New York Jets’ Brian Schottenheimer Trying to Stay Focused on the Task at Hand
Brian Schottenheimer hears it all.
The New York Jets’ offensive coordinator is well aware of the criticism he’s facing, but to his credit, he is trying his best not to let it effect him as the Jets prepare for their Week 17 game against the Miami Dolphins.
“You don’t have time to worry about it,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s out of my control.”
The 38-year-old Schottenheimer has been in charge of the Jets offense for the past six seasons, but year after year he has failed to put a good product on the field.
Last week’s loss to the New York Giants was horrendous from an offensive perspective, as Schottenheimer prematurely abandoned the run and it turned into an absolute disaster for the Jets.
For many Jets fans, myself included, that was the final straw. After years of underachievement from the Jets’ offense, I believe it’s time for Schottenheimer and the Jets to part ways following the season.
Nevertheless, the young assistant coach has handled the criticism admirably, and he has not lost confidence in his ability to be a top flight coach in this league.
“I’m an excellent football coach,” he said. “Have we been inconsistent this year? Absolutely. I wish I could put my finger on it and say exactly why that was.”
Brian Schottenheimer, the son of long-time NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, knows that there are a lot of improvements to me made if he does come back, although nobody really knows what the future holds.
“There’s things that clearly I could do better. There’s things that clearly the unit could do better,” he said. “You don’t have time to worry about it.”
For now, Schottenheimer and the rest of the Jets are focusing on the Dolphins, who they must beat on Sunday to even think about potentially sneaking back into the playoff race.
However, the critics won’t stop any time soon. Brian Schottenheimer has seen his father go through it before, and that experience has helped him deal with it.
“I grew up in a household around a coach that took a lot of heat and got fired at 14-2,” he said. “You have no control over it. So you roll with the punches.”
The Jets offensive coordinator mentioned that he’s gotten a ton of support from friends and family this week, and having his father for support means a lot to him.
“He knows what I’m going through,” Schottenheimer said. “He knows what it’s like and what it’s about. It’s the price you pay for being in this profession.”
“If you get in this profession, you’re going to get fired,” he said. “The guys that sit there and worry about it are the guys that generally end up getting fired. Because they’re sitting there worried about it.”
Veteran running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who may be playing his final game as a Jet on Sunday, has known both of the Schottenheimer’s for a long time, dating back to their San Diego days.
“The play caller always gets the scrutiny,” Tomlinson said. “Everybody on the outside thinks they can call plays better. That’s just how it is.”
“We’re humans. Brian is going to make his share of mistakes,” said Tomlinson. “We appreciate him being the type of guy to stand up in front of us and say, ‘Guys, you know what, my mistake. That was a bad call by me.’ He’s done that plenty of times.”
Head coach Rex Ryan defended Schottenheimer and refused to blame his offensive coordinator for the abysmal playcalling last week that saw Mark Sanchez drop back to pass over 60 times.
But to his credit, Schottenheimer did not hide from the fact that at the end of the day, he is the one responsible for the play of the Jets offense, and if they’re not playing well, that reflects on him.
“Obviously there’s always going to be second guessing,” Schottenheimer said. “Any time you lose, you get second guessed. And I accept that. We’re all held accountable. But ultimately it’s my responsibility.”
I have to admit, Brian Schottenheimer is a stand-up guy. It can’t be easy to constantly have your job status questioned day in and day out in a media market like New York.
However, that still does not excuse the underwhelming job he has done over the past six years as Jets offensive coordinator.
Whether or not the Jets end up in the playoffs, and right now it’s looking more and more likely that the Jets will fall short, there has to be accountability on this team. That accountability starts with Schottenheimer.
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