Getty A snapshot of several New York Jets coaches on the sideline during an NFL game.
On Thursday, September 29 New York Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich seemingly took a shot at defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
When asked by the media, why they stick to this heavy defensive line rotation when Williams is one of their best players, the coach responded with a jab:
“There’s like these critical moments in-game and [you think] — ‘why’s Quinnen not out there?’ — and you look to the side and he’s gasping for air. So just gotta be judicious with it. Gotta absolutely use them as much as we can and as much as we can in critical moments, for sure, but I still think there has to be a level of rotation. He plays at such a high clip and he goes so hard that sometimes more is less or more isn’t necessarily as good because now you’re not seeing the speed, the explosiveness, all the special stuff from an athletic standpoint that he brings.”
Quinnen Williams Claps Back at Viral Comments
That comment by Ulbrich stunned a lot of people on social media including Williams himself.
Timing is everything in life and shortly after Ulbrich’s comments went viral, Quinnen decided to hit the retweet button on an old clip from the summer featuring head coach Robert Saleh praising Q for the shape he was in:
#Jets HC Robert Saleh says DL Quinnen Williams (@QuinnenWilliams) is in the ‘best shape of his life’ + ‘the expectation is do your best but we’re really excited because we think his best is going to be pretty damn good this year’ 😤: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight #JetsCamp @AlabamaFTBL
If that wasn’t enough of a telltale, the former Alabama star’s most recent like on Twitter is a tweet from a fan criticizing the defensive line rotation strategy:
Twitter user SK said, “makes zero sense. That means your best players will be on the field for less than half of the plays. Didn’t even do that in San Fran.”
This summer Quinnen liked a tweet about how dumb the rotation was (still his most recent like)
Williams has been playing at a superb level this season and the general thought is if he got more playing time he could reach a new ceiling.
During the Week 3 matchup between the Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals, Williams was spotted on the sideline giving an earful to defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton.
#Jets Quinnen Williams & DL coach Aaron Whitecotton got in into a yelling match on the sideline. Had to be separated.
First time I’ve seen Quinnen explode like that: 🎥 @NFLonCBS #TakeFlight #CINvsNYJ #Bengals #RuleTheJungle
After the game coach Saleh said it was simply a healthy conversation between the two about playing a four-man pass rush versus going all-out blitz.
Although on social media there are some conspiracy theories that suggest Williams was yelling about the defensive line rotation instead. Those rumors at this point are simply rumors and are unconfirmed.
Likely a Massive Jets Miscommunication
This looks really ugly right now.
A talented Jets player vying for a contract extension getting into both public spats and social media wars with several coaches.
However, this is likely just a really big miscommunication. Sometimes we think we know how things sound in our head and they don’t come out the way we want.
For example, just a week ago Ulbrich was at that very same podium saying Williams has been “dominant” so far this season. He lauded the defensive lineman for his game-wrecking ability and said he’s “virtually impossible to block.”
Does it make any sense that a week later he would seemingly question the shape of one of his best players?
#Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich says through 2 weeks DL Quinnen Williams (@QuinnenWilliams) ‘has been dominant’ + ‘in my opinion, he’s virtually impossible to block in the run & pass game 1-on-1’ + ‘he’s got game-wrecker written all over him’ 👀: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight @AlabamaFTBL
Regardless of what he meant to say, it still clearly ticked off Williams. Oftentimes perception can be reality and if people perceived that he was calling out Q then that is enough to do some damage.
Jets fans have been calling for Ulbrich’s head since he was hired last year and that chatter will only get louder with this latest drama.
There is one antidote that is a full proof way to stop all of this: win some gosh darn football games. It has proven across time that it can cure any issues and that is exactly what the doctor ordered for Gang Green.
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Jets Standout Takes Clear Shot at Jets Coach