Manish Metha reports this morning that the top wide receivers on the Jets have individually gone to Rex Ryan to complain about Brian Schottenheimer.
The Daily News has learned that wide receivers Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason have individually gone to Rex Ryan in the past few weeks to question offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's system.
The receivers' decisions to approach the head coach during a season when the Jets are throwing it more than ever under Ryan speaks volumes about their feelings about the play-calling. Wideouts don't typically want to change when they're part of a pass-friendly offense. However, all of them recognize the importance of re-establishing a ground attack that has lost its way.
The fact the receivers went separately also speaks volumes. They all seem to have concerns of their own.
This is not good. Mason and Holmes had some public comments recently that seemed to be aimed at Schottenheimer. Rex Ryan also seems to think there is a problem based on the reports of a more run centered offense. If the offense has lost faith in the guy calling the plays, it might be time to consider a change sometime soon. The Jets have an experienced play caller on the staff with a track record of success. When a coach loses his players, that can torpedo things.
The blame here ultimately falls on Woody Johnson who for whatever reason reportedly insisted Schottenheimer be kept on the staff after Eric Mangini was fired. The reality that Schottenheimer's performance had a lot to do with Mangini's dismissal did not seem to have any impact.