Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams After Costly Blitz
Less than 24 hours after his ill-fated blitz call, leading to an epic collapse against the Las Vegas Raiders, Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has lost his job.
New York fired the defensive coordinator on Monday morning according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Williams had been at the helm of the Jets defense since the beginning of last season. He's been coaching in the NFL—including two separate stints as a head coach for Buffalo and Cleveland—since 1997.
New York was seconds away from securing its first win of the season on Sunday afternoon when Williams called for an all-out blitz on third down. From 46 yards out, down four points, the Raiders needed a touchdown or the clock would expire.
Instead of preventing the deep ball, Williams' play call left three defensive backs (two of which are rookies) in man-to-man defense.
READ: Jets Blow Late Lead in Gut-Wrenching Fashion as Raiders Hand New York 12th Loss
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr stepped up in the pocket and found his wide receiver, Henry Ruggs III, streaking down the sideline. Ruggs had beat cornerback Lamar Jackson on a double move. With no help over the top, all Carr had to do was make an accurate throw.
After the game, safety Marcus Maye publicly criticized Williams' call for Cover 0 in that situation.
"It's tough. We fought hard to put ourselves in a position to win. At that point of the game, it's just got to be a better call," Maye said.
Jets head coach Adam Gase, who has been on the hot seat practically all season long, gave the following explanation for the decision to bring eight defenders and leave three defensive backs on an island in coverage.
"We were trying to create pressure. [Carr] hadn’t done well with it all game," Gase explained. "That’s what happened. We had a couple of free runners, but we didn’t get there."
READ: Jets Captain Criticizes Play Calling After New York Gives Up Game-Winning Touchdown
It wasn't just one of New York's captains that disagreed with the call. Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan blasted the defensive coordinator on ESPN Monday morning, calling the decision to blitz "the dumbest call ever."
The Jets are now four games away from finishing the season 0-16. Williams was the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2017, one of the only two teams in NFL history to ever go winless in a season.
Gregg's son, Blake Williams, is also on New York's staff as an assistant. He's expected to depart as well, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Frank Bush, the Jets inside linebackers coach, will take over as New York's interim defensive coordinator, per Connor Hughes of The Athletic. Bush was a defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans a decade ago.
As the Jets stride closer to accomplishing one of the most ignominious feats in all of professional sports, it's hard to imagine Williams will be the only coach to lose his job.
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