The New York Jets kicked the crap on Wednesday: Gang Green dismissed offensive coordinator John Morton after just one season – despite clear progress in the offense.
“We appreciate John’s work here and wish him all the best for his future,”said Head Coach Todd Bowles in a statement.
Bowles himself, like Jets Managing Director Mike Maccagnan, had received a premature renewal at the end of December, after Gang Green had appeared more than respectable in the recently completed Regular Season. The jets had messed up the squad in the past off-season and were a candidate for a 0-16 season for most of the experts – but instead New York presented itself competitively in most of the games and annoyed some favourites.
This happened mostly on the back of the unexpectedly strong offense that Morton built around Josh McCown and the receivers Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse had built around: an air raid open with spread formations, vertical passing and good route concepts that could have been built upon in New York.
Instead, NFL network insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that Morton’s farewell had been an internal topic for quite a while and that there had been speculation, among other things, about a possible change to the Oakland Raiders. Quarterback coach Jeremy Bates is regarded as a possible successor, and John DeFilippo is now being traded again: the jets wanted DeFilippo last year, when Philadelphia blocked his QB coach. His contract with DeFilippo is now expiring, but DeFilippo is still a candidate for the head coach position in Arizona.