New York Jets: Is Chan Gailey the man the offense needed?

By Ryan Mayer | Sep 19, 2015

One of the biggest questions coming into this season for the New York Jets is whether or not new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey would be able to turn this team around and be able to allow the team to have an offense that would make fans feel comfortable when the defense was not playing at a top notch level. Gailey certainly had help this off-season with new general manager Mike Maccagnan who went out and had one of the best off-season’s the Jets have seen in a long time.

In one off-season, Maccagnan was able to acquire a No. 1 receiver in Brandon Marshall for only a fifth round pick. He also traded for running back Zac Stacy who has impressed over the preseason, he also acquired well known running back Stevan Ridley who however has been injured so far.

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Finally, he acquired journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to participate in the quarterback competition against Geno Smith.

Week 1 was a massive test for this new offense especially with Gailey now running it. Gailey’s system has been known throughout the league to adapt with the talent that is on the team. In layman’s terms his system fits around the players he has instead of trying to fit square pieces in round holes.

Their first matchup would come up against a team whose offense was below average at best, but had a defense that was one to worry about especially with cornerback Joe Haden in the backfield as it would be a true test for the veteran Fitzpatrick. The one thing on the Jets side in the Haden vs. Marshall matchup was that the size of Marshall allowed him to physically overcome Haden, who is much smaller in stature.

All eyes were on Fitzpatrick and Gailey to see if the two can restart what they did in Buffalo back in 2011. One thing was evident during the first quarter of the game, Gailey was attempting to establish the run. However, it would soon turn out to be a game that was perfectly called with the Jets mixing up their play calls from Fitzpatrick hitting Chris Owusu over the top for a first down and then some.

Then of course the Jets had Chris Ivory doing what he does best and pushing over defenders while gaining yards after the initial contact which he has the second most in the NFL behind none other than Marshawn Lynch. There were plenty of great play calls made by Gailey throughout the day but it was the productiveness of the offense that was truly impressive.

For the first time in a long time, the Jets were able to capitalize on turnovers and score on most of them. In the game, the Jets had a total of 18 first downs, which were split up between 9 runs and 9 passes. This shows how perfect Gailey’s play calls are and that he is not afraid to hand the ball off or throw when he needs to.

It of course also helps when your quarterback has a 98.7 quarterback rating. The offense truly shined under Gailey especially when the Jets in total only had 4 penalties in the whole game, which seems like a dream for some Jets fans.

In the end, Gailey’s offense truly shined under him netting 333 total yards. The Jets averaged 7.5 yards per pass and converted 53% of the times on third down. In the red-zone, out of 6 total attempts the Jets made 4 of them. The Jets ended this game winning 31-10 over a team that in the first half looked to be dominant.

Sep 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Chris Ivory (33) rushes the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Gailey truly has shown what he can do in the first game of the season. We will see how it looks down the line but one thing is for sure, Jets fans should be excited to see what Gailey can do with a full season and especially with wide receiver Devin Smith hopefully back in the lineup soon as it will allow Gailey to do many more things.

Only time will tell but it sure is great to see the Jets offense producing and being one of the highlights of the game.

Next: New York Jets: Todd Bowles discusses Week 2 injuries

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