Muhammad Wilkerson's words apparently fell on deaf ears.
The Jets defensive end said he felt compelled to speak to his teammates before facing the Patriots on Saturday. The odds were against them, especially on the road. But Wilkerson nonetheless had urged them to play better, not only for themselves, but more so for their coach, Todd Bowles, who flew to New England on Saturday morning after an overnight stay in the hospital for kidney stones and gall stones.
"I feel like we should play for each other like we always do," Wilkerson told reporters at Gillette Stadium hours later, "but just play a little more hard for Coach."
The Jets, however, did everything but. On the same day they praised Bowles for showing strength and dedication to his team, their woeful performance provided even more ammunition for those calling for Bowles' job.
The Jets (4-11) committed four turnovers, including three interceptions by their two quarterbacks. They scored no touchdowns while allowing Tom Brady to throw three TDs en route to a 124.6 quarterback rating. Their only points were courtesy of a late field goal by Nick Folk, who missed a 34-yarder in the second quarter with the Patriots leading 13-0.
In the aftermath of another embarrassing blowout loss _ this time, a 41-3 defeat at the hands of their most hated rivals _ Bowles' players were left searching for answers to their ongoing struggles.
Do the Jets have an issue with effort? Too little talent? Or are their constant calamities the byproduct of poor preparation during the week? Well, it depends on who you ask in the locker room. And none of their explanations bode well for Bowles.
"Guys just weren't ready to play," second-year defensive end Leonard Williams told ESPN.com after the game. "We didn't really play with a lot of passion, a lot of enthusiasm. It seemed like we were out there, going through the motions.
"Me, personally, I play hard every game. I know a lot of other guys on this team do. But some people are probably looking past the season, thinking that it's over and stuff like that."
Veteran linebacker David Harris blamed execution instead. "There was never a lack of effort," he said. "Guys played hard out there, just didn't play smart."
Wilkerson, however, hinted that effort may in fact be an issue for some players.
"The whole team should be embarrassed," he said after recording seven tackles and a sack of Brady for a loss of nine yards. "Nothing we did today was right. Turnovers. Defense giving up scores. Big plays. It was terrible.
"... I can't speak for every individual," added the defensive end, who was benched by Bowles for one quarter against the Giants last season and in Week 9 against the Dolphins this year because of lateness. "Me, personally, as a leader, I'm going to try to do my best to keep guys motivated and playing hard, giving it their all. I think that's all I can really do.
"I give it my all each and every week."
