The New York Jets announced on Monday that they have parted ways with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. According to the announcement, assistant Frank Bush will take over the position on an interim basis.
The decision to fire Williams came after he made a controversial Cover 0 blitz in the last seconds of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders that robbed the Jets from their first win in 2020.
With five seconds left on the clock, the Jets had a 29-24 lead while the Raiders faced a 3rd and 10 on the opponent’s 46 yards. Instead of playing it safe and protecting the endzone, Williams decided to blitz quarterback Derek Carr and finish off the game in a spectacular fashion.
The game indeed ended spectacularly—but for the Raiders.
Carr managed to handle the blitz and find speedy wideout Henry Ruggs on the left side. Being covered by rookie corner Lamar Jackson, who had no safety help, Ruggs easily got separation and had a clear path to the endzone to give his team an improbable win.
As expected, the Jets were not happy with Williams’ decision, so the head coach Adam Gase made the call to remove him from his duties.
“I obviously wasn’t happy about that call,” Gase told reporters after Williams’ firing became official. “That was a heartbreaking way for our guys to lose a game … We can’t have that happen.”
Gregg Williams took over as the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator in 2019 and had a respectable first season with the team. While the Jets struggled as a team, the defense managed to put on some solid performances and finish seventh in the league for least yards allowed.
Things were not as great in 2020, however, as the Jets’ defense ranked 30th in the league overall, and 31st in passing yards allowed.
