The New York Jets were absolutely blown off the field by the division rival Buffalo Bills on Sunday. New York at one point trailed 40-0, and the game only ended 40-14 by virtue of a pair of garbage-time touchdowns.
After the game, star cornerback Sauce Gardner was asked if the loss was embarrassing. He demurred on that question, but then wondered if some of the players on the team might be "checked out."
"Embarrassing? I don't even know if that's the word, because what was the score for the first time we played them? It was 23-20, and you are telling me now it's 40 to nothing? If you ask me, that means it's the end of the season, we're not going to playoffs, and some people might be checked out," Gardner said in his postgame media availability, via SNY. "We beat them before and last year too. They had a similar roster, and we enhanced our roster in all areas. So that just tells me we aren't playing as a team. We are probably just playing as individuals."
On Monday, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich disagreed with Gardner's assessment when asked if he thought players checked out.
"I did not. I took a real hard look at the tape in all three phases and I was looking for that," Ulbrich said, also via SNY. "In moments like this, it's a great opportunity to really evaluate the character of a man and the truth is I couldn't find it. I couldn't find a lack of effort and strain. I couldn't at all. Did we lack execution? Absolutely. Did we miss opportunities and not play to the standard of this organization? Absolutely did not do that. As far as the effort, strain, finish -- I still felt it was there."
Of course, Ulbrich is incentivized to say that players have not checked out. He's the interim head coach, and presumably wants a chance at the full-time job, however unlikely that may be. He also would probably like to get another defensive coordinator or position coach opportunity in the likely event that he does not remain with the Jets, and if it looks like the players checked out on his watch, that's less likely to happen.
Whatever the case, the Jets are and have been a disaster this season, to the point that Gardner won't even recommend that one of the top potential free agents this coming offseason (Tee Higgins) come join him in New York. There will almost surely be massive changes coming this offseason, and any players who "checked out" might be some of those moving on.
