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Give credit to Jeremy Bates. At least the Offensive Jets coordinator has a sense of humor. Ask him about the biggest problem he has faced in the first three weeks of the season and he will report repeated problems with his helmets.
"Three times our helmets failed us," Bates said Thursday at the Jets practice center in Florham Park. "I do not throw anyone under the bus, but the button has stopped working. We tried to correct it. Obviously, we understand that this can happen at any time, especially in New England. "
Later he flew over the technology: "I've always said, you can face people in China, but our helmets are coming out".
The relief comic was needed when considering the Jets crash against the Browns in the second half last Thursday, when they made a 14-0 lead and lost 21-17. It was a disaster all around. The defense had much of the blame for rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield who left the bench to rally the Browns to their first win since December 2016. But the Jets would have secured their second win of the season if the offensive had been productive in the second half.
It was not a good day for Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, who had 15 of his 31 attempts for 169 yards, no touchdowns and two late interceptions for a score of 38.2. Darnold now has three touchdowns and five interceptions on the season.
Bates blamed Darnold for his difficulties in becoming a rookie freshman.
"We need to accelerate our progress," said Bates. "We have to believe in it and it will continue to do it. Obviously, he is still young, but when he believes in his progress and believes in his stroke, good things happen.
Here's the deal: in one go, the Jets want to treat Darnold like any other starter, giving him a complete manual to use. But the reality is that this is a 21-year-old rookie whose quarter mark dropped 116.8 in the Lions' 74.6 win in Week 2 against half against the Browns. If the trend continues, it is frightening to wonder what will be his ranking against a tough Jaguars defense and aggressive Sunday in Jacksonville.
It's Bates's job as much as it's up to Darnold to reverse this trend. Nothing worked in the second half against the Browns. It's partly about Darnold. Part is on Bates. The running game, which worked so well in the first half, was not a factor in the second. The momentum moved to Mayfield and the Browns, and the Jets never found it with a long and prolonged practice.
"You can always look back and continue to grow," said Bates. "We went out in the third quarter and lost some of our tempo. We stagnated in the third quarter. We are working on it this week because we can not do it. As coaches, we have to look back and see what we could have done better. We are all in the same boat. "
The Jags must lick at the thought of facing Darnold after his performance against the Browns. They are a group of confident veterans who have the AFC's second defense and fourth place overall in the NFL. They are softer against the race (21st) than against the pass (3rd).
A more experienced attack might be confident in attacking the Jags, but the Jets are still learning, a process that, according to Bates, could take most of the season.
"We will not know exactly who we are before last week," he said. "We will continue to develop as a crime and we will continue to see different actors in different positions. The offense must continue to grow. If you do not, the teams will adapt to you. "
Developing Darnold is the main focus of the Jets, which means do not break his confidence with releases like the second against the Browns. Bates needs to find a way to give him the best chance of success whether the helmets work or not.
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