The New York Jets are preparing to face the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, and they're doing so with a new offensive game planner leading the way.
On Thursday morning, interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich announced a change in offensive coaching duties by naming Todd Downing the new play caller. Downing, who is in his second season as Jets' pass game coordinator, takes the reins from Nathaniel Hackett although the latter retains his offensive coordinator title.
"I'm gonna make Todd Downing the playcaller for the New York Jets going forward. Ultimately, Todd will have the full say on the game plan and ultimately the plays that are called within the game," said Ulbrich while addressing reporters in Florham Park.
It isn't unfamiliar territory for Downing, who was in charge of an NFL offense prior to landing with the Jets.
"For every Tennessee offense that I ever went against, when Todd was the play caller there, they were tough. They were ruthless. They finished. They ran the ball. They played on their terms. There's definitely a style that appealed to me," said Ulbrich.
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Third time a charm?
After stops as a quarterbacks coach in Detroit and Buffalo, Downing filled that role on the Oakland Raiders staff in 2015 and 2016 before earning offensive coordinator duties in 2017. He joined the Tennessee Titans as tight ends coach in 2019 and was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2021.
None of the three Downing-led units ever ranked higher than 17th overall on the NFL leader board. Calling the plays for a third NFL team, Downing has a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback at the controls for the first time. Will Aaron Rodgers be the difference for a Downing-coordinated attack?
Two decades in NFL
The 44-year-old Downing worked his way up the coaching ranks starting out as an offensive quality control assistant with the 2005 Minnesota Vikings. The Jets are the seventh different organization to employ him.
New York signed Downing to be its pass game coordinator in 2023. He was let go by the Titans after the 2022 campaign.
Run first
In each of Downing's two seasons at the helm in Tennessee, the Titans recorded more rushing attempts than passes thrown — a rarity in today's NFL. In 2021, Tennessee owned the fifth-ranked rushing offense (141.4) before falling to 13th (125.4) in 2022.
It's worth noting that former Titans' offensive line coach Keith Carter currently holds that same role with the Jets. It's likely safe to expect some more ground and pound at MetLife Stadium.
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