Days after saying that he wanted to overtake the New England Patriots in the AFC East, first-year New York Jets' Head Coach, Adam Gase clarified his earlier statement that raised many eyebrows. Earlier, linebacker C.J. Mosley told the media that Gase set a lofty goal for the Jets in his first year as head coach, which is to dethrone the six-time Super Bowl champion Patriots.
In an interview with NJ.com, Mosley said Gase told the team that the reason he took the Jets coaching job is because he wants to go after the team that’s dominating the AFC East for the past 10 years.
Mosley said he and the other new Jets players are with Gase in his belief that they can do it. However, Gase clarified his comments, per a report by Brian Costello of the New York Post.
According to Gase, the point he was trying to deliver is that the Jets are behind compared to the Patriots. “They got a big head start, multiple years, a decade-plus, almost two,” said Gase, adding that the team has to work hard in order to chase the Patriots and fulfill his ambition of dominating the AFC East. “We have to work hard, and when we’re in the building we have to do everything we can to get better because we’re playing catch-up,” said Gase.
Jets just getting started, says guard
When asked about how closely the Jets compared to the Patriots, guard Kelechi Osemele laughed and replied: “man, we’re just getting started." Osemele said he doesn’t think that the Jets are close compared to what head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are doing in New England.
“It’s going to take a lot of work and we’re just putting down that first brick, that first layer of that foundation,” said Osemele. The guard said the Jets will be only kidding themselves if they say that they caught up with New England. Osemele said the Jets have to focus on laying the foundation through extra camp days and reporting early before they could play catch-up with the Patriots.
Suspended wideout signs tender with Patriots
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, suspended wide receiver Josh Gordon will remain with the Patriots for the 2019 season after signing his restricted free agent tender. With the signing, Gordon will be under contract with the Patriots with a salary of $2.025 million if the NFL reinstates him.
The 28-year-old Gordon suited up for 11 games with the Patriots, catching 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns. However, he was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his previous reinstatement.
The Patriots have a depleted receiving corps, with Julian Edelman, Thomas, Phillip Dorsett, Bruce Ellington, Maurice Harris, Braxton Berrios, Damoun Patterson and special teamer, Matthew Slater in the line-up. The Patriots signed veteran Demaryius Thomas, but he’s still recovering from a torn Achilles.
