 The Jets opened their 2011 campaign with a 2 – 3 record , leading to discontent within their clubhouse . The team had begun to stray from its philosophy of consistently running the ball and began to pass more often , but the offense struggled with this adjustment . Receivers Plaxico Burress , Santonio Holmes and Derrick Mason reportedly approached coach Ryan to question offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer 's system . Ryan , meanwhile , had begun to isolate himself from the rest of the team as he became less " hands @-@ on " and opted to have his assistants coach the players at their respective positions . Ryan attracted further attention to the team during a Thursday Night Football game against the New England Patriots when he responded to a heckling fan with an obscene remark and was fined $ 75 @,@ 000 by the league . Despite struggling to an 8 – 7 record , the Jets still had the ability to attain a playoff berth if they won their regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins in combination with the outcome of three other games played that day . 
