Clyde Gates said last week’s struggles in New England were frustrating, but won’t be deflating, and the Jets’ beleaguered wide receiver believes his four dropped passes on Sept. 12 against the Patriots will just make him work even harder Sunday against the Bills at MetLife Stadium.
“Oh, yeah. It’s not like I’m down; that’s part of the game,” Gates said. “You’re going to catch them. You’re going to drop them: What matters is how you bounce back.
“When you have something like that happen, when you have a game like that, you’ve got to be itching to come out the following day or the following week, just to better yourself, to focus better, see what you did wrong and fix it.’’
There was plenty wrong to fix from that Week 2 game, when Gates dropped four passes, including one in the end zone and another around the 10-yard line. The only thing worse than red-zone drops are end-zone drops and Gates had both, each one pivotal in the Jets’ 13-10 loss.
“I wouldn’t say it shakes my confidence,” said Gates, who couldn’t hold onto the ball on his diving touchdown attempt, and lost the ball in the lights in his red-zone drop. “It’s just frustrating, because you don’t want that to happen.
“It was just a drop. I have no excuse. That’s just what they were.’’
There was Gates at the start of Friday’s practice, with a football in hand even as his teammates stretched. He tossed it, twirled it, but he kept catching it — with both hands, reinforcing the need to concentrate.
“Yeah, just bettering in my focus,” said Gates, who was hardly the only culprit, just the guiltiest one. “Everywhere I go, I want to try to have a ball in my hands, just to focusing and feeling the ball,’’
Receivers coach Sanjay Lal said the wide receivers — minus Jeremy Kerley, who missed the Patriots game because of a concussion — had six dropped passes, which he called “unacceptable.’’
Nevertheless, Gates said he hasn’t lost confidence in himself and the coaches haven’t lost confidence in him.
“I get it. I definitely understand the question. But no,’’ coach Rex Ryan said when asked if he has lost faith in the receivers. “Just go out and have fun and attack the football. Go get it. Is it going to be the last time he drops the ball? No. [But] we believe in him. We know he can do it. I see him [practice]: He catches everything. The main thing is here’s a young man who knows how to run routes and catch the football. Go do it. Play relaxed, have some fun, go get it.’’
“He had a couple of those, where he let the ball get back to his body. You [have to] go up with your hands and get it done. Some of them, the ball could’ve been thrown in a little better spot. But every receiver has drops.
“I know he’s going to have a big day. That’s how I feel about it and I’m comfortable with it. If he drops the first one, go catch the second one. That has to be his mentality.’’
Stephen Hill and Howell, N.J., native Ryan Spadola each had a drop as well against New England.
But Gates’ blistering speed makes him a potential deep threat, and when Ryan was asked if Gates’ drops could lead to Spadola taking on a bigger role, the coach was blunt.
“I don’t think so,” Ryan said. “That’s about as honest as I could be, I think.’’