EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Star wide receiver Garrett Wilson finally lost his cool, erupting on the bench during the fourth quarter of the New York Jets' 28-25 loss to the previously winless Miami Dolphins on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
The CBS cameras caught a frustrated Wilson, targeted only three times, screaming in the direction of quarterback Geno Smith. Afterward, Wilson said he wasn't directing his ire at Smith. He didn't identify the target, but it appeared to be passing-game coordinator Seth Ryan, who was seated next to Smith.
"We were collaborating," said Wilson, who was said to be upset with the playcalls in the red zone. "I don't even think I was talking to Geno. I think we were both heated, but not at each other at all. We were just disappointed with how we were playing up to that point and wanted to be a little more aggressive. That's what that was."
Smith echoed that version.
"He might have been yelling, but I don't think he was yelling at me," Smith said.
The fact that Wilson was screaming at all speaks volumes about the state of the Jets (2-5), who trailed at halftime 21-7 to a team that hadn't led in any of its previous five games.
It was a crushing loss for coach Aaron Glenn, who dropped to 5-19 and 0-8 in the AFC East. If he was on the hot seat before Sunday, the temperature rose another few degrees after perhaps the most demoralizing loss of his tenure.
The Jets were booed loudly at halftime and again at the end of the game.
"I understand the fans' frustration -- I really do. I promise you, I do -- but the thing is, I do feel like, man, this program is going in the right direction," Glenn said.
Wilson agreed with that assessment, though he quickly added, "At 2-5, we're not in a good spot."
The Jets' top receiver finished with only two catches for 26 yards, one week after a quiet game against the New England Patriots -- only two targets through three quarters. The coaches spoke about the importance of getting Wilson involved in the offense, and yet it took until the third quarter before he was targeted.
Smith (23-for-30, 287 yards, three TD passes) did have some success throwing the ball, but Wilson was an afterthought. His primary targets were rookie Omar Cooper Jr. (five catches for 115 yards, one TD) and Mason Taylor (five for 62, two TDs).
"I think we can all do a better job of finding ways to get him more targets and more touches," said Smith, who killed a potential scoring drive with an interception. "But the ball has to go where it goes based on coverage."
Afterward, Smith and Wilson emerged from the shower at the same time, engaged in quiet conversation as they walked across the locker room to their respective lockers. Describing the talk, Wilson said it was about finding a "resolution."
"Just trying to figure out how we can fix where we're at right now, wanting to get it in our hands and make a difference and try to win these games that we feel like we're a better team -- and we're not," Wilson said.
"Like I've said before, I want it in my hands to try and make an impact. So that's all we were talking about, just putting it in our hands and how we can make that happen, being aggressive throughout and keeping ourselves out of those situations so we can win these games."
The Jets racked up a season-high 377 yards, including Braelon Allen's 104 on the ground, but they were undermined by their defense. It allowed the Dolphins to score on three of their first four possessions. They scored more points in the first half (21) than they did in four of their first five games.
"I'm highly disappointed in myself," Glenn said. "First and foremost, defensively, we did not play well in the first half."
Glenn also made questionable clock-management decisions at the end of the first half, declining to use any timeouts with Miami threatening to score. Instead of stopping the clock to get another possession, he let the clock run and went to halftime with three unused timeouts.
This loss hit hard. Linebacker Demario Davis sat at his locker for a long time, staring blankly. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had a costly missed tackle in the fourth quarter, gave mostly curt responses to reporters.
"I can't really put it into words," tight end Jeremy Ruckert said. "It's extremely frustrating."
