NY Jets: Marcus Maye criticizes Gregg Williams’ play-calling

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Marcus Maye (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

NY Jets’ safety Marcus Maye criticized the play-calling of Gregg Williams.

The NY Jets remain winless following a last-second meltdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13. And following the game, safety Marcus Maye expressed his frustration with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

With the Jets leading by four and under 15 seconds to play, Williams surprisingly opted for a Cover 0 look that saw the Jets rush eight players. This was despite the Raiders throwing from their own 40-yard line with no timeouts and perhaps just two or so plays remaining in the game.

Williams trusted undrafted rookie cornerback Lamar Jackson to match up one-on-one with one of the fastest players in the entire league in rookie wideout Henry Ruggs.

Not only is Jackson an undrafted cornerback, but one of the biggest knocks on him coming out of college was his lack of deep speed. Jackson notoriously ran a 4.58 40-yard dash which ranked as one of the slowest times of all defensive backs at the NFL Combine.

Ruggs, on the other hand, nearly broke the record recording a 4.27 40 time. Needless to say, players weren’t happy about Williams’ call.

Marcus Maye was not happy with the call of NY Jets’ DC Gregg Williams

One of those players was Maye who made his frustration known when talking to reporters after the game.

“That situation, just has to be a better call. We got to execute, but you got to help us out at the same time.”

Those are some damning words from one of the most respected, level-headed members of the Jets’ locker room. Maye did insist that he didn’t feel as though he was “criticizing” anyone, but that “different situations could have played out better.”

However, that sure sounds like criticism.

Jackson, who was the one put in the position to fail, refused to put blame on anyone but himself and said that he wouldn’t let that play “define his career.”

There will be a lot of discussion about that play and how the Jets managed to blow this game in the coming days. But it’s hard to argue that Williams’ call was anything other than a total lapse of judgment.

Even Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr said after the game that he “couldn’t believe [the Jets] all-out blitzed.” No one could believe it. Not Maye, not Carr, and not anyone watching at home.

Nonetheless, the Jets have now fallen to 0-12 and are one step closer to securing the first overall pick and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

If the Jets do land Lawrence, perhaps this will be the play that people look back on and remember.

But for Gregg Williams, it’s likely a play he doesn’t want to think about again anytime soon.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.