NEW YORK (AP)The NFL season doesn’t start for another six weeks and already job security is an issue for some coaches.Yes
Infant Jachai Polite Jersey , even in late July.Every season, teams that entered with low expectations show significant improvement and make unexpected deep
postseason runs. Last season, Jacksonville with coach Doug Marrone went to the
AFC championship game and held a late lead at New England before Tom Brady
rallied the Patriots. And, of course, the Eagles and coach Doug Pederson,
despite losing Carson Wentz to a torn ACL, beat Brady and Bill Belichick in the
Super Bowl.There’s always pressure on NFL coaches to win. And win now.Here are a
few who enter the 2018 season on the hot seat:JASON GARRETT (67-53, 1-2 in
playoffs)There’s always pressure on the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys,
especially with Jerry Jones as owner. The franchise that has won five Super
Bowls has not advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs since the 1995
season, the last year it won the NFL title. Garrett has 67 regular-season wins
since taking over in the 2010 season. He has had only one losing season as head
coach. However, he has reached the postseason only twice and won one game in the
playoffs.The Cowboys were 13-3 two seasons ago and will be expected to be in
playoff contention with a full season of quarterback Dak Prescott and running
back Ezekiel Elliott. But the Super Bowl champion Eagles are in their way in the
NFC East.HUE JACKSON (9-39)Jackson has one win – one – in two seasons in
Cleveland; the other eight came as head coach of the Raiders in 2011. The Browns
beat the then-San Diego Chargers in overtime in Week 16 of the 2016 season.
Otherwise they’d be looking at consecutive 0-16 seasons.The team also has to
find a way to replace longtime star left tackle Joe Thomas.The Browns hold the
NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 15 seasons and fans don’t really trust
this process. Jackson, a highly regarded offensive coordinator in Cincinnati, is
counting on top overall draft pick Baker Mayfield being the team’s longtime
answer at quarterback. The challenge for Jackson and the Browns is going against
the rugged defenses and Super Bowl-winning QBs in Pittsburgh and Baltimore in
the AFC North.TODD BOWLES (22-29)Life in the AFC East having to deal with the
never-ending juggernaut in New England is almost unfair. Facing Brady and
Belichick twice every season is not good for any opposing head coach’s job
security.Bowles, who received a two-year extension after the 2017 season, is
coming off consecutive 5-11 records and has yet to make the playoffs entering
his fourth season. Overall, the Jets have failed to reach the postseason for the
past seven years.The Jets have to decide on their starting quarterback – Josh
McCown, Teddy Bridgewater or first-round draft pick Sam Darnold – and need to
show progress in 2018.JAY GRUDEN (28-35-1
Jachai Polite Jersey Draft , 0-1 playoffs)Job security in DC is always an issue. But Gruden will set the record for the longest-serving coach (65 games) since
Dan Snyder took over as owner in 1999 in Week 1 of the upcoming season against
Arizona.Gruden has made the playoffs once in his first four years and lost to
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the wild-card game after the 2015
season.Gruden’s biggest challenge could be at quarterback after Kirk Cousins
signed with Minnesota. The team traded for Alex Smith, and the comparisons at
the position in the NFC East can be daunting: Dak Prescott, Eli Manning and
Carson Wentz – not to mention Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. As with Garrett in
Dallas, Gruden also has to contend with the champs in his division.And there
will be comparisons to Jay Gruden’s Super Bowl-winning brother, Jon, who has
returned to coaching with the Oakland Raiders.DIRK KOETTER (14-18)Koetter will
enter his third season in Tampa Bay without starting quarterback Jameis Winston,
who will miss the first three games while suspended for violating the NFL’s
personal conduct policy after a league investigation of an accusation that the
2013 Heisman Trophy winner groped a female Uber driver during a ride in Arizona
in March 2016.Koetter also is in a division with two teams with recent Super
Bowl appearances (Carolina, Atlanta), and getting past them and the New Orleans
Saints in the NFC South, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick making three starts
for Tampa Bay, will be tough.VANCE JOSEPH (5-11)Only entering his second season,
Joseph’s Denver debut was a dud at 5-11 – an avalanche of disappointment by
Broncos standards, especially so closely removed from a Super Bowl title.In an
attempt to stabilize the QB position that’s been troublesome since Peyton
Manning retired, the team signed Case Keenum, who led the Vikings to the NFC
championship game last season. Joseph needs big production from Keenum and the
