There are cooking shows based around chefs handed a bunch of ingredients and tasked to make a winning dish out of them. It's not too dissimilar to how Todd Downing, the New York Jets' new offensive play caller, is approaching his job -- especially after the Jets traded for Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams this week.
"As a chef, you would want a bunch of ingredients, right? You wouldn't want to stand in a kitchen and be looking for something in the cupboard," Downing told reporters on Thursday, per The Associated Press. "So it's a good problem to have that we have all these really cool ingredients."
Adams was acquired on Tuesday, and he's expected to play Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers after missing his final three games with Las Vegas due to a hamstring injury.
There's a lot on Adams' plate as he receives a crash course on the Jets' offense. His familiarity with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Adams' teammate for eight years in Green Bay, has helped expedite the process.
"Yeah, (Adams is) certainly ahead of the curve," Downing said. "Being able to do that Spanish-to-English with Aaron, I think is something that is really going to benefit him. They can even go back to old signals they had together to help remind them of things, so they have that connection and that chemistry."
It's not clear yet how much the Jets will ask out of Adams in Sunday's game, but Downing seems to view that as the least of his concerns, considering the talent upgrade they're getting with the three-time All-Pro.
"Obviously, (Adams is) dynamic with the ball in his hands, right?" Downing said. "And so finding ways to get him the football is going to be fun to do. I think his understanding of the game, his savviness, his football IQ, knowing where he fits in zones, knowing how to attack defenses, diagnosing coverages -- I think that's all a premium."
On paper, the Jets appear to have some serious firepower, with Rodgers now able to throw to Adams, Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Tyler Conklin (and potentially Mike Williams if he is not traded) and hand off to Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Hall and Allen also have combined for 34 receptions between them.
Asked how he'll keep all those mouths fed, Downing joked: "Just tell Aaron to throw to the open guy. That's the easy part."
Williams has missed two straight practices for personal reasons since the Adams trade and since Rodgers appeared to lay some of the blame on his late-game interception in Monday night's loss to the Bills at the feet of Williams, saying the receiver was in the wrong spot.
Amid speculation on Williams' future with the team, Downing called Williams "a pro" on Thursday and said they're going to do what they can to get as much as they can from all their individual parts.
"We use different personnel groupings and we find different ways to tag guys to get different combinations of receivers in there and that," Downing said. "So I know that he's seen that and felt that. That's, again, a part of the ingredients, right?"
Downing added: "We have an accomplished wide receivers room right now and you hope everybody feels that there's been some intentionality and purpose in how we're putting the plan together."
At 2-4 with three straight losses, Jets fans are starved to see the plan finally come to fruition.
