If the Jets end up out of the playoffs, the team needs a scapegoat.
Brian Costello of the New York Post suggests offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer could be it.
“Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer may be coaching for his job this week,” Costello writes.
Schottenheimer’s contract runs through 2013. It’s hard to tell if the article is actually reporting anything, or whether it’s simply speculating that Schottenheimer is the most likely fall guy if the Jets fail to live up to Rex Ryan’s hype.
The Jets offense has struggled to establish an identity this year. They opened the year trying to be more aggressive throwing the ball, then reverted to a run-first approach before Saturday’s game against the Giants. Schottenheimer seems to struggle with how much to trust Mark Sanchez. (With good reason.)
As Florio has written, the team may quietly investigate alternatives to Sanchez at quarterback. Picking up a new quarterback seems more likely than finding a new playcaller.