The New York Jets had little luck with Sam Darnold as quarterback and Adam Gase as head coach, but Bill Belichick praised them both on Wednesday.
Prior to Game 17 of the New England Patriots with the Jets, Belichick praised Darnold for his athletics, his vision of the area and his “ability to make all pitches,” saying that the third overall pick in the 2018 draft had “demonstrated his ability to do everything. “
“I don’t think there’s a shortage of skill and skill for the game,” the Patriots coach said in a video conference. “It’s a smart hope and he’s well trained. I know he was given a smart education and given a formula that works with the quarterback.
“Adam has had an offensive formula that has given quarterbacks every single chance of having the team they want to succeed, so I don’t think you can have a better coach (Darnold) than where he is. It’s progressing as you expect. “
Belichick praising an opponent was not exactly news, but his comments on Darnold and Gase in specific were notable given the hypothesis linking the two to the Patriots.
Darnold is longer because the Jets are unlikely to make their beginner quarterback their oldest rival and threaten to see him flourish in Foxboro. New York loses the most sensible selection overall and Trevor Lawrence also increases darnold’s chances of standing still, even if the Jets write a QB in the first round.
It has been a depressing season for Darnold, who ranks 34th in a final touch consistent with percentage (58. 8%), 27 in interception rate (2. 7%) and last in yards consistent with intent (5. 9) and pass score (72. 3) among qualified field marshals. However, he is still 23 years old and would be an intriguing recovery task for a team that wants QB as New England.
Gase is a realistic option for the Patriots to upgrade quarterback coach Jedd Fisch (and potentially Josh McDaniels if the offensive coordinator gets a head training job).
Gase, who would be fired after Sunday’s game, worked with McDaniels and Nick Saban and has a smart date with Bill Belichick, who called Gase to ask him about his long-term plans after the Miami Dolphins caught him in 2018.
“After leaving Miami, he called me and we had a discussion about that ending and we saw what he was going to do to move on,” Gase said before the first Pats-Jets game of Week 9. “It was like the starting point. There, we only had one verbal exchange to see what my next steps would be.
“I was very grateful. I never had a verbal exchange (with Belichick) after the games, which used to be short when I was in Miami, so I might have a verbal exchange with him and listen to his reports and how to get things done. You don’t have to do everything you can to do that. I think he was someone wonderful to me.
Gase also recalled memorable reports with Belichick and former Patriot defensive coordinator Matt Patricia at the NFL Scouting Combine, saying, “I don’t think I laughed louder while I was with someone. “
Admiration is mutual.
“I have a lot of respect for Adam, ” said Belichick on Wednesday. “I think he’s a very smart coach. It’s been hard to train. He’s complicated things for our defense. He’s going back to Josh’s space in Denver, so we’ve known each other for a while through a mutual connection there.
“But I think you did a wonderful task. I think he did a smart job with Miami. I think he did a smart job with the Jets, he’s, like I said, a coach for whom I have a lot of respect, he” is a lot of disorder for us and he’s a hard coach to train. That’s how I feel about him. “
Gase was 10-6 in his first season with the Dolphins in 2016, however, he has recorded a record for victories since then, ranging from 6-10 to 7-9 in his last two years in Miami and 7-9 in his first with the Jets. .
New York started this season 0-13, but won from his last two games and nearly beat New England in November, losing 30-27 in a 51-yard basket at the last minute through Nick Folk.