New York Jets: Offensive coordinator will determine offseason plans

The New York Jets have fired offensive coordinator John Morton, and their replacement will tell you everything about how they plan to move forward in 2018.

John Morton was brought during the 2017 offseason to implement the West Coast Offense, and usher in the new young New York Jets offense. Instead, he set the offensive growth back by running the ball only 42.3 percent of the time in 2017, and it was time to let him go.

According to numerous reports, he had rifts with players, and Todd Bowles wasn’t happy with his play calling. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, one player voiced his frustrations.

"He “thinks we’re the New Orleans Saints, playing in a dome,” one player said, alluding to Morton’s previous team."

The running game was inconsistent throughout 2017 under Morton, and Bowles wants the team to run more. The Jets dropped back to pass 156 more times than they attempted runs, an average of 9.75 times more per game (eight out of 13 teams that had a smaller gap than the Jets made the Playoffs).

The Jets are seeking a new offensive coordinator that meshes with the philosophy that Bowles wants to implement. The person they hire will tell the tale of the offseason plans for the Jets.

It’s a very simple puzzle to solve. If the Jets go outside the organization, both Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty are done with the team. Petty is likely done anyway. There’s another option that will tell a lot.

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The Jets could stay in-house and promote Jeremy Bates, a man who has been a lower level assistant in the NFL since 2002. If they elevate Bates to offensive coordinator, it will show that they still believe in Christian Hackenberg and want to move forward with him.

Their biggest move of the offseason is based on who the quarterback is in 2018. This move will set that in place.