Can't say I disagree with him on anything. • On the defense: "Last week, they lined up with a heavy front—an eight-man front. And I thought OK, here comes the blitz; they're bringing the house. Well, you can't have a heavy front to stop [a so-so running back like] Alfred Blue. Are you kidding me? And then they didn't blitz, put [cornerback Darrelle] Revis on—you talk about on an island—on an island with no help in the middle of the field, and wonder why DeAndre Hopkins beats him. I think it's ridiculous. I thought it was a terrible call. I was shocked that they did that," Westhoff said. • More on Revis: "I know one thing: If Darrelle Revis had been in New England, he'd be put in a situation like that. Never. If you're going to play that front, and play that zero coverage behind it, you have to blitz, and make them throw hot. They didn't blitz. They rushed four. Forget it. Quit criticizing Revis everyone. Leave him alone. He's a heck of a football player," Westhoff said. • On Patriots using a safety back in Week 7 to contain running back Chris Ivory: "Everybody's doing the same thing. The Jets must adjust their first-down thinking. They've got to do some things differently." Westhoff also said the Jets should use wideout Brandon Marshall in the slot and in motion to keep teams from doubling him. But the Jets have used Marshall in the slot quite a bit. • On special teams: Westhoff said the Jets made a mistake by not addressing Special teams during the draft, especially by taking wideout Tyler Lockett, who's been making an impact with the Seahawks. "It's like that they didn't even know that that part of the game existed." • On Jeremy Kerley as a punt returner: Westhoff said Kerley, a wideout, has been "atrocious" while trying to field punts inside the 10-yard line. He said April has to come up with some principles for reading the spin on the ball near the goal line. "So Jeremy Kerley, quit catching the ball on the 3-yard line," Westhoff said. And when Kerley caught a punt Sunday against the Texans—who do not have a great punt coverage team—he didn't run right away. "Jeremy Kerley caught his first punt with a 15-yard cushion," Westhoff said. "Please! Run! Right now!" • On special teams, Part II: Westhoff said the Jets need to have a dedicated return man, which they did for kickoffs until wideout Chris Owusu was placed on injured reserve. The Jets have since turned to cornerback Antonio Cromartie, whom Westhoff said is good when he can reverse field. But that's it. "Because when he has to get it up in there, he looks like a third-grader jumping in the pool for the first time," Westhoff said. "He's got his eyes closed and he's tiptoeing." • On kickoff returns in general: "You have to have a principle: Unless you can return a kickoff running forward out of the end zone, never bring it out. It's a simple rule. Never bring it out." http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2015/11/mike_westhoff_rips_jets_coaches_for_ridiculous_dec.html
There must be a certain please in criticizing former employers. I don't have enough breath in my body....
Westhoff is without question the best coach (in any capacity) the Jets have had since Parcells left, and it is not even close.
This guys ST the last two years he was coaching were mediocre at best... he is just another talking head.
Yes, that clearly invalidates his entite career and any claim of expertise he may have been credited with.
I could be wrong, but wasn't his health deteriorating at that time? I'm just saying, the dude is one of the best ST coaches in many years and his last couple years he trails off, so he retires. Sounds like a pretty typical story of his health getting in the way of his work so he cleared the way for a younger man who could put in the hours. However, that doesn't make anything he is saying wrong. Just because the body isn't able any more doesn't mean the mind isn't sharp and he still sounds like he is quite sharp to me.
I'm surprised he never got a shot but most special teams coaches don't get looked at that way.It is embarassing that we haven't had a good Kick returner since Joe Mcknight and Brad Smith (both coached by Westoff)
A nagging question on my mind during the off-season was "Who is our KR?" We definitely need to invest in a true kick returner next year. Dedicate one RB or WR roster spot for THAT very job, have it in mind from the beginning. Look HARD at available special teams aces in the 2nd through 4th rounds. If theres an attribute that we should value the most in terms of evaluating offensive weapons, its this.
They have not been great and it's easy to pile on when things go bad, but last weeks game was not on the defense. Todd Bowles correctly called one of his three TO with three minutes to go, the defense did their job and got the ball back for the offense, twice at the end of the game and the Jets offense could not get anything done. I don't know if Gailey is the problem, but it does not help any offense in the NFL when 2/5ths of the oline is Wesley Johnson and Brian Winters and Fitpatrick is staring down his receivers. I do blame Todd for cutting Aboushi, he was a better back up than what they have on the OL, so the question is, how does the new CS evaluate these players? We are aware how bad Winters is, how the jets justify keeping him is beyond my level of understanding. Westhoff made some good points but it's not just one defensive play or Kerley being a putrid return man that cost them the game.
Westhoff is great because he's not afraid to say anything and I enjoy his opinions. I'm not making too much of this article though. It's a bit sensationalized.
That is correct but his teams played poorly didn't they... and while we are at it if he was so dam good why wasn't he ever considered for HC job anywhere?
