ORCHARD PARK — The Jets named safety Jamal Adams the team’s Most Valuable Player on Friday.
It was deserving recognition for Adams, who has had a legitimate MVP season, leading the team with 85 tackles, 12 for losses, recording 6 ½ sacks, 15 quarterback hits, one interception and forcing two fumbles.
If there were a Most Valuable Coach award given by the Jets (which there is not), there’s no question who would receive that recognition.
Gregg Williams, Team MVC.
Remember when the controversial, “Bountygate’’ leader and lightning-rod defensive coordinator was brought in shortly after head coach Adam Gase was hired?
There were immediate whispers around the league that the two abrasive Type A personalities would clash and implode by midseason.
Not only has that not happened, you can make the argument that Williams has been the best thing to happen to Gase.
The Jets — 6-9 and disappointingly out of the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season — enter Sunday’s season finale against the Bills at New Era Field ranked seventh in the NFL in overall defense, including second against the run.
Considering that Gase — who was hired largely based on his prowess as an innovative offensive mind with a knack for developing quarterbacks, has overseen a Jets offense that’s ranked dead last in the NFL in total offense — you can make a case Williams has saved Gase’s job by keeping the Jets competitive.
And Williams has done this with a roster full of rag-tag players who began the season as mere afterthoughts, such as cornerbacks Bless Austin and Arthur Maulet, linebackers James Burgess, Neville Hewitt, Tarell Basham, defensive linemen Kyle Phillips and Folorunso Fatukasi.
“I’ve known him for 10 years now, so I’m not surprised by anything that he’s been able to do,’’ Gase said. “I love the fact that he’s so steady as far as if somebody gets hurt, somebody gets replaced, he just kind of moves things around and finds the right defense to get to, to make sure that we’re in a good spot. He just kind of sticks with his plan and puts guys in the right spot and just lets them go play.’’
You could make a case that if the Jets were 9-6 and heading to the playoffs, Williams would be on the list of potential head-coaching candidates to fill vacancies this offseason.
On Friday, the Jets’ final day of preparation for the Bills, Williams would not even entertain such a thought.
“I love it here,’’ he said. “Total focus is on this game, this week, Buffalo. I have a staff here that … I don’t have to convince them how messed up I am. They’ve played for me. They’ve coached with me. This is a good group of coaches that we have here and they have done a very, very good job. So, we’ve got to get to this Buffalo game.’’
At Buffalo, Williams’ Jets defense will face the No. 5 ranked rushing offense in the league, with rookie Devin Singletary having rushed for 775 yards and a 5.1-yard average, veteran Frank Gore rushing for 573 yards and quarterback Josh Allen adding 510 yards and nine TDs.
The Bills, too, boast the NFL’s No. 3 overall defense, 11th against the run and third against the pass.
So, a Jets win Sunday, bolstered by a shut-down performance from the defense, would further shine light on the terrific job Williams has done this season.
“He’s done an exceptional job,’’ said linebacker Jordan Jenkins, who has had his best season, with seven sacks. “He doesn’t care who you are — undrafted free agent, if you got cut from five teams, eight teams, if you got signed off the street. He’s going to give everyone a fair shake. He coaches everyone the same, he doesn’t show favoritism and he rewards hard work and effort.’’
Linebacker Brandon Copeland played for Williams with the Titans, so he had a knew what to expect out of the eccentric, hard-driving coach.
“I knew the aggressiveness and harshness of his personality comes from a place of love and how great he wants to see us be and the standard that he’s set … and it’s worked,’’ Copeland said.
“People have asked me [for] a long time, ‘How much longer are you going to be doing this?’ ’’ the 61-year-old Williams said. “There’s nothing more I love. Never had a tobacco product. Never had a narcotic. Had very few prescriptions in life. I’m a competition-a-holic. I love to compete.
“Each year brings up a new set of circumstances. I’ll know when it’s time not to do it anymore when I walk into a room and I have to overly convince somebody to listen to me.’’
Gregg Williams, Team MVC.
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