None of that is a guarantee of Gase’s job security, of course, especially after three blowout losses to start the season. The Jets know their weary fan base is frustrated from a decade of losing. And it certainly didn’t reflect well on the head coach that two players spoke out last week about the team’s poor practice habits.

And even with all the injuries, there is obviously concern that Gase’s offense is ranked dead last in the NFL in points and yards, especially after the Jets had the NFL’s worst offense last year, too. So yes, another ugly, non-competitive loss could push Johnson and Douglas past their breaking points and push them to make a change.

But Johnson’s faith in Gase does appear to be sincere, and he knows that Bell, Mims and receiver Jeff Smith could all be on target to return in Week 5, when the Jets face the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 11. And if Perriman, receiver Jamison Crowder and left tackle Mekhi Becton are all healthy then, too, the Jets could be close to full strength.

Then the Jets could really judge just how “brilliant” Gase’s offensive mind really is. It might even give him a fighting chance to fix some of Sam Darnold’s problems. The regression of Darnold through the first three weeks of the season appears to be the biggest worry in the organization, but the blame has been placed internally much more on injuries than on Gase.

Giving Gase more time could also buy time for Johnson, who will have an impossible task of explaining why he went from gushing about Gase to firing him so quickly, if that’s the direction he chooses to go. It wasn’t just the vote of confidence he gave him. It was the “brilliant” label. It will be hard to justify completely changing his mind on that so soon.

And then there’s this: In-season coaching changes almost never work in the NFL because all an interim coach can do is continue to run the systems that were already in place. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would likely be Gase’s replacement and he’d continue calling his defensive scheme. And that would leave offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains to call the plays in what will still be Gase’s offense.

Other than having a new, fiery leader running the sidelines and giving speeches in the locker room, very little will otherwise change.

Again, all of that doesn’t mean Gase’s job is safe. It just means that there is still an opening for him to keep it, even at 0-4. In the end, that would be up to Johnson, with big input from Douglas, of course. Johnson made it clear how he feels about Gase two weeks ago. Only he knows what it will take on Thursday night for those strong feelings to wane.

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