rest of the offense to support an overworked defense.— The New York Jets were
dominant on defense in their season opener, with one player after another coming
up with highlight-reel plays.Five interceptions, big tackles and lots of
pressure on the quarterback marked the 48-17 victory in Detroit last Monday
night .“I couldn’t stop smiling
Jachai Polite NFL Jersey , man,” linebacker Avery Williamson said, “for like the whole night.”Despite all that, though, the Jets see plenty of room for
improvement.“Our mission this week is to step it up,” cornerback Morris
Claiborne said. “Our feeling is we’re not taking this game as something we’re
going to be stuck on. No, we’re trying to be better than that game. So, this
week, we’re coming out and trying to be better than last week. We’re not playing
like we’re stuck in the past or anything like that.“We’re going to go win this
game, just like last week.”The Miami Dolphins certainly know what’s coming
Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and that’s a Jets unit noticeably faster than it was
last season — and even in previous years, for that matter.Improving the overall
speed on defense was a focus for coach Todd Bowles and general manager Mike
Maccagnan, and that was on full display against the Lions .“That was fun,” said
Williamson, in his first season with New York after four with Tennessee. “You
see everybody making plays, it’s just a great time.”Linebacker Darron Lee had
two interceptions, while Claiborne
Jachai Polite NFL Draft , cornerback Trumaine Johnson and safety Jamal Adams also had picks. It was the most by the Jets in a game since Oct. 3, 1999, when they also
had five against Denver.Lee returned the first of his INTs 36 yards for a
touchdown that gave New York a 31-17 lead in the third quarter. It was the Jets’
first defensive score since 2013 — a span of 73 games, which had been the
longest drought in NFL history.“It’s definitely a good stepping stone in the
right direction,” Lee said, “and we definitely want to throw some consistency
with that.”It was also the first INT of the third-year linebacker’s career. He
was just getting started. About 2 1/2 minutes later, Lee picked off another pass
by Matthew Stafford.“I feel like he played a phenomenal game,” Williamson said
of Lee. “He was everywhere, flying around and making tackles and two
interceptions.”Lee might be the biggest wild-card on the Jets’ defense. The 2016
first-round pick out of Ohio State had two solid but unspectacular seasons to
start his NFL career. While he finished second in tackles both seasons, his lack
of big plays has been a major knock.Even former Jets linebacker and current
sports radio host Bart Scott called for the athletic Lee to be more physical and
come up with game-changing plays.Well, one game into this season and Lee is
looking much-improved in both areas.“I’m never satisfied,” he said. “I’m just
going to keep pushing and trying to get better every single day. … I feel pretty
comfortable with what we’re doing, so I guess that enabled me to play fast.”Both
Lee and Adams spoke after the game about how they were able to predict the play
calls by the Lions, and the players credited the coaching staff for thoroughly
preparing them.“They’re going to come to us if we’re in the right spots,”
Claiborne said. “Our coaches put together a great game plan to have us in those
spots to be able to make those plays. So, you’re in those spots, but
ultimately
Jachai Polite Buffalo Bills Jersey , it’s up to you make the play.”While Williamson and Johnson are new to the Jets’ defense this season, many of the key
pieces are back and have experience working in the system. That includes Adams
and fellow safety Marcus Maye, who are both in their second seasons — although
Maye missed the opener and likely will sit out against the Dolphins with a foot
injury.“We definitely can play faster, and I think it helped with
communication,” Lee said. “We’re communicating across the board a lot better. It
wasn’t really necessarily like that last year because there were a lot of people
new to some stuff and having two rookies, but now, we definitely are
communicating from the D-line to the linebackers to the safeties and the
corners.”Five interceptions might be a lot to reasonably expect on a weekly
basis, of course, but the Jets saw what they can do when they’re clicking in all
areas on defense.And that’s without even having any sacks, an area that has been
widely criticized in recent seasons. But, the Jets generated lots of pressure
and had four quarterback hits, including two by defensive end Leonard
Williams.“I think we can be really good, man,” Williamson said of the defense.
“I’m still learning the little intricate details of it all, but I feel as a
unit, we could be great. I feel like the talent is there. We have great coaches.
We just have to continue to come out there and work hard every day and continue
to do what we’ve been doing during camp.“The sky’s the limit for what this unit
can be.”___
