Jets Released Honest Statement About Catching The Patriots

The voluntary minicamp began Tuesday, and head coach Adam Gase set up some great goals for the upcoming season. He is ready to go after the New England Patriots.

Gase is well aware of the power Tom Brady and his teammates have. He was part of the Dolphins family for three years.

“I like being in this division,” Gase told reporters Tuesday. “I always have felt like you want to compete against the best… They’ve done this for a long time. And you know where you stand when you play those guys, and you compete against them twice a year, and you have to go head-to-head with them within the division against the same teams they’re playing. You find out where you are really fast.”

The Jets coach knows where his team stand in the division.

“My point to the whole thing is: We’re behind,” Gase said. “They got a big head start — multiple years, a decade-plus, almost two. So, we have to work. When we’re in the building, we have to do everything we can to keep getting better, because we’re playing catch-up.”

The players are pretty tough when it comes to reaching their final goal. Sam Darnold finished the season with 2,865 yards.

“Tom and Coach Belichick up there, they’ve been doing it for a while,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s no secret that they’ve kind of got it wired down. They’ve been doing it for 19 or so years…. So, it’s always kind of chasing them, especially in this division… That’s the goal, but at the same time, it’s about us. What can we do to get better every single day?”

Left guard Kelechi Osemele believes his team is way behind the Pats. He said, “I don’t think we’re close at all (to) what they’re doing up there in New England.

“But we’re kidding ourselves if we’re saying we’re caught up with New England. That’s why we’re getting these extra camp days in and reporting early. So we can lay that foundation down and catch up.”

The Patriots and Jets will have play their first game together on September 22.