We're nary five months into the Adam Gase era in New York and already there have been reports of discord between the head coach and general manager Mike Maccagnan and a passionate refutation of said rumblings.
On the first day of Jets rookie minicamp, er, orientation on Friday, Gase told reporters that he and Maccagnan get along just fine, give or take a disagreement here and there.
"I don't know who decides to put that stuff out there," Gase said of those reports. "It kind of pisses me off a little bit. We have discussions on everything. That's our job. We have to work through so much stuff. That's what we have to do. That's all we've done since we've been here.
"Since we started, we've been in constant communication whether he's coming down to my office or I'm going to his office, that's all we're trying to do is make sure we're on the same page all the time. We're trying to put this thing together as well as we can in a short period of time."
Rumors of discontent in Florham Park emerged from the internet's ether during the draft detailing a rift that had developed between Gase and Maccagnan over decisions made in free agency. Maccagnan denied those reports two weeks ago.
"I think Adam and I have worked very well together," Maccagnan said. "I'm sure, like in any process, there are times when we have different opinions on a player. From my standpoint, I've actually had a very good working relationship with Adam."
Viewed as a standoffish coach with the media, Gase appears to have gotten off on the wrong foot with the New York press, through no fault of his own. Much fun was had at the coach's expense following his eye-opening introductory press conference.
Gase has since opted to stay out of the limelight. The first-year Jets head coach was not seen in any of the team's social-media behind-the-scenes content during the draft, and Gase also chose not to speak to reporters following each day of the selection meeting.
It's not new of Gotham reporters to drum up drama where there isn't any. But the potentially contentious relationship between Maccagnan, Gase and the Jets coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, is a storyline worth monitoring, just in case their casual disagreements boil over when the going gets tough during the season.
"If everybody just agreed on everything, it would be boring," Gase said. "You need to have a little excitement every once in a while."
