Bill Belichick praised Adam Gase following the Jets’ 24-22 win over the Cowboys in Week 6.
Belichick is the type of coach who always finds a way to give credit to his opponent no matter how good or bad they actually are. However, Gase always gave Belichick trouble when he was with Miami. Now that Gase has a healthy quarterback in Sam Darnold, Belichick is well aware of how dangerous Gase’s offense can be.
“Give him a little extra time, get the quarterback back, iron out a few things, it’s not a big surprise to see Adam show a big spike in improvement,” Belichick told reporters Monday. “I fully expected things to improve once he had some time to work on it.”
The Jets offense completely turned itself around when Darnold went back under center Sunday. New York set season-highs in almost all offensive statistical categories on Sunday against the Cowboys because of Darnold’s performance.
Belichick knows that Monday’s matchup at MetLife Stadium will not be nearly the same as the game in Foxborough in Week 3. The Jets didn’t have an NFL-caliber quarterback playing at the time and their offense was too predictable. With Darnold playing, Gase’s playbook is wide open and presents a much different challenge.
It’s hard to believe, but Darnold could be the best quarterback that the Patriots will face through the first seven weeks of the season. Belichick’s premier defense could legitimately be tested for the first time all season by Darnold and company.
