NY Jets: Poor coaching killed their NFL Playoff hopes

For the NY Jets, although new coach Todd Bowles and company guided the team to a dramatic turnaround in 2015, it all came down to poor coaching that ended their rebounding season.

The Fitzmagic has run out, the clock has struck midnight and the Jets’ coach has turned back into a pumpkin.

Let’s take a moment to break down the wild roller coaster ride that was the 2015 Jets. Following a rough 4-12 season last year, the Jets brought in a new coaching staff, a new general manager, a journeyman quarterback, and a cast off-wide receiver. Not much was expected of this current Jets team, but they thrived anyway. The Jets soared to 10 wins, enjoying exciting overtime victories against the rival Giants and Patriots along the way.

After perennial backup quarterback Ryan Mallet (with a little help from his alarm clock) pulled off an inexplicable upset over the Steelers last week, the Jets controlled their destiny. All they needed was a win against the mediocre Buffalo Bills to end a four-year playoff drought.

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Of course, in typical Jets fashion, the team found the single most soul-crushing way possibly to end their season. Facing their former head coach Rex Ryan, the Jets were beaten on every side of the ball.

Even more disturbing than the team’s initial struggles, however, was the inability of their coaching staff to make the adjustments necessary to ensure a comeback.

The first strike against the Jets coaching staff concerned clock management. With time running out in the first half and the Bills marching down the field, the Jets opted to let the Bills run down the clock. By playing it too conservatively, the team cost themselves a valuable potential possession in a close game.

It is inexcusable that there isn't time left for the #Jets to try to get points with the wind.

— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) January 3, 2016

The most egregious coaching blunders by the Jets began to manifest in the second half. The Bills entered their game against the Jets decimated by injuries. Without Charles Clay, LeSean McCoy, and Robert Woods, their only real play-making threat remaining was Sammy Watkins. In order to shut down the Bills’ offense, all the Jets had to do was to contain Watkins.

And yet they couldn’t. Watkins continually burnt Darrelle Revis like he was old toast, exploding for 136 yards on 11 catches along the way. No other Bills receiver had more than three catches in the game. The Bills had only one offensive weapon, but against an ill-prepared Jets team that refused to double cover Watkins, that was all they needed.

The offensive play calling by the Jets was also questionable at best. It was clear from the beginning of the game that, while Ryan Fitzpatrick was struggling, Chris Ivory was having an exceptional game. The power back ran with authority, at one point ripping off a 58-yard run.

Unfortunately for their tortured fan base, the Jets decided to fix what wasn’t broken. Ivory was barely used throughout the game (6 carries for 81 yards). Instead, the Jets opted to continually try to throw the football into the howling Buffalo winds, committing turnovers (three interceptions), losing time of possession and tiring out their defense along the way.

Bowles said he was trying to give Ivory breaks….you’re trying to get in the playoffs, damn a break!!! Take a break in the offseason!

— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) January 3, 2016

No matter the opponent, there’s only so many mistakes a team can recover from. Against the Bills, the Jets made a few too many.

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Jets fans can take some solace knowing that their team is dramatically improved from last year (10-6 instead of 4-12). At the end of the day, however, there are no moral victories in the NFL. When they were most needed, the Jets coaches —particularly Bowles and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey— failed to put their team in a position to succeed when it mattered most.

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