One day after his ill-advised, all-out blitz failed to take down the opposing quarterback on the game-deciding play, New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was sacked by coach Adam Gase in a Monday morning meeting that lasted nearly an hour.
“Obviously, I wasn’t happy about that call,” Gase told reporters, explaining the decision to dismiss Williams with four games remaining. “That was a heartbreaking way for our guys to lose a game. For that to happen in that situation, we just … we can’t have that happen.”
Williams was universally criticized for calling a risky, Cover 0 blitz while protecting a four-point lead against the Las Vegas Raiders. The result was a 46-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left in the game that gave the Raiders a 31-28 win and dropped the Jets to 0-12.
A somber Gase said he made the decision Sunday night to fire Williams, slept on it and informed ownership and the front office on Monday morning. He said they were in agreement that a change was needed.
“Obviously, he wasn’t happy, but it’s our profession,” Gase said. “We’ve all been in that situation where we’ve lost our jobs.”
Assistant head coach Frank Bush, who works with the inside linebackers, was named the interim defensive coordinator.